The Surprising Origin of Stitch That Could Have Changed Disney History

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It turns out that the success of Disney’s film “Lilo & Stitch” isn’t solely measured by its box office performance. Although it ranked second at the box office when released in June 2002, it wasn’t as financially successful as Disney Renaissance classics like “The Lion King,” “Aladdin,” and “Beauty and the Beast.” However, compared to some of Disney’s recent flops such as “Treasure Planet,” “Atlantis: The Lost Empire,” and “The Emperor’s New Groove,” “Lilo & Stitch” fared much better at the box office. Nowadays, this film is among Disney’s top-selling properties.

Lilo & Stitch, similar to The Nightmare Before Christmas, was initially conceived as a written work rather than being derived from a traditional fairy tale or pre-existing story. Unlike the Stitch we recognize today and the profitable Lilo & Stich franchise that Disney has enjoyed, there was a time when their creation was uncertain.

The Original (Drastically Different) Plans for Stitch

In 1985, Chris Sanders, the inventor of Stitch and the man behind his voice, came up with the concept for Stitch shortly after graduating from CalArts. Initially, Stitch was not envisioned as an alien but as a terrifying creature on our planet. Although Stitch’s design today is one of Disney’s most recognizable characters, barely any alterations were made to him in the live-action remake, reflecting how flawlessly designed he was. In a conversation with Vulture, Sanders revealed that his original sketch portrayed Stitch as more monstrous and bearing a resemblance to both a bat and a tiger.

Initially, I planned to create a children’s story featuring a small forest-dwelling creature that had a touch of monster-like qualities and an uncertain origin. The tale revolved around its journey to find acceptance. However, after sketching a few designs, I recognized the concept would be challenging to condense into approximately 24 pages, so I decided not to pursue it further.

1987 marked the year Sanders joined Walt Disney Feature Animation and contributed to projects including “The Rescuers Down Under”, “Beauty and the Beast”, and “The Lion King”. He later rose through the ranks to become head of story on “Mulan”. During this period, Thomas Schumacher, an executive vice president at Disney Feature Animation, expressed a desire for a modern take on a more budget-friendly animated film similar to the classic “Dumbo”. Schumacher sought out Sanders, who had an earlier concept for a story in his pocket.

In Sanders’ initial concept, his plan closely followed the structure outlined in his written work. However, Stitch, who was originally an alien stranded in a forest surrounded by woodland creatures, became an outsider, was later reinvented as a crash-landed alien on Hawaii’s shores and interacting mainly with humans instead. Schumacher argued that the animal world is already strange to viewers, but Sanders returned to the idea of a sci-fi character interfacing with forest animals in 2024’s ‘The Wild Robot’, which was based on Peter Brown’s book series.

The Changes to ‘Lilo & Stitch’ in Pre-Production

The animated film Lilo & Stitch experienced numerous transformations during production. Initially, it was planned to revolve around Stitch encountering a young boy; however, Sanders realized that since Stitch is predominantly male-oriented, a female influence was necessary for balance, which has contributed significantly to the film’s enduring popularity among all genders.

Originally, Stitch was depicted as an interstellar gangster alongside Jumba in a preliminary animated test. However, after betraying Jumba, the Intergalactic Council assigned him the task of hunting down Stitch. Following this test, Stitch evolved into Jumba’s genetic experiment. This change also prompted the filmmakers to replace Ricardo Montalbán’s initial villain role with Captain Gantu. Interestingly, Jumba was initially a more villainous character (something that was restored in the 2025 remake), but his character was softened during reshoots to appear less malicious. This can be observed in subtle alterations to his character design.

In the last part of Lilo & Stitch, there was a significant shift as Stitch, Nani, Jumba, and Pleakley were originally depicted hijacking a Boeing 747 jet. But due to events like September 11, the ending was significantly revised, eight months before the movie’s premiere. The 747 was then altered into a spaceship, but it retains many aircraft-like features in its design, both inside and out. Additionally, because it was still too sensitive for viewers to see an airplane flying so near buildings, the scene where they flew over Honolulu was changed to show them flying over Kauaʻi’s mountains instead.

‘Lilo & Stitch’s Legacy

The movie Lilo & Stitch debuted on June 21, 2002. It was a success due to an impressive marketing strategy that included Stitch making appearances across various Disney platforms. To everyone’s surprise, Lilo & Stitch became a hit for Walt Disney Animation, even though it lost the weekend box office race to Minority Report. However, Lilo & Stitch sold more tickets at lower prices since it was targeted towards younger viewers. This film not only met Disney’s recent expectations but also outperformed some classics from their Renaissance era, like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and Mulan. Though $145 million domestically and $273 million worldwide might have seemed small initially, Lilo & Stitch proved to be a long-term investment as its fanbase grew over the following 23 years. This demonstrates that Disney’s triumphs are not always judged in terms of weeks but rather in the span of years.

After its debut, the movie “Lilo & Stitch” has grown into a comprehensive media franchise, boasting three cherished direct-to-video sequels and numerous spin-off series that delved deeper into the lore of Stitch’s experiment counterparts (or cousins). Most recently, it has been reimagined as a live-action adaptation, which recouped its $100 million production cost during its opening weekend alone. Interestingly, events echoed the past as Disney initially planned to release this live-action version of “Lilo & Stitch” directly on Disney+, instead of in theaters. However, it was never intended for a theatrical screening originally.

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2025-05-30 03:02