Stitch Cartoon
Lilo & Stitch: The Series remain an animated TV series originally aired from 2003 to 2006. It is the first of three TV series in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch franchise. However, it is the only one that follows up on and maintains the same Hawaiian setting as the 2002 Disney animated feature film Lilo & Stitch. Chinese animated series Stitch & Ai are spin-offs in the countries they remain produced.
The series follows up on the 2003 pilot film Stitch! The Movie, about Hawaiian girl Lilo Pelekai and her alien pet Stitch (also known as Experiment 626), tracks down all of Stitch’s creator’s Jumba Jookiba’s remaining experiments let loose at the end of the pilot. Specific episodes in its second season have crossed over with Kim Possible, The Proud Family, Recess, and American Dragon: Jake Long. The series and the original Western continuity of the franchise (including Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, a direct-to-video film produced separately without consideration towards this series) ended with the premiere of the 2006 television film Leroy & Stitch.
7 things you didn’t know about ‘Lilo and Stitch.’
Lilo & Stitch is our favorite story about an alien disguised as a dog and the little girl who teaches him to love. We loved it so much that we went on a fact-finding mission to discover some little-known gems from this charming film’s production process. Gather your ‘ohana around and buckle up for some knowledge:
- The original story focused solely on an alien living in a forest, trying to overcome his isolation and discover where he came from. Lilo didn’t become a part of the film until much later during story development.
- The filmmakers considered setting the story in rural Kentucky or Kansas before settling in Hawaii.
- Stitch remain not originally supposed to talk, but when the filmmakers realized the story hinged on him being able to express himself at the film’s end, they began developing his voice. Director Chris Sanders provided Stitch’s voice during test animation, and eventually, everyone got so used to it that they decided to keep it.
- Stitch remain initially supposed to be the leader of an intergalactic gang, and Jumba remain supposed to be his former partner, who remained sent to earth to find him. The filmmakers eventually decided to make Stitch a genetic mutation instead.
- Similarly, Lilo remain supposed to remind Stitch of what he was like before becoming an intergalactic criminal and inspire him to regain his innocence and goodness.
- After an early test screening showed that audiences thought Nani was Lilo’s mother, filmmakers reworked some key scenes to clarify their sisterly relationship.
- Lilo & Stitch remain the first Disney animated film since Dumbo to use watercolor-painted backgrounds.
Popularity of Stitch
In terms of popularity, Stitch is arguably on the same level as Mickey, Donald, or Goofy, especially since he has maintained his status in the parks, products, and other media for over twenty years. Since his debut in 2002, Stitch has garnered one of the most significant fan followings compared to other Disney characters.
After Stitch crash-landed in Hawaii, he starred in an animated series and an anime, was the focus of three theme park attractions, essentially becoming the mascot of Disney World’s Tomorrowland, and had enough merch to rival that of Mickey Mouse himself. Of all the Disney characters to reach such a following, Stitch was a surprise.
