“Stitch not bad. Stitch fluffy!”
When Experiment 626 first burst onto the scene in 2002, he took Disney fans worldwide by storm. Whether he was crashing a wave onto Ariel, dropping a chandelier on Belle and the Beast, or stealing Simba’s place on Pride Rock, Stitch found a way to wiggle his mischievous self into every Disney corner around the world leading up to the hit 2002 film.
Fast forward 23 years, and Stitch is up to his old tricks in a new live-action take on Disney’s Lilo & Stitch. As we applaud the release of one of Disney’s best live-action adaptations of animated films, let’s celebrate the mischief that is Stitch.
“We’re Not in Kansas Anymore”
Disney’s animated film Lilo & Stitch was released in 2002, but the story of Stitch began 17 years earlier, back in 1985. Chris Sanders, who created Stitch and co-wrote and co-directed the story along with Dean DeBlois, originally envisioned his character as the subject of a short children’s book.
According to Sanders, “Prior to me even pitching Lilo & Stitch, I wanted to do a children’s book about this little creature that lived in a forest. It was a bit of a monster with no real explanation as to where it came from. It was all about how he found a way to belong. But after doing a couple of drawings, I realized the idea was going to be very difficult to squeeze down to, say, 24 pages. So I abandoned it.”
So Stitch sat and waited for over a decade.
Sanders modified his idea from a short children’s book to a film script and pitched the idea to Disney creative executive Thomas Schumacher in 1997. Schumacher loved the idea of Stitch, but had two major notes for the writer: 1) “You don’t want him to be living in a world full of animals who don’t know what an alien is. An alien among animals is not as remarkable as an alien among humans,” and 2) “The forest is just green on green on green.”
So the story was altered to be set in a more populated area offering human interaction. In early drafts, Stitch was originally slated to have landed in Kansas, where there was some semblance of society, but not so much as a major city. The setting was lacking in interest and intrigue, and Sanders was encouraged to explore other locales.
Having recently vacationed in Hawaii, Sanders put a pin in the Aloha State. He felt a strong connection to the island and its potential to create a story with intimacy and a unique cultural foundation. Setting the story in Hawaii provided isolation from large cities, but allowed for just enough population for Stitch to cause a stir, while still offering the stunning geography of the South Pacific. Add in an alien origin story and a touch of Elvis Presley, and Disney had a perfect misfit story.
Fun Fact: Elvis had a strong connection to Hawaii, having filmed three movies and recorded his famous 1973 worldwide concert there. He also vacationed there frequently and named his Graceland’s famous “Jungle Room” after the state’s lush vegetation. Elvis’ connection to Hawaii remains strong to this day. Fittingly, both the 2002 animated version and 2025 live-action version of Lilo & Stitch feature five original Elvis songs, with covers of other songs originally recorded by the King.
Experiment 626
We all know Stitch by his slightly less cuddly name “Experiment 626.” This designation comes from his classification in the film as the 626th experiment created by the alien scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba. According to Jumba in the film, “He is bulletproof, fireproof, and can think faster than [a] supercomputer. He can see in the dark, and lift objects three thousand times his size. His only instinct… to destroy everything he touches!”
Adding to Stitch’s alien intrigue are his steely black eyes; they definitely keep viewers guessing as to his current mood. But given that his eyes don’t have pupils, characterizing Stitch’s emotions proved especially difficult for animators. The talented team, based in Orlando, added emotion to Stitch by making him especially physical, often moving him in the style of pantomime.
Fun Fact: Stitch’s nasally, growly voice was provided by none other than his creator Chris Sanders. Many of Stitch’s followup appearances in film, television, and video games have continued to be provided by Sanders, including the 2025 live-action remake.
The Modern Dumbo
Oddly enough, the idea to use Sanders’ Stitch character began in a brainstorming session in 1997 at then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner’s family farm in Vermont. The overarching concept was to make a simple film about an outcast-type of character – a “Dumbo” character for the modern generation. Physical nods to this idea are sprinkled into the film.
Dumbo himself makes a very brief appearance in the film, as a stuffed animal in Lilo’s room. The flying elephant’s appearance has double meaning, representing both the idea of a sympathetic outcast, and also as a nod to the water-color backgrounds used in the film. Lilo & Stitch was the first Disney animated feature to use watercolor backgrounds since Dumbo.
One of the more tender moments in the film shows Lilo reading Stitch the story The Ugly Duckling, another tale telling the story of an outcast. Fun Fact: The pictures in Lilo’s book from the Disney adaptation of the classic tale.
Galactic Gangster
Stitch was not always known to be the alien experiment happily-gone wrong. In one of the screenplay’s earlier drafts, he was going to be an intergalactic gangster on the run from both the law and his ex-gang. In this draft, Stitch’s gang would have been hired by the Galactic Federation to hunt him down. Legendary actor Ricardo Montalban was originally cast as one of Stitch’s former gang members.
Sanders and his fellow filmmakers wisely felt that Stitch was more sympathetic when the audience thought of him as younger with some more innocent impulses, and so he was changed from a hardened criminal to a genetic experiment. Montalban had finished recording his role before the script was changed. With Stitch’s backstory completely reimagined, Montalban’s part was cut from the film.
Stitch’s Famous Castle Prank
With the sweeping success of Lilo & Stitch, and especially Stitch as a character, Disney moved quickly to include the lovable alien in the theme parks. On November 16, 2004, Stitch moved into his Tomorrowland home in Magic Kingdom, taking up residence in his new attraction, Stitch’s Great Escape.
But Stitch didn’t arrive in Tomorrowland gracefully. He did it with his unique sense of style and mischief. When guests arrived in Magic Kingdom on the morning of November 16, they were not greeted with the usual grandeur of Cinderella Castle. Instead, guests found the iconic castle “decorated” with toilet paper and the phrase “Stitch is King” proudly posted on one of the turrets. Stitch’s moment of graffiti greatness was scrubbed from the castle at the end of the day, but it sure left an unforgettable moment in Disney Parks history.
Fun Fact: Speaking of Stitch’s Great Escape (which closed permanently in 2020), the animatronic Stitch starring in the attraction was the first ever to “spit” water.
Where to Meet Stitch
Stitch fans can meet Experiment 626 in several places throughout the Disney Parks and resorts. Here are a few current offerings, available as of the time this article is published.
Walt Disney World
In Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Stitch meets guests in Tomorrowland near Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.
In Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, guests can dine with Stitch (along with Lilo, Mickey Mouse, and Pluto) at Best Friends Breakfast featuring Lilo & Stitch at ‘Ohana.
Over at Typhoon Lagoon water park, Stitch makes occasional appearances outside the Board Room, near the Surf Pool.
Stitch also greets guests at the holiday parties, dressing as Elvis at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, and in his tropical finest at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Stitch has even posed as Santa at Disney Jollywood nights.
Disneyland
Over in California, guests in Disneyland can see Stitch dance and perform at Stitch’s Interplanetary Beach Party Blast in Tomorrowland.
Disney Visa Cardmembers *might* see Stitch at an exclusive photo location in Hollywood Land at Disney California Adventure Park. Since the characters found in these locations are always secret, there’s no guarantee of meeting the mischievous menace there.
Similar to Walt Disney World, Stitch occasionally appears in special events at Disneyland.
Aulani
At Aulani, Disney’s resort in Hawaii, guests may be able to meet Stitch in a couple locations, including Makahiki Character Breakfast and Menehune Mischief dinner.
Meeting Stitch Around the Globe
Outside the United States, guests can meet Stitch in several international parks, through a variety of meet-and-greets, attractions, and dining experiences. Every Disney Parks resort website can help you find where you can meet him.
If you are interested in Stitch (or anyone else) in the Disney Parks, please reach out to Facts and Figment Vacation Planning. My travel planning services are absolutely FREE to you, and I can help you score the best, hardest-to-get deals to make your vacation more affordable.
However you feel about Stitch, there’s no denying he is one of the most memorable Disney characters of all time. With both animated and live-action films, television shows, video games, and appearances in the parks, there is plenty of Stitch to go around.
What’s your take on Stitch? Is he a favorite character of yours? Let me know what you think by joining the conversation on social: Instagram Facebook X
Sources:
An Oral History of Lilo & Stitch – Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, October 19, 2022 (updated May 21, 2025)
