Lilo & Stitch

Lilo & Stitch is a 2002 animated feature about a young Hawaiian girl who befriends Stitch, a mischievous blue alien that crash-landed on Earth. Stitch comes to understand the concept of 'ohana (family) and has great adventures with Lilo.

Plot
Dr. Jumba Jookiba is put on trial by the galactic governing body for illegal genetic experiments, including his latest creation, Experiment 626 : an aggressive and cunning creature that is nearly indestructible. Jumba is imprisoned while Experiment 626 is set to be exiled on a desert asteroid. However, during transport on Captain Gantu's ship, 626 manages to escape to the Planet Earth (despite having guns that are encoded with his DNA and designed to only shoot him pointed on him). The Grand Councilwoman orders Jumba to work with Agent Pleakley to recover 626 discreetly. 626 survives his escape attempt to Earth, landing on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, but is knocked unconscious by a passing truck, and is taken to an animal shelter because he is believed by the truck drivers to be a breed of dog.

After the recent death of their parents in a car accident, 19-year-old Nani Pelekai is looking after her younger, more rambunctious sister, Lilo. They are visited by Cobra Bubbles, a social worker, who is concerned that Nani cannot take adequate care of Lilo. He considers putting Lilo into foster care, but Nani is very much against this idea, as Lilo and she are the only remaining members of her family; Lilo does not help as she does not understand what may happen. After hearing Lilo in her room pray to be given a friend (Lilo has no "real" friends because every girl in her class bullies her), Nani agrees to allow Lilo to adopt a dog. At the shelter, Lilo immediately takes a keen interest in Experiment 626, despite serious misgivings that Nani and the shelter worker have about him being a dog. Lilo names 626 "Stitch," and shows him around Hawaii; Stitch quickly discovers escape is impossible as he would sink and drown past the island to the sea.

As Nani attempts to find a good job, she is forced to bring Lilo and Stitch with her. Lilo uses the time to try to curb Stitch's aggressiveness by encouraging him to behave like Elvis Presley, whom she calls a "model citizen." Stitch's antics, although at times foiling Jumba and Pleakley's attempts to capture him, also ruin Nani's chances of getting a job. David, a friend of Nani's, sees her at the beach, where she was trying to get a job as a lifeguard. David suggests they go surfing to improve her mood. While Nani, Lilo and Stitch ride on a huge wave, Jumba makes one more effort to capture Stitch from underwater; as a result, it appears as if Stitch attempted to drown Lilo. Although everyone gets safely to shore, Cobra saw the whole thing and tells Nani he will come by in the morning to take Lilo away from her. After Stitch sees how much trouble he has caused, he leaves, with Lilo saying "I'll remember you though. I remember everyone who leaves."

The next morning, as Nani waits for Cobra to arrive, David tells Nani of a job offer that she must respond to. Nani tells Lilo to stay at home while she goes to secure the job. Stitch, hiding in the nearby woods, encounters Jumba, who reveals that Stitch can never have a family or "belong" because he was just built to destroy. Stitch races to Lilo's house, followed by Jumba firing at Stitch with his gun. The two fight, Lilo quickly phoning Cobra for help. The house is ultimately destroyed by the end of the fight, with Nani and Cobra returning shortly after. As Nani and Cobra argue over Lilo's well-being, Lilo slips away to hide in the forest and finds Stitch, who reveals his true alien form to her. While she says how he ruined everything, they are both captured by Captain Gantu, and he makes to leave Earth. Nani is shocked to see Gantu putting Lilo and Stitch in a container pod and taking off in the ship. Stitch, however, escapes from the container before the ship takes off. Nani then realizes that Stitch isn't what she thought he was, and demands he speak, just as Lilo always said he did. While once again trying to capture Stitch, both Jumba and Pleakley are revealed to Nani, and tell her that they do know Lilo, and they can both get her back. Stitch, with help from Jumba's ship and by launching a gas tanker truck out of a volcano, is able to free Lilo and stop Gantu. After they land, they find that the Grand Councilwoman has arrived nearby, in order to capture Stitch personally. However, when she sees Stitch has learned to talk and bonded with Nani and Lilo, she realizes he has become a civilized creature. Using Lilo's certificate of Stitch's ownership as proof, the Councilwoman asserts that Stitch is now a part of Nani and Lilo's family, and lets him live his exile on Earth with the humans as his warders. As her guards take Gantu away, she doesn't let Pleakley or Jumba return on her ship, and orders Cobra, a former CIA agent who previously met the Councilwoman at Roswell, to keep an eye on the new family. Stitch, Jumba and Pleakley become integrated into Lilo's family, and the house is rebuilt with the help of the three.

Production
Originally, Chris Sanders, Director and the voice of Stitch, began work in1985, going so far as sketching what his vision of Stitch would look like. This was around the same time he was working with the Jim Hensons' Muppet Babies.

At first, Lilo & Stitch was planned to be set in Kansas, allowing Stitch to interact with other characters without devastating major civilization around him. The decision to make the setting on the Hawaiian Islands was ground-breaking, as no other animated feature had been set there before. It is also only the sixth Disney animated feature to be set in the modern times, the last being Oliver & Company 14 years before.

While researching the landscape, the animation team went to Kaua'i, taking a tour around the island. While doing so, their tour guide explained the concept of 'ohana, which translates to 'extended family'. This would come to be a large part of the movie's theme.

Box Office
Domestically, Lilo & Stitch grossed over $145 million, opening with $35,260,212 at second place, less than half a million dollars behind the number one Minority Report in one of the closest box office finishes in history..

Awards
At the 2003 Academy Awards, Lilo & Stitch was nominated for Best Animated Feature, losing the Oscar to Spirited Away. At the Annie Awards (Animation Awards), Lilo and Stitch was nominated for 10 Annie's, with the only winner being Daveigh Chase for her Outstanding Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production.

Sequels & TV Series
The success of Lilo & Stitch paved the way for the direct-to-DVD sequels as well as a TV series.
 * Stitch! The Movie (2003) gave much of the exposition for the TV show that was to follow. It tells how Dr. Jumba and Dr. Hämsterviel created Experiment 626, as well as the 625 mishaps before him. After a fiasco, started by Dr. Hämsterviel wanting to collect his remaining experiments, Experiment 625 is activated from the dehydrated pod he'd been stored in. While having the same powers and strength, this experiment has a strange fascination with sandwiches. The 57 minute film ends with Dr. Hämsterviel arrested, the other pods falling into water and the start of Lilo & Stitch: The Series.
 * Lilo & Stitch: The Series ran from 2003 to 2006, for a total of 65 episodes. In each episode, Lilo and Stitch searched for other experiments Dr. Jumba had created, now having turned into a live Experiment. Keeping the 'ohana theme, they searched for the Experiments on their Hawaiian island, turning them from bad to good by finding the place for them to belong. Searching for the experiments can only last so long, and thus begins Leroy and Stitch.
 * Leroy and Stitch (2006) ended the TV Series and the franchise of Lilo & Stitch (as of 9/2009). After all the experiments have had their place found for them, Captain Gantu, who is still bitter from his inability to capture the other Experiments and Stitch, decides to free Dr. Hämsterviel from prison. They go to Dr. Jumba, who has his laboratory in working order again, and order him to create Leroy. Dr. Hämsterviel and Leroy, plus many other Leroy clones, proceed to attempt to kidnap and destroy the other experiments. In a fabulous Deus Ex Machina, Dr. Jumba remembers he installed a shut-down command when the Elvis Presley song Aloha 'Oe is played. It works, and Dr. Hästerviel and Leroy, plus many other Leroy clones, are sent back to prison. This leaves no other sequels to be made, so Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch is made.
 * Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005) served as a interquel to Lilo & Stitch and Stitch! The Movie. Unfortunately, Stitch has missed a much needed molecular charge when he was created, thus creating a glitch where he goes on a hapless rampage at odd times. Straining the relationship between Lilo, who's sounding much more like Dakota Fanning and less like Daveigh Chase, and nearly suffering an unhappy ending, this movie was much more grave than comedic.

Soundtrack

 * 1) Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride by Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu & The Kamehameha Schools Children's Chorus
 * 2) Stuck on You by Elvis Presley
 * 3) Burning Love By Wynonna
 * 4) Suspicous Minds by Elvis Presley
 * 5) Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley
 * 6) Devil in Disguise by Elvis Presley
 * 7) He Mele No Lilo by Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu & The Kamehameha Schools Children's Chorus
 * 8) Hound Dog by Elvis Presley
 * 9) Can't Help Falling in Love by A*Teens
 * 10) Aloha `Oe by Tia Carrere (not in CD soundtrack)

Advertising
Trailers Teaser trailers for this film parody trailers for other Disney films (two of these were animated by Sanders) from recent years. These are called "Inter-Stitch-als" and are featured on Disney's official site. The original actors were brought back to reprise their roles and were shocked when asked to act negatively towards Stitch. The trailers also include the AC/DC song track "Back in Black".

Beauty and the Beast: The Beauty and the Beast ballroom dance sequence begins as normal. However as the camera pans to the angels on the ceiling, Stitch is seen crawling across the painting. Watching Belle and the Beast, he crawls onto the chandelier, which breaks. The Beast dives and pulls Belle with him out of harm's way while the chandelier smashes on the ballroom floor behind them. The moment ruined, Belle announces she will be in her room. As she departs Stitch wolf whistles after her, to which she replies indignantly, "Get your own movie!"

The Little Mermaid: Ariel is singing the reprise of "Part of Your World", when a huge wave, which is being ridden by Stitch, dumps on her. As the ocean settles, Ariel pops up and throws a starfish at Stitch, saying "I was singing here!" This trailer was the most difficult to parody, as the film had been painted using traditional cel animation rather than using the digital CAPS system and had to be cleaned up by hand.

Aladdin: Aladdin and Jasmine are interrupted in the middle of the "A Whole New World" sequence by Stitch. Stitch flirts with Jasmine and she drives off with him in his cruiser, leaving Aladdin sitting alone on the carpet, yelling at Stitch to "get your own movie!".

The Lion King: There are two versions of this commercial. In one of them, clips of past Disney classics are shown, with a voice over saying "For over seventy years, the Walt Disney studios has won the hearts of audiences with the most enchanting, delightful and lovable characters the world had ever known. On June 21st, the tradition...", and is suddenly cut off as Rafiki thrusts Stitch into the air in the manner of the presentation ceremony in the original film. A warthog (not Pumbaa) cries out "Hey, that's not Simba!". All the animals flee, leaving Stitch alone on Pride Rock. Stitch clears his throat and roars unconvincingly. In the other commercial, the end of the song "Circle of Life" plays, Rafiki raising Stitch into the air on the last note. The rest of the parody plays out as the previous one, except that in this commercial, Timon (sitting on Pumbaa's back) is the one who yells "Hey, that's not Simba!".

In the United Kingdom, Lilo & Stitch trailers and TV ads featured a cover of Elvis' song "Suspicious Minds", performed by Gareth Gates, who became famous on the UK TV program Pop Idol.