Lilo & Stitch (franchise)
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Lilo & Stitch or Stitch (marketed as Disney Stitch) is an American media franchise created by Disney. The first installment was written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, and released in 2002. 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 two direct-to-video and one television sequel feature films, a short film, three animated television series, a live-action/CGI feature film adaptation, several video games, theme park attractions, comics, literature, and various merchandise. As of 2024, the franchise became one of Disney's top ten best-selling franchises, with retail sales reaching $2.6 billion and overall revenue (including the box offices of the two theatrical films) reaching over $3.8 billion, making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises. 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 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 Jumba's Earth-loving partner, Agent Wendy Pleakley. Most of the sequel and spin-off material of the franchise also involves many genetic experiments similar to Stitch, whom 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 make frequent references to American musician Elvis Presley (of whom Sanders himself is an avid fan), using his music and sometimes his likeness in the films. The later spin-off material released from 2008 through 2020—the Japanese anime Stitch!, 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 the 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 them in the international edit (which includes the English dub). The two Asian series replace 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 a Lilo & Stitch comic book series that began in 2024, 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. Both of them also serve as continuations after only the original film rather than continuations after Leroy & Stitch. A live-action and computer-animated adaptation of the original film was released in 2025, with Sanders reprising his voice role as Stitch. A sequel to that film is in development.