Chris Sanders Movies

DreamWorks Animation returns to the world of dragons and Vikings in this sequel to their successful 2010 outing How to Train Your Dragon. The original film followed the exploits of a Viking chief's son, who must capture a dragon in order to mark his passage into manhood and prove his worthiness to the tribe. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

The son of a Viking chief must capture a dragon in order to mark his passage into manhood and prove his worthiness to the tribe in directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois' adaptation of Cressida Cowell's popular children's book. Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse provide voices for the DreamWorks Animation production. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Walt Disney's beloved space alien finds that his adventure has only begin when Dr. Hamsterviel breaks out of prison and creates an army of evil Stitch twins in a nefarious attempt to overthrow the universe. Having been rewarded for capturing all 625 experiments by being allowed to choose precisely where they want to reside in the galaxy, Lilo, Stitch, Pleakley, and Jumba are soon troubled to discover that the devious Dr. Hamsterviel has escaped the confines of prison and forced Jumba to create Leroy -- a troublesome doppelganger of Stitch with an unquenchable appetite for destruction. When Dr. Hamsterviel begins to clone Leroy in hopes of creating a powerful army with which to rule the stars, Lilo, Stitch, and the rest of the gang must come together to conquer an enemy whose strength lies in numbers and defeat the dreaded doctor once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This weekly, half-hour cartoon series was not only a spin-off of the Disney animated feature Lilo & Stitch, but also more directly a continuation of the direct-to-video Stitch! The Movie. Lilo is a cute little Hawaiian girl who befriends Stitch, ostensibly a "dog" but actually a multi-talented alien, the result of a once-evil scientist's lab experiment. The TV series version finds Lilo and Stitch teaming up to track down some 625 similar alien experiments, whose special skills bade fare to plunge the world into hilarious chaos. Lilo & Stitch: The Series joined ABC's Saturday morning lineup on September 20, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A lonely little girl makes a very unusual friend -- a ukulele-playing alien who likes to toss around small automobiles -- in this antic animated comedy from Walt Disney Studios. Lilo (voice of Daveigh Chase) is a young Hawaiian girl being raised by her teenaged sister Nani (voice of Tia Carrere) after the unexpected death of their parents in an auto accident. While Nani tries to hold their household together, Lilo is a child with unusual interests and a distinctive sense of humor, which makes it hard for her to bond with her peers, as well as her big sister. Nani decides Lilo might be happier if she had a pet, so the sisters go to the animal shelter to adopt a dog; however, the critter which catches Lilo's fancy is a fuzzy blue creature she names Stitch (voice of Chris Sanders). Nani isn't so sure Stitch is really a dog, and it turns out she's right; Stitch is actually "Genetic Experiment 626," a mutation created by extraterrestrial mad scientist Dr. Jumba (voice of David Ogden Stiers) to be used a weapon. Stitch is an intelligent but gleefully destructive little creature with superhuman strength who has escaped to Earth and crash-landed in the Hawaiian islands, but Lilo sees him simply as a fellow misfit and attempts to teach him to behave like her favorite American icon, Elvis Presley. Meanwhile, Nani struggles to keep Lilo and Stitch on their best behavior as stern social worker Cobra Bubbles (voice of Ving Rhames) tries to determine if Nani is fit to raise a child, while Dr. Jumba and Pleakley (voice of Kevin McDonald) attempt to capture "Experiment 626" and bring him back home. Chris Sanders, who provides the voice of Stitch, also co-wrote and co-directed the film, which features numerous Elvis Presley tunes on the soundtrack, as well as a new recording of "Burning Love" by country star Wynonna. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

One of the most popular Disney animated musicals, The Lion King presents the story of a lion cub's journey to adulthood and acceptance of his royal destiny. Simba (voiced first by Jonathan Taylor Thomas, then by Matthew Broderick) begins life as an honored prince, son of the powerful King Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones). The cub's happy childhood turns tragic when his evil uncle Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons) murders Mufasa and drives Simba away from the kingdom. In exile, the young lion befriends the comically bumbling pair of Pumbaa the warthog (voiced by Ernie Sabella) and Timon the meerkat (voiced by Nathan Lane) and lives a carefree jungle life. As he approaches adulthood, however, he is visited by the spirit of his father, who instructs him to defeat the nefarious Scar and reclaim his rightful throne. Borrowing elements from Hamlet, classical mythology, and African folk tales, The Lion King tells its mythic coming-of-age tale with a combination of spectacular visuals and lively music, featuring light, rhythmic songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, and a score by Hans Zimmer. Embraced by children and adults alike, the film also spawned hit songs ("Can You Feel the Love Tonight", "Circle of Life") and a hit Broadway musical. In late 2002, The Lion King was re-released in the large-screen IMAX format. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide