14 Interesting Facts About Lilo And Stitch You Must Know

Lilo and Stitch is a Disney animation movie that came out in the summer of 2002. If you loved the movie (how could you not?!), then you’ll love reading these facts about Lilo And Stitch.

The movie was popular when it came out, and it still is now even though it’s 20 years old!

Last time we went to Disneyland I couldn’t believe how many people were wearing Stitch. The shops were selling a lot of cute Stitch merch. I got a blue tie dye Stitch spirit jersey that is so cute.

Stitch is a cute little blue alien who’s lovable and sweet. He’s an experiment known as 626 who escaped and landed on earth. Lilo is a little Hawaiian girl who befriends Stitch, thinking he’s a dog.

The movie follows them and their adventures together. Lilo’s home in is Hawaii and that is where this Disney animated feature is set.

Other characters in this movie are Lilo’s sister Nani Pelekai, Pleakley, Cobra Bubbles, Jumba Jookiba, and more.

Let’s get to these fun facts about Lilo And Stitch!

1. Lilo And Stitch Is Full Of Hidden Mickeys

Hidden Mickeys are in a lot of Disney movies and all over the parks. They are so fun to find!

The animators made a hidden Mickey using buttons on a control panel, another one on Gantu’s spaceship, on someone’s shorts in a picture in Lilo’s room, and another one on Jumba’s platform in the Grand Council scene.

Some others are melons on a fruit stand, the side mirrors of a truck, on the bottom of a boot, holly berries on garland and wrapping paper, and so many more.

2. The Promos Had Stitch With Classic Disney Characters

There were promos for the movie that had Stitch in scenes from older, classic Disney films with characters from those movies. He was in a scene from Aladdin where he took Jasmine away during A Magic Carpet Ride.

He was also in a scene from The Little Mermaid where he surfing and crashed into Ariel. There was another one where Stitch was on Pride Rock from The Lion King. He was also seen in The Beauty And The Beast where he was on the chandelier above Belle and Beast while they were dancing and the chandelier almost falls onto them.

3. You Can Meet Stitch At Walt Disney World

If you’ve been wanting to meet Stitch, you can at Walt Disney World in Florida. You can meet him near the Alien Encounter ride at Stitch’s Alien Encounter Meet And Greet location.

You can hug him, take pictures with him, and get his autograph.

4. Stitch Was Created For A Book

I always assumed Stitch was first created for the movie, but he was created by Chris Sanders in 1985 for a children’s book.

Chris Sanders also voiced Stitch, was one of the character designers on the movie, and was one of the screenwriters.

5. A Tour Guide Taught The Animation Team About Ohana

Ohana is a huge part of this movie and the reason why is because a tour guide on the island of Kauai taught the animation team what ohana is. If you don’t remember from the movie, ohana means family.

The team noticed that this tour guide knew almost everyone on the island. He told them that ohana is immediate family, but it can also be extended family and even people you aren’t related to.

6. The Backgrounds Were Painted With Watercolors

The beautiful background scenes in this movie were done with watercolor paints. This was the first Disney animated movie to use watercolors since Dumbo in 1941. This technique was also done in Snow White.

7. The Movie Has Tons Of Easter Eggs

My favorite Easter egg in the movie is when Lilo and Nani are looking out the window at a falling star and there is a Dumbo toy in the art easel.

Some other cool ones are a postcard with Cinderella’s Castle at Walt Disney World, a Mulan movie poster in Nani’s room, and a lot of license plates that say A113 which is the animator’s classroom at California Institute Of The Arts.

8. Cobra Bubbles Was Inspired By A Pulp Fiction Character

The CIA agent Cobra Bubbles was voiced by Ving Rhames. He was also in a film called Pulp Fiction where he played the character Marsellus Wallace.

Cobra Bubbles and Marsellus Wallace look a lot a like and are both very tough and intimidating.

9. Cast Members Helped Make The Film Accurate

Tia Carrere and Jason Scott are both Hawaiian and were raised in Hawaii. Tia voiced Nani and Jason voiced David. They made sure the dialect was correct for the Hawaiian characters and added Hawaiian slang words to the script.

10. The Ending Was Changed

The original ending of the movie had Stitch stealing a Boeing 747 airplane and flying it, but 9/11 happened while the movie was in production. This caused them to change the ending to Stitch stealing a spacecraft that belonged to Dr. Jumba and Agent Pleakley.

11. The Location For The Movie Was Changed

We all know the movie is in Hawaii, but it was originally going to be set in Kansas. It was changed to Hawaii since there weren’t other animated features set in Hawaii.

The animation team went to Kauai to learn about the area and the culture there.

12. It Was Nominated For An Oscar

It was nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature. It lost to Spirited Away.

Related Content: 20 Little Mermaid Facts You Might Not Have Known

13. Lilo And Stitch Had A TV Show

Their show was called Lilo And Stitch: The Series. It has 2 seasons that you can watch on Disney+. There were also 3 movie spin-offs called Stitch! The Movie, Lilo And Stitch 2: Stitch Has A Glitch, and Leroy And Stitch.

14. A Live Action Movie Is In The Works

Disney announced that a live action Lilo And Stitch movie is set to be released on May 10, 2024. We can’t wait!

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