Today, Disney Home Entertainment is releasing the animated films The Emperor’s New Groove, Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Lilo & Stitch on Blu-ray, packaged with their respective sequels.  All three sets are recommended for Disney fans and are worthwhile additions to your collection.

The first film up is The Emperor’s New Groove, from 2000.  After firing his evil administrator Yzma (Eartha Kitt), the spoiled Emperor Kuzco (David Spade) gets turned into a llama and escapes to a nearby village and is forced to team up with the kindhearted local Pacha (John Goodman), with the dimwitted Kronk (Patrick Warburton) hot on their trail.  Picking up an Oscar nomination for the Sting song “My Funny Friend and Me,” The Emperor’s New Groove is an incredibly funny animated film with great comic timing and entertaining voice work from the strong cast.  The sequel, Kronk’s New Groove, was released in 2005.

The special features are only on the DVD copies of the films, and they include audio commentary, deleted scenes, several featurettes, a couple of music videos and a game for the first film.  The second one includes games and a featurette.

The Emperor’s New Groove is 78 minutes and Kronk’s New Groove is 75 minutes.  Both are rated G.

A year later in 2001, Disney released Atlantis: The Lost Empire, the story of a bright young adventurer in 1914 named Milo Thatch (Michael J. Fox), who teams up with a strange bunch of explorers to find and ultimately save the lost continent of Atlantis.  First released in 70mm, this is a highly stylized animated film, with the angular look of the characters and often striking backgrounds providing memorable visuals to go along with the simplistic adventure story.  The sequel, Atlantis: Milo’s Return, was released in 2003.

The special features are only on the DVD copies of the films, and the first one includes audio commentary, a deleted scene and some featurettes.  The second one has a deleted scene and a game.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire is 96 minutes and rated PG.  Atlantis: Milo’s Return is 80 minutes and rated G.

Released in 2002, the Oscar-nominated Lilo & Stitch has deservingly gained a dedicated following over the years.  After being banished from his home planet, Stitch (Chris Sanders) finds himself in Hawaii and ends up adopted by Lilo (Daveigh Chase), an emotionally confused little girl who lives alone with her sister, Nani (Tia Carrere).  The girl and the alien change each other in unexpected ways, as they learn to overcome similar challenges and control their complicated emotions.  With beautiful animation, an excellent soundtrack and a dark edge, Lilo & Stitch is a memorable film that has a touching heart at the centre of the story.  The sequel, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, was released in 2005.

The special features are only on the DVD copies of the films, and they include audio commentary as well as featurettes, games and a couple of music videos for the first one.  The second one has a music video, bonus short and some activities.

Lilo & Stitch is 85 minutes and Stitch Has a Glitch is 68 minutes.  Both are rated G.

-John C.