Twenty years ago Disney gave us a wonderful tale about family. Showing that no matter where you come from, even if you’re from space, you can always find a place to belong. 

Lilo & Stitch originally began as a pitch for a children’s book made by Chris Sanders in 1985. When then Disney CEO Michael Eisner was looking for a film that wouldn’t be as expensive as some of their other films Sanders was chosen to head the project. Through this he made a few alterations to his original concept and with writer Dean DeBlois were able to craft the story into what it eventually became. 

Originally the story was meant to be set in Kansas, but they felt that the setting of Hawaiian culture would fit the story more. Not to mention Hawaii hasn’t been seen in a Disney film up to that point.

The cast for the film included Daveigh Chase (Donnie Darko and Spirited Away) as Lilo, Tia Carrere (True Lies and Wayne’s World) and Nani, David Ogden Stiers (Beauty and the Beast and Pocahontas) as Jumba, Kevin McDonald (Kids in the Hall and That 70s Show) as Pleakley and director Chris Sanders himself as Stitch.

Near the tail end of production a few changes were made. The first being the fight between Stitch and Jumba at the house. The first version was seen as too violent so many parts were re-animated to make it more comedic. You can tell that Jumba’s proportions are different between the two.

But the biggest change was near the end. The September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001 caused the animators to re-do a sequence in which they fly a place through the city to rescue Lilo. The place was then changed to a space ship and the city into Hawiian mountains.

Marketing for the film was rather odd. A series of trailers released shows Stitch invading scenes from other Disney films like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and The Little Mermaid, usually followed by someone saying “Get your own movie“.

The film released on June 16th, 2002 and revived a mostly positive reception and earned $273.1 Million on a $80 Million budget.

Stitch merchandise sold extremely well, so it was decided to develop a television series for the Disney Channel. In August of 2003 Stitch! The Movie was released as a pilot for the show. Lilo & Stitch: The Series ran from September of 2003 – July of 2006 with 65 episodes and ended with the direct-to-video film Leroy and Stitch in June of 2006.



The series also introduced Angel, the female equivalent to Stitch. The character has become so popular she even has her own merchandise sold at Disney parks. 

There was also a direct-to-video sequel Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch in August of 2005.

Lilo & Stitch is considered one of Disney’s best films from the 2000s. A tale about Ohana and finding where you belong. It has stuck with people for the past twenty years and it most likely will for at least another twenty.