Lilo & Stitch (2002)
- Before Daveigh Chase was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- During the filming of Lilo & Stitch, Daveigh Chase improvised one of the most famous lines in the movie.
- Many of the practical effects used in the climax were achieved without any CGI.
Lilo & Stitch is a 2002 American animated science fiction comedy-drama produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders. Set in Hawaii, the film follows Lilo, a lonely, eccentric young girl living with her older sister Nani after their parents' death, who adopts what she believes is a dog from an animal shelter β actually Experiment 626, a genetically engineered alien creature created for destruction who has escaped from an intergalactic federation and crash-landed on Earth. Lilo names the creature Stitch and attempts to domesticate him using Elvis Presley as a behavioral model, while intergalactic agents pursue the experiment and social workers threaten to separate the sisters.
Lilo & Stitch was a deliberate departure from the Disney Renaissance formula β set in a contemporary, realistic Hawaiian community rather than a fairy tale kingdom, featuring no romantic subplot, and centering its emotional story on the concept of "ohana" (family). The watercolor background art, unusual for Disney animation, gave the Hawaiian setting a warm, hand-painted quality. Stitch became one of Disney's most popular and merchandised characters worldwide.
The film earned $273 million worldwide on a $80 million budget.
