Hillary Duff brings Lizzie McGuire to life on the big screen in The Lizzie McGuire Movie. This film was much better then I expected… considering it is a teeny-bopper type film. Hillary Duff fits her role as Lizzie beautifully, and the overall feel of the film was light and cute. If you have never seen Lizzie McGuire on TV, this film will give you a great introduction.

”In THE LIZZIE McGUIRE MOVIE, lovable Lizzie McGuire and her classmates Gordo, Kate and Ethan take a trip to Italy to experie…ce la dolce vita, and some awesome pizza! In a whirlwind of comic events, Lizzie is mistaken for Italy’s biggest pop diva, Isabella, and falls for Paolo, Isabella’s handsome singing partner. Now, it’s up to Lizzie to embrace new-found courage and do things she never thought possible.” - Disney

Video

This disc, containing both 2.35:1 anamorphic and 1.33:1 fullscreen transfers of the film, looks pretty good. For the most part, colors are vibrant and accurate, while skin tones remain natural. There are a few sequences where the picture looks a little too soft, but this is not overly annoying. There is some mild grain throughout parts of the film, and you will notice the occasional spec of debris.

Audio

the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix on this disc was very good. The score came across very nicely, especially during the music/concert scenes. The sound was focused, powerful, and clean. There is some use of the surround channels, but this is still a very front-heavy soundtrack. As is the case with the score, the dialog is also very nicely positioned, and quite clean.

Special Features

This disc is comprised of a number of very short features. There is an 11-minute featurette entitled “Hillary’s Roman Adventure” which explores the locations that the film was shot. There are two music related features: a Hillary Duff Music Video, and a short “In the recording studio with Hilary” which is a promo for her forthcoming album. Lastly, there are 3 deleted scenes with optional commentary (all of which are of poor video quality and quite useless), a completely pointless “Roamin’ Volare” feature which shows Hillary on a scooter in Rome, and sneak peeks of a number of upcoming Disney DVD’s.

Final Thoughts

This is a good family DVD. Young girls will love the story, and it is good clean fun. The audio and video are pretty good, and there are a few extras to sort through.

Special Features List

• “In the Recording Studio with Hilary”
• “Why Not” music video
• “Hillary’s Roman Adventure”
• “Roamin’ Volare”
• Deleted scenes and an alternate ending

Screenshots