Lilo & Stitch

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Lilo & Stitch, also marketed as Disney Stitch or simply Stitch, is a Disney media franchise that commenced in 2002 with the release of the animated feature film of the same name written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois. The combined critical and commercial success of the original film, which was a rarity for the company's feature animation studio during the studio's post-Renaissance downturn in the early 2000s, led to three direct-to-video and television sequel feature films, a short film, three animated television series, several video games, theme park attractions, comics, literature and various merchandise.

The franchise, primarily the original 2002–2006 animated continuity, mainly focuses on the adventures of the titular eccentric and mischievous duo; an orphaned Hawaiian girl named Lilo Pelekai and an artificial extraterrestrial creature originally named Experiment 626, whom she adopts and names Stitch. Stitch was originally created via genetic engineering by alien mad scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba to cause chaos and destruction across the galaxy, but was rehabilitated by Lilo thanks to ʻohana, the Hawaiian concept of extended family. The duo's ʻohana mainly consist of themselves, Lilo's older sister and legal guardian, Nani Pelekai, Jumba and his Earth-loving partner Agent Wendy Pleakley. Most of the sequel and spin-off material of the franchise also involve many genetic experiments similar to Stitch, who he treats as his "cousins", Captain Gantu, a giant militaristic alien from the original film who becomes an antagonist to the main ʻohana in later works, and Dr. Jacques von Hämsterviel, Jumba's diminutive former partner-in-crime who desires the experiments he funded the creation of to use them for intergalactic domination. Additionally, the franchise's films and first television series made frequent references to the late American musician, singer and actor Elvis Presley, using his music and sometimes his imagery in the films.

The later spin-off material released from 2008 through 2020—the Japanese anime, Stitch! (Anime series), the Chinese animated series, Stitch & Ai, and the Japanese manga, Stitch & the Samurai—emphasize Stitch by separating him from Lilo and putting him into other regions of Earth (primarily in the countries where these works are produced), replacing her with different humans who take him, along with Jumba and Pleakley, in with their families. The original Japanese version of anime was produced by an entirely different crew from the original franchise, while the Chinese series was partially produced by American animators; crew members from Lilo & Stitch: The Series worked on both shows, although the anime only involved such in the international edit (which includes the English dub). The two Asian series replaced the original voice cast of the four films and the first TV series. Later spin-offs beginning from 2022, including the children's detective book series Agent Stitch and an upcoming Lilo & Stitch comic book series, resumed Lilo's involvement as a main character and Stitch's best friend but continued the post-Leroy trend of the alien and his extended family going on adventures in places outside Hawaii.

Characters[edit | edit source]

Lilo & Stitch (2002-2006, 2023)[edit | edit source]

Spin-offs (Stitch!)[edit | edit source]