Lilo & Stitch 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Lilo & Stitch 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 23, 2025

When Disney released their (to some) weirdly controversial live action redo of The Little Mermaid several years ago, I probably insouciantly suggested in my The Little Mermaid Blu-ray review that in all the debate about Disney having suddenly gone "woke", complainers seem to have been blinded to one of Disney's most woke, and, frankly, long standing behaviors in its film (and television) production ethos, namely recycling. Can you think of any other major (or minor) studio that "revisits" its properties with such seemingly gleeful abandon as the Mouse House? Putting aside Disney's well documented efforts of re-releasing their films every few years to take advantage of a new batch of kiddies having been born in the interim, there's the whole issue of Disney remaking formerly animated outings as live action or CGI based productions, and in that regard there's little doubt that this new 4K release of Lilo & Stitch is meant as a kind of marketing tie in for the upcoming live action remake, which is slated to debut in almost exactly a month as this review is being written.

Ken Brown's Lilo & Stitch Blu-ray review of Disney's 1080 release of the film several years ago (on a double feature disc with the second film) provides a great plot summary and Ken's reaction to that disc's technical presentation.

Lilo & Stitch 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package.

Lilo & Stitch is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.68:1. Rather interestingly the IMDb lists an original negative aspect ratio of 1.66:1, but a theatrical exhibition ratio of 1.85:1, though that said the prior 1080 release of this film was also in 1.68:1. Ken gave generally positive marks to the old 1080 version's presentation, which as mentioned above was on a "double feature" BD-50 that also offered the second film. In that regard, the only real anomalies I noticed in either the 1080 or 4K presentations were not aliasing or banding but certain inconsistencies in line detail that no doubt stem from the "old school" animation techniques employed for this production. The 4K UHD's strengths may not in fact be in any remarkable uptick in detail levels, since I'd probably argue those aforementioned if also admittedly slight variances in line detail are only more noticeable at the increased resolution this format offers, but instead some really lustrous new highlights courtesy of HDR / Dolby Vision. The absolutely gorgeous water color backgrounds that are so evocative once the story switches to good old planet Earth offer a really stunning array of pastels, and the range of tones is repeatedly gobsmacking throughout the story. I was particularly struck by hues in the supposedly "cooler" end of the spectrum like some of the blues, teals and greens, but I have to say, despite the commonly accepted verbiage for that part of the color wheel, the overall look of this 4K UHD presentation is decidedly "island warm".

Lilo & Stitch 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audiophiles should be excited by the fact that Disney has upped the ante, both figuratively and literally, with a new Dolby Atmos track on this 4K UHD disc. The results are quite delightful, and Atmos engagement is obvious from the absolute get go, including in the whimsical "abduction" of the Disney logo, but then quite noticeably throughout the opening "alien" vignette. The surround channels get regular workouts, and for just one really fun if fleeting example, position yourself in the center of your surround setup for the little moment where Stitch escapes on the alien police ship and is running around the HVAC (?) system. Surround activity is noticeable, if maybe just a bit more sporadic once things get Earthbound, and some scenes can offer a lot of dialogue squarely through the center channel, leaving the side and rear channels for occasional ambient environmental spill. Score, effects and dialogue are all delivered cleanly and clearly throughout, though I occasionally wished individual bits of dialogue had been mixed a bit further forward (as in the chaotic scene early in the film where Stitch escapes). Subtitles in several languages are available.

Lilo & Stitch 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Somewhat hilariously, Ken's review of Disney's old 1080 release (which combined both Lilo & Stitch films on one BD-50, with two DVD presentations also offered in the package) lamented how the 1080 disc had no supplements, requiring purchasers to go to the DVDs to access any bonus features. Perhaps for that reason, Ken doesn't really outline the supplements on the DVDs, but that said, the 4K disc in this package has no supplements, while this time out the 1080 disc does feature the following supplements, though it looks like they were somewhat comically actually ported over from the DVD in standard definition:

• Hula Lesson (SD; 3:36)


• Animating the Hula (SD; 3:04)


• DisneyPedia: Hawai'i - The Islands of Aloha (SD; 8:46) offers brief tours of the islands.


• Music

Burning Love: Behind the Scenes with Wynonna (SD; 1:32)




Can't Help Falling in Love: A*Teens Music Video (SD; 1:02)




Your 'Ohana' Music Video (SD; 2:11)

• Audio Commentary


• A Stitch in Time: Follow Stitch Through the Disney Years (SD; 3:31) is a joking biographical history of the character.


• Inter-Stitch-ials: Theatrical Teaser Trailers (SD; 4:21) offers Stitch "invading" trailers for other iconic Disney properties.

A digital copy is also included, and packaging features a slipcover.

Lilo & Stitch 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Since it's probably safe to assume there are no alternate alien species Disney might utilize to portray Stitch in the upcoming live action remake, at least that "casting" decision may not invite the umbrage of potential ticket buyers. In that regard, though, and really irrespective of any accusations of "wokeness", as I mentioned in my relatively recent Mufasa: The Lion King 4K Blu-ray review it was absolutely fascinating and I think quite salient to note that almost all of the supplements on that disc tended to refer to the original animated version of the story rather than the 2019 CGI remake. I have a sneaking suspicion that may well be the case should the upcoming live action Lilo & Stitch engender its own sequel. This is a delightful, heartwarming film with solid technical merits. Highly recommended.