Les studios Walt Disney nous ont habitués, ces dernières années, à des productions plutôt sucrées et parfois même franchement mièvres. Mais force est de constater que le film d'animation Lilo et Stitchchange le portrait et donne sérieusement envie de replonger en enfance.

Sur la planète Turo, un scientifique maléfique est condamné pour avoir créé un monstre en faisant des manipulations génétiques. La créature, sorte de koala ailé à quatre bras programmé pour détruire, s'enfuit et atterrit sur la planète Terre, à Hawaï. Là, elle sera adoptée par une petite fille solitaire au caractère énergique, fan d'Elvis Presley, qui lui fera comprendre le sens du mot famille.

Avec ses héros impertinents, désastreux et parfois même méchants, Lilo et Stitchévite de prendre les enfants pour des imbéciles et, ainsi, réussit là où de nombreux dessins animés s'empêtrent. Fourmillant de références “adultes” à Godzilla, Men in Black, Alienou même Baywatch, cette comédie à mi-chemin entre le récit d'aventures et la science-fiction est terriblement originale et dynamique. Le film profite également d'images magnifiques, grâce à un usage presque exclusif (outre quelques images de synthèse) de l'aquarelle. Parfois émouvant, souvent très drôle, Lilo et Stitchpossède, enfin, une qualité rare et tout à fait respectable : l'irrévérence. —Helen Faradji

It's enlightening to view Tim Burton's Mars Attacks!as his twisted satire of the blockbuster film Independence Day, which was released earlier the same year, although the movies were in production simultaneously. Burton's eye-popping, schlock tribute to 1950s UFO movies actually plays better on video than it did in cinemas. The idea of invading aliens ray-gunning the big-name movie stars in the cast is a cleverly subversive one, and the bulb-headed, funny-sounding animated Martians are pretty nifty, but it all seemed to be spread thin on the big screen. On video, however, the movie's kooky humour seems a bit more concentrated. The Earth actors (most of whom get zapped or kidnapped for alien science experiments) include Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rod Steiger, Michael J Fox, Lukas Haas, Jim Brown, Tom Jones and Pam Grier. —Jim Emerson

Men in Blackis one movie that has been issued in so many different DVD editions it's hard to keep them straight. The latest version is the Superbit edition, which, like other DVDs in the Superbit series, offers subtle visual and audio improvements over the version of the movie included on other DVDs. The anamorphic picture in the Superbit version is cleaner than that of the anamorphic track offered in other DVDs of this movie, though in all versions occasional grain is visible in shots of the sky. Overall, though, the picture is quite impressive with its deep, rich blacks and saturated colors. The additional DTS soundtrack on the Superbit version is very similar to the Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks issued on this and other editions of the movie, though slightly more balanced throughout.

Fans of Men in Blackhave a variety of editions to choose from. This is the version for video- and audiophiles who don't mind the lack of extra goodies. —Eugene Wei

The hands-down highlight of MIIB's bonus features is "The Chubb Chubbs," a delightful computer-animated cartoon (briefly shown in theaters with MIIB) that has the awkward distinction of being funnier and more inventive than MIIB. The other features offer an extensive dossier of production details, paying worthy tribute to the ingenuity of MIIB's creative team. Fifteenfeaturettes cover virtually every stage of production, from conceptual designs (in the DVD-ROM section, along with the complete screenplay) to Danny Elfman's dynamic score. Director Barry Sonnenfeld's "how we did it" commentary is as lazily redundant as his film, and his onscreen scribblings (or "Telestrator Diagrams," like those used during televised football games) serve no valuable purpose. In contrast, multiangle scene deconstructions fascinatingly demonstrate the many elements that make up a completed special-effects sequence. The blooper reel is what you'd expect (one viewing is enough), and additional behind-the-scenes material can be accessed through the "Alien Broadcast" feature, a film-in-progress variation of New Line's Infinifilm DVD format. The alternate ending is arguably better than the one actually used, and Will Smith's ultra-lavish music video "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)" is just like the movie: big, loud, and pure Hollywood. Is that a good thing? You decide. -Jeff Shannon

Déjà responsable des très réussis Toy Storyet A Bug's Life, Pixar, partenaire spécialisé en animation 3D du studio Disney, récidive avec Monsters, Inc., un dessin animé tout à fait à la hauteur de ses précédentes productions.

La panique commence à grandir à Monstropolis. Les cris d'enfants, principale source d'énergie de la ville, se font rares. Les monstres redoublent alors d'ardeur pour arracher aux bambins endormis des hurlements de frayeur. À ce jeu, la terreur d'élite, c'est Sulley. Avec Mike, un dynamique mini-cyclope vert, il forme le duo le plus efficace de l'usine. Pourtant, quand l'adorable petite Boo s'introduit par erreur dans leur monde, ils seront les plus étonnés de réaliser qu'ils peuvent se lier d'amitié avec elle et même la protéger contre l'odieux Randall Boggs.

Doublés, entre autres, par John Goodman, Billy Crystal et Steve Buscemi, les monstres de Pixar font partie de ceux qu'on aimerait réellement avoir dans son placard. Sympathiques, rigolos et, surtout, terriblement attachants, ils donnent tout son relief à cette comédie animée. Véritable plaisir pour les petits et les grands, Monsters, Inc., jusqu'à son générique truffé de bloopershilarants, mérite vraiment le détour. —Helen Faradji

Sometimes bigger isactually better. Nearly matching the size of director Michael Bay's ego, this massive four-disc set is a veritable Pearl Harborarchive, and ironically, Bay's film remains the least interesting component. It's a purely conventional Hollywood take on the tragedy, using a clichéd love triangle between two ace pilots (Josh Hartnett, Ben Affleck) and a Pearl Harbor nurse (Kate Beckinsale) as an "intimate" means of spectacularly re-creating the attack that thrust America into World War II. The director's cut adds little to the previous DVD release, apart from authentic R-rated carnage during the Japanese raid, and minor expansion of the Hartnett-Beckinsale romance. Commentaries range from superfluous (Bay and film historian Jeanine Basinger) to highly entertaining (Ben Affleck and costars) and technically informative (primary production team), and a spirited examination of visual effects (with Bay and ILM supervisor Eric Brevig) is guaranteed to fascinate anyone interested in physical effects and CGI. A broad "making of" documentary is noteworthy for one-time viewing, while abundant historical records make this a valuable compilation of definitive materials.

The History Channel's "One Hour over Tokyo" and "Unsung Heroes of Pearl Harbor" provide depth that Bay's movie lacks, and Charles Kiselyak's interactive timeline is arguably the finest feature included, providing an in-depth historical perspective on U.S.-Japan relations. Even a brief reenactment of a Pearl Harbor nurse's journal is moving in a way that Bay's film can only try to be, while the "Interactive Attack Sequence" provides a multifaceted exploration of the entire production process (a highly educational feature for aspiring filmmakers). All in all, these four discs offer an admirable balance between Bay's technically impressive but ill-conceived epic and a thorough, fitting tribute to those who endured hell on that fateful Sunday in 1941. —Jeff Shannon