Lilo & Stitch is a 2002 American animated science fiction comedy-drama film written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, based on an original story created by Sanders. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, and stars Daveigh Chase and Sanders as the voices of the title characters, alongside Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers, Kevin McDonald, Ving Rhames, Jason Scott Lee, Zoe Caldwell, and Kevin Michael Richardson in supporting roles. It was the second installment in three Walt Disney Animation Studios animated feature films produced primarily at the Florida animation studio in Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida.
The film follows two individuals: an orphaned Hawaiian girl, Lilo Pelekai, who is raised by her older sister, Nani, after the death of their parents, and Experiment 626, a genetically engineered extraterrestrial whom Lilo adopts as her "dog" and renames "Stitch". Designed to cause chaos and destruction, Stitch initially uses Lilo to avoid recapture by an intergalactic federation. Over time, they develop a close bond through the Hawaiian concept of ʻohana, or extended family, leading Stitch to reconsider his destructive purpose.
The film is based on an idea by Sanders, who originally conceived Stitch in 1981, and the film's design and aesthetics are based on his personal art style. Stitch was initially at the center of a children's book Sanders had conceptualized, but later abandoned. A feature-length film starring the character entered development in 1997 when Thomas Schumacher, then the president of Walt Disney Feature Animation, approached Sanders with the objective of producing "the Dumbo for our generation." The use of watercolor backgrounds hearkened back to early Disney productions such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). The film and its accompanying soundtrack made extensive use of the music of Elvis Presley, while Alan Silvestri composed the film's score.
Lilo & Stitch premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on June 16, 2002, and was theatrically released in the United States on June 21. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised its story, characters, humor, charm, and originality. Produced on an $80 million budget and promoted with a marketing campaign that played up its oddities, it was a box-office success, grossing over $273 million worldwide. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards, but lost to Spirited Away. The film's success made it a highlight of Disney's post-animation renaissance era in the 2000s, spawning a franchise that includes three direct-to-video film sequels, three television series, and a live-action adaptation that was released in 2025.
Plot
On the planet Turo, the United Galactic Federation convicts Dr. Jumba Jookiba of illegal genetic experimentation; he has created Experiment 626, an aggressive, near-indestructible creature with advanced learning capabilities. Captain Gantu is tasked with escorting 626 into exile, but 626 escapes and hijacks a space cruiser that crash-lands on Kauaʻi, Hawaii, on Earth. Shortly after landing, 626 is run over by three passing trucks and taken to an animal shelter. The Federation's Grand Councilwoman offers Jumba early release if he retrieves 626, assisted by Agent Pleakley, the council's Earth expert.
On Kauaʻi, orphaned teenager Nani Pelekai struggles to care for her lonely and rambunctious younger sister, Lilo, after their parents died in a car crash. Social worker Cobra Bubbles doubts Nani's ability to serve as Lilo's guardian and threatens to place Lilo in foster care if their situation does not improve within three days. After overhearing Lilo wish for a friend, Nani takes her to the animal shelter to adopt a dog. Lilo adopts 626, who is impersonating a dog, and names him "Stitch". Jumba and Pleakley, disguised as tourists, attempt to capture Stitch. When Stitch attacks Pleakley at the Lūʻau where Nani works, Nani is blamed and fired. Bubbles orders Nani to find a new job and instructs Lilo to teach Stitch to be a "model citizen".
Despite Lilo's efforts to domesticate Stitch, his destructive behavior repeatedly sabotages Nani's attempts to secure employment. While Nani, Lilo, and Stitch go surfing with Nani's friend and former co-worker David Kawena, Jumba and Pleakley make another attempt to capture Stitch. During the chaos, Stitch unintentionally pulls Lilo underwater; Nani rescues Lilo, and David rescues Stitch. After witnessing the incident, Bubbles informs Nani that he will return the next morning to take Lilo. Feeling guilty for causing trouble, Stitch runs away. Having failed their mission, Jumba and Pleakley are dismissed by the Grand Councilwoman, who assigns Gantu to capture Stitch. Now unrestrained, Jumba pursues Stitch using more aggressive tactics. When David tells Nani about another job opportunity, she leaves Lilo at home alone. Jumba and Pleakley chase Stitch back to the Pelekai home, and their fight results in an explosion that destroys the house.
Nani secures the job but rushes home after seeing a fire engine heading toward her house, and Bubbles arrives to take Lilo. As he and Nani argue, Lilo runs into the woods and encounters Stitch, who reveals his alien identity moments before Gantu captures them both. Stitch escapes just as Gantu's ship departs with Lilo. Nani confronts Stitch, but Jumba and Pleakley capture him as well. When Nani pleads with them to rescue Lilo, they refuse, stating they are only authorized to capture Stitch. As Nani breaks down, Stitch recalls ʻohana, the concept of family that Lilo taught him, and convinces Jumba to help. Jumba, Pleakley, Stitch, and Nani board Jumba's spaceship, pursue Gantu, and rescue Lilo.
The Grand Councilwoman arrives to retrieve Stitch and dismisses Gantu for endangering Lilo and failing his mission. After witnessing Stitch's changed behavior and learning that Lilo legally adopted him from the animal shelter, she allows Stitch to remain on Earth to serve his exile. She also places the Pelekai family under the protection of the United Galactic Federation. Bubbles reveals that he is a former CIA agent who previously encountered the Grand Councilwoman in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1973. Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley become part of Lilo and Nani's family, and together with David and Bubbles, they rebuild the house.
Voice cast
Daveigh Chase as Lilo Pelekai, an eccentric Hawaiian girl on the island of Kauai who adopts Stitch as her pet dog. Chris Sanders as Stitch (originally known as Experiment 626), a blue koala-like illegal genetic experiment with the ability to create untold chaos. Tia Carrere as Nani Pelekai, Lilo's adult older sister and legal guardian. Jason Scott Lee as David Kawena, Nani's hapless surfer friend who has a crush on her. David Ogden Stiers as Dr. Jumba Jookiba, a Kweltikwan mad scientist employed by Galaxy Defense Industries who created Stitch. Kevin McDonald as Agent Pleakley, a Plorgonarian Galactic Federation agent who acts as the expert of Earth. Ving Rhames as Cobra Bubbles, a social worker in charge of Lilo's welfare and Nani's duties as her guardian. Kevin Michael Richardson as Captain Gantu, a large whale-like alien who is the respected but arrogant second-in-command of the Galactic Federation. Zoe Caldwell as the Grand Councilwoman, the tall, slender alien leader of the Galactic Federation. Miranda Paige Walls as Mertle Edmonds, Lilo's classmate from their hālau hula who despises and derides her. Kunewa Mook as Moses Puloki, Lilo's hula teacher. Amy Hill as Mrs. Hasagawa, an elderly woman who runs a fruit stand. Susan Hegarty as Rescue Lady, who runs the animal shelter where Lilo adopts Stitch.
Production
Development
In 1985, after graduating from California Institute of the Arts, Chris Sanders had created the character of Stitch for an unsuccessful children's book pitch. He said, "I wanted to do a children's book about this little creature that lived in a forest. It was a bit of a monster with no real explanation as to where it came from." He found condensing the story to be difficult, though, and abandoned the project. In 1987, Walt Disney Feature Animation hired him for their newly formed visual development department. His first project was The Rescuers Down Under (1990), but he soon transitioned into storyboarding. After that, Sanders created storyboard sequences for Beauty and the Beast (1991) and The Lion King (1994), and was promoted to head of story on Mulan (1998).
In 1997, several executives at Disney Feature Animation were invited to a retreat at Michael Eisner's farm in Vermont to discuss the future animation slate beyond adapting pre-existing legends, folklore, or classic novels. At the retreat, Thomas Schumacher, then executive vice president of Disney Feature Animation, suggested they produce a film that would be the "Dumbo for our generation", compared to the large-budget Disney animated features they had already done. Schumacher approached Sanders about producing the film, telling him: "Everybody wants this next film to be you."
During a karaoke dinner at the Walt Disney World Swan Resort, Schumacher asked Sanders, "Is there anything you would like to develop?" Sanders remembered the children's book project he had initially developed. At his next meeting, Sanders pitched a remote, nonurban location, with Stitch crash-landing into a forest and interacting entirely with woodland animals, being ostracized by them, and living on his own at a farm in rural Kansas. But Schumacher suggested that Stitch should interact with people, instead: "The animal world is already alien to us. So, if you want to get the best contrast between this monster and the place where it lives, I would recommend you set it in a human world." Sanders later revisited his forest-creature concept in The Wild Robot (2024).
For three straight days in his Palm Springs, Florida, hotel room, Sanders created a 29-page pitch book drawing conceptual sketches and outlining the film's general story. He initially revised it by adding a boy character, but as the character of Stitch evolved, Sanders decided he needed to be contrasted with a female character: "I think Stitch represented a male character, so the balance would be to put him with a little girl. We wanted someone who was going to be in conflict with Stitch, and we realized a little boy might be a comrade." Sanders then glanced at a map of Hawaii on his wall, and recalling he had recently vacationed there, he relocated the story there. Not well versed in Hawaiian culture, Sanders turned to a vacation roadmap, and found the names "Lilo Lane" and "Nani" there. After finishing the booklet, he shipped it to Burbank, and Schumacher approved the pitch with one condition: "it has to look like you drew it."
Writing
Dean DeBlois, who had served as "story co-head" for Mulan, was brought on to co-write and co-direct Lilo & Stitch after Thomas Schumacher allowed him to leave production on Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001). Meanwhile, Disney executive Clark Spencer was assigned as the film's producer. Unlike several previous and concurrent Disney Feature Animation productions, the film's pre-production team remained relatively small and isolated from upper management until the film went into full production.
Originally, Stitch was the leader of an intergalactic gang, and Jumba was one of his former cronies summoned by the Intergalactic Council to capture Stitch. Test audience response to early versions of the film led to changing Stitch and Jumba into creation and creator.
While the animation team visited Kauai to research the locale, their tour guide explained the meaning of ohana as it applies to extended families. This concept of ohana became an important part of the movie. DeBlois recalls: