Stitch Behind Stitch

Stitch, a blue furry troublemaking alien who became a Disney iconic character and a fan favorite to all since the 2000s. Now decades later, Stitch is coming back on the big screen in a Disney's live-action film. The story behind Lilo and Stitch is based on an idea behind the voice of Stitch: Chris Sanders. Chris has been the man, the myth, the voice, the magic behind Lilo and Stitch along with his colleague/co-director Dean DeBlois making a million dollar success and a huge Disney franchise.

This is the story behind STITCH

Sanders had been interested in comic strips and filmmaking from an early age. He was the only one of three siblings in his family to borrow his father's Super 8 film camera and with encouragement from his father towards his drawing interests and make his own comics. He later got interested in animation upon learning about the camera's single-frame feature. While he was in high school, Sanders wanted to take art class but was dissuaded when he asked the art teacher to teach him cartooning, only for the teacher to reply,

"Comics aren't art."

Whoever was his art teacher EAT THEM WORDS!!!!!!

Sanders later attended the California Institute of the Arts graduating in 1984. He began his career as a character designer for Jim Henson's Muppet Babies. He then served as lead storyboard artist for Walt Disney Feature Animation and was a storyboard artist, artistic director, production designer, and character designer for Disney films like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Mulan. While he was working on Mulan, he started working on his next project. He started drawing a sketch of an blue orphaned monster that looked like a rat with a tiger. He didn’t think it would be good idea so he shelved it. After the success of Mulan, he went back to his shelved drawing. He drew the orphaned rat monster again this time in a different version as a blue haired alien which he will be named Stitch. He created the character for Disney’s children’s storybook pitch. He continues to draw more pictures including a picture of a little Hawaiian girl who would adopt named Lilo. For three straight days in his Palm Springs, Florida hotel room without leaving his hotel room, Sanders created a 29-page pitch book drawing conceptual sketches and outlining the film's general story.

Lilo and Stitch was completed for a storybook draft. However, it wasn’t until 1997, then-president of Walt Disney Feature Animation Thomas Schumacher approached Sanders with the objective of producing it into an animated feature film.

The film tells the story of two individuals: an orphaned Hawaiian girl named Lilo Pelekai, who is raised by her struggling older sister, Nani, after their parents' deaths, and the genetically engineered extraterrestrial creature Experiment 626, who Lilo adopts as her "dog" and renames "Stitch". Stitch, who was designed to cause chaos and destruction, initially uses Lilo to avoid recapture by an intergalactic federation. They develop a close bond through the Hawaiian concept of ʻohana, or extended family, causing Stitch to reconsider his intended destructive purpose in order to keep his newfound family together. The voice cast for Lilo was then eight-year-old Daveigh Chase as Lilo Pelekai, Sanders would also end up voicing the character he created for the film, two Hawaiian actors Tia Carrere as Nani, Lilo's oldest sister and Jason Scott Lee as David, Nani's love interest.

The film animation team visited Kauaʻi to research the locale, their tour guide explained the meaning of ʻohana as it applies to extended families. This concept of ʻohana became an important part of the movie.

In 2002, the film trailer was released and parody trailers of Stitch starring in movies: Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Aladdin (Sanders previous Disney work).

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, 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.

The film received accolades including an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards but lost to Spirited Away. After the film becoming a huge success, Lilo and Stitch returns this time not as the film’s sequel but as Stitch! The Movie in a direct to video (not in theaters) making it as a the animated television show's pilot to Lilo and Stitch the Series.

The show premiered on ABC Kids on September 20, 2003 and later on Disney Channel on October 12, 2003. The series was nominated for a Daytime Emmy. The show has featured crossover with the cast of the Proud Family and the cast of Kim Possible.

The series ended on July 29, 2006, after airing 65 episodes in two seasons with Leroy and Stitch as the series finale. Lilo and Stitch would come back for another sequel Lilo and Stitch 2: Stitch has a Glitch replacing the original voice actress with then young actress Dakota Fanning making it Stitch final film. Even though it was the final film, Stitch has spawned a huge franchise like video games, mix clips, toys, and Disney attractions. Sanders has continued to work in more animation films and appear at events as the voice Stitch signing autographs, meeting with Stitch fans, answering questions, and even using the Stitch voice. Sanders recently directed the Wild Robot which was also nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards unfortunately lost to Flow.

Decades later since the 2002 film, Disney announced that Lilo and Stitch in a Disney live action adaptation with the original voices of the 2002 animated film and live-action cast including Courtney B. Vance as Cobra Bubbles, Zach Galifianakis as Jumba, Billy Magnussen as Pleakly, and newcomers: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani, Kaipo Dudoit as David, and Maia Kealoha as Lilo.

The 2025 film trailer 👇

Coming soon on May 23

I’m not going to lie the trailer looks more interesting than the Snow White trailer and I’m excited for Lilo and Stitch because the CGI Stitch looks so darn adorable and everything in this film looks like its giving nostalgia to the 2002 film.

What do you think?????

Do you plan to see you Lilo and stitch live action film? Are you excited for the film?

Comment below

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