Review - Lilo & Stitch: Expanded Franchise (2003-2006)

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, as we get closer to Disney's live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, I wanted to take a look at the expanded franchise of Lilo & Stitch, which includes three direct-to-video movies and a television series. Now, just to clarify, two of the direct-to-video movies are linked to the television series, while one is a more direct sequel to the 2002 film. 

       The first of these titles to be released was the 2003 direct-to-video movie Stitch: The Movie, which told the story of how Stitch, designated Experiment 626, was one of a series of genetic experiments designed by Dr. Jumba Jookiba. But, his experiments were financed by Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hämsterviel. And, yes, I do find it humorous that Jumba has a Russian accent while Hämsterviel has a German accent. Anyway, Hämsterviel has employed the services of former Galactic Federation Captain Gantu to help him collect the remaining experiments from Jumba, who hides the container pod with all of the experiments with Pleakley. 

        Now, Jumba held one of the experiments on him upon capture, and said experiment is activated aboard Gantu's prison transport. This is Experiment 625, who has all of Stitch's abilities, but is extremely lazy, and would rather make sandwiches than destroy things. Back on Earth, Lilo and Stitch activate another one of the experiments, Experiment 221, who is an electricity based experiment, and is a bit of a mischievous little guy. However, he does help out when the time comes, and helps Lilo and Stitch get Jumba back, as well as capturing Hämsterviel for the Galactic Federation. Gantu's ship crashes down, with him and 625 inside. Also, the remaining 623 experiments wind up going loose across Hawaii, and the Grand Councilwoman tasks Lilo and Stitch with locating all of the experiments and finding a proper home for them, with 221, who is now known as Sparky, serving as a power source for a deactivated lighthouse. 

       Stitch: The Movie is pretty decent, and has a good chunk of the voice cast from the original movie returning, including Daveigh Chase as Lilo, Chris Sanders as Stitch, you get the idea. The main function of the movie is to serve as a backdoor pilot for the television series titled Lilo & Stitch: The Series. Airing a mix of Disney Channel, Toon Disney, and the ABC Kids programming block on ABC, the series follows Lilo and Stitch in their goal of locating all of Jumba's experiments, taming them, and giving them a good home. Also, they're in a race to locate the experiments first, as Gantu is also after them to collect them for his boss, Dr. Hämsterviel. 

        The various experiments featured throughout the series all have very unique and creative designs. For instance, some of my personal favorites include Slugger (Experiment 608) the baseball experiment, Bonnie and Clyde (Experiments 149 and 150), Sprout (Experiment 509) the plant experiment, and Yin & Yang (Experiments 501 and 502) the fire and water experiments. Obviously, a major fan-favorite of the experiments is Angel (Experiment-624), who becomes something of a love interest to Stitch, and uses the power of song to influence others. And, we do see Jumba create Experiment-627, which winds up stronger than Stitch and with none of Stitch's weaknesses. Yikes. 

        During production of Lilo and Stitch: The Series, Disney released the direct-to-video movie Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, which serves as a proper sequel to the original film. Unfortunately, due to scheduling issues with Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Daveigh Chase was unavailable to reprise her role as Lilo in this movie, and had a friend of hers, actress Dakota Fanning, providing the voice of Lilo instead. 

      In this movie, things seem to be going well since the events of the original film. Lilo and Stitch are getting ready for the upcoming May Day festival, with each student in the hula class required to create a special dance, with the teacher revealing to Lilo how her mother had won at Lilo's age. So, Lilo looks to come up with the perfect dance, basing it on the legend of Hi'iaka, but something is wrong with Stitch, as he keeps glitching out and reverting to his destructive instincts. Why? Well, Jumba reveals to Pleakley that the day he created Stitch, he and Stitch were taken into custody while Jumba was charging Stitch's molecules. And, unless he can construct a new fusion chamber to stabilize Stitch's molecules, then Stitch will die. 

        Lilo tries to help Stitch, despite being unaware of the true nature of Stitch's problem, but sees his behavior as deliberate. However, when Stitch's nightmare comes true on the day of the competition and he scratches Lilo on the face, a mortified Stitch leaves and goes off on his own. Knowing Stitch would never intentionally harm her, Lilo realizes that something is truly wrong, and works with Jumba, Pleakley, and Nani to save him. As Stitch prepares to leave the Earth behind, Lilo and the others try to stop him in order to stabilize him. They do eventually catch him and place him in the makeshift fusion chamber, but it's too late. Realizing that Stitch needed her more, Lilo tearfully reminds him that he is her ohana, and she will always love him. Miraculously, Stitch is revived, and Jumba reveals that it was Lilo's love that saved him in the end. And, the movie ends with Lilo and Stitch performing the Hi'iaka dance, and Nani revealing to Lilo that their mother would be proud of her. 

       After the conclusion of Lilo & Stitch: The Series, we got one final movie: Leroy & Stitch. And, yes, Daveigh Chase back as the voice of Lilo in this one. The movie opens with Jumba, Pleakley, Lilo, and Stitch being rewarded for their efforts in giving all of Jumba's experiments a proper home. Stitch is named Captain of the Galactic Federation, and given command of the BRB-9000 (BRB stands for "Big Red Battleship"), Pleakley is given a teaching job, Jumba is given back the keys to his lab, and Lilo is named custodian of the other experiments back on Earth. However, Lilo is saddened to have to say goodbye to Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley, so the three initially turn down their new opportunities to keep Lilo happy. However, seeing how disappointed they all become, Lilo makes a mature decision and let's them go off on their new adventures. 

        Meanwhile, Gantu has finally gotten a means off the Earth, and abandons Experiment-625 to join Dr. Hämsterviel. Gantu and Hämsterviel head to Jumba's lab, where they convince him to make a NEW evil experiment, one completely loyal to Hämsterviel. And, as a nod to how Lilo gave the first six-hundred-twenty-six experiments names (save for 625), Hämsterviel decides to call the.new experiment Leroy. And, Leroy is able to duplicate himself, so the many Leroy duplicates are sent to Earth to capture ALL the experiments, while the original Leroy goes after Stitch. 

      Back on Earth, Lilo wants to reach out to Stitch to check on him, and heads to Gantu's ship, and finally gives 625 a proper name: Reuben (named for the sandwich of the same name. Y'know, the sandwich that's corned beef and sauerkraut on rye bread). Anyway, Reuben agrees to help Lilo contact Stitch, but finds that Stitch is in trouble, and the two fix Gantu's ship to get it flying again. The two rescue Jumba and Pleakley, and team up with Gantu to stop Leroy and Hämsterviel, who have joined the Leroy duplicates on Earth for an epic showdown against Stitch and the other experiments. And, it's in the arena during the showdown that Jumba reveals Leroy's weakness: the song "Aloha Oe." So, Lilo, Stitch, and Reuben perform "Aloha Oe," and all the Leroy's, including the original, are shut down. 

      Once again, the Grand Councilwoman thanks Lilo, Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley for their heroism. But, Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley all wish to return to Earth, and Gantu is reinstated as a Captain, with Reuben as his galley officer. The movie ends with a massive picture of Lilo, Stitch, Nani, Jumba, Pleakley, and all of the experiments, including Mertle and her dog Gigi (who is also one of Jumba's experiments). As for Hämsterviel and the Leroys? Their all in prison, which we see in a quick scene where they're jamming out to "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley. 

      So, obviously the three direct-to-video Lilo & Stitch movies are a ton of fun, with Stitch! The Movie being a phenomenal setup for the television series, and Leroy & Stitch serving as a fantastic wrap-up. The television series itself was also a ton of fun, showing the many experiments Jumba created, and just how many had unique looks and abilities. But, my overall favorite of the Lilo & Stitch franchise would have to be Stitch Has a Glitch, due to the emotional ride the movie goes on. 

        All in all, the expanded Lilo & Stitch franchise is a ton of fun, and absolutely worth your time to watch on Disney+. It's really thanks to the expanded franchise that Lilo & Stitch became one of Disney's most prominent franchises, which is why Stitch makes appearances at the Disney parks and at the Disney Aulani resort in Hawaii. And, it's because of how popular the brand is that Disney CEO Bob Iger took the forthcoming live-action remake, and elevated it from a Disney+ exclusive to getting a proper theatrical release. 

      Anyway, guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys in the next review.