Lilo and Stich the Series is how you can slowly kill any heart and soul from the original, excellent movie. While not total dumpster fire, the series does not do Lilo & Stitch any real justice.
What's in this review
What is Lilo & Stich the Series?
Lilo and Stitch the Series came out back in 2003 as the follow up series to the straight to video sequel Stitch! The Movie. The series then ends in another straight to Disney Channel movie, Leroy and Stitch.
The Lilo and Stitch television show follows Lilo and Stitch on their many misadventures foiling Captain Gantu’s attempts to capture evil experiments for his boss, Dr. Hämsterviel (pronounced Hamster wheel), with the help of experiment 625 also known as Reuben due to his affinity for sandwiches.
If you are familiar with the original movie, you’ll recognize some characters like Lilo, Stitch, Pleakley, Myrtle, Dr. Jumba Jookiba, and Nani. Other characters make cameos or a few appearances, such as Cobra Bubbles. But the plot may come out of no where if you didn’t see the second movie, Stitch! The Movie.
While not fully required watching, Stitch! The Movie literally sets up the series, introducing the motivation behind Lilo and Stitch as well as Gantu and other regular characters.
Quick run down of Stitch! The Movie plot
Since you are already exploring Disney Plus (most likely) and curious about Lilo and Stitch the series, you will probably have no issue watching Stitch! The Movie to get caught up on all you need to know.
I mean, you really don’t need to as you will quickly piece together what is going on, but for those of you too lazy to watch it or who just don’t care, here’s a quick run down of what happened.
In Stitch! The Movie, Dr. Hämsterviel, Jumba’s former partner in making illegal genetic experiments, hires former Captain of the Galactic Fleet, Gantu, to track down and obtain a container with the first 625, fully functional experiments.
These experiments each have a unique talent, like causing electrical currents, and are all evil.
Of course, this container is with Jumba on earth, which means Gantu crosses paths with Lilo and Stitch again when he kidnaps Jumba to find out where it is.
Some other stuff happens, but the main gist is Stitch identifies the other experiments as “cousins” and Lilo figures out that she can turn them good by finding their “one true place.”
Not to spoil too much here, but she figures out the electrical experiment can power a light house and be happy being a slave for the rest of its life as a light house keeper who can’t leave due to the possibility of crashing ships.
Anyway, at the very end, the chick from the galactic senate shows up and Lilo and Stitch make the argument that they can catch and turn all the other experiments good by – you guessed it – “finding their one true place.”
This sets up the Lilo & Stitch television series that explores the many adventures (65 episodes and 2 seasons to be precise) of Lilo and Stitch.
What Parents Need to Know about Lilo and Stitch the Series
Lilo’s eccentric characteristics from the first movie get highlighted quite a bit in Lilo and Stitch the Series. The show often highlights how much she and Myrtle, the creepy little day-walking Ginger girl who leads a pack of mean white girls who transplanted to Hawaii, just plain don’t get along.
If you don’t like seeing girls being mean to each other just because, then you probably should avoid the series.
Something even Common Sense Media does not mention in their take is how many episodes feature body shaming. Personally, I don’t really care, but if you have a sensitive, impressionable kid or are like one yourself, you may find many of the episodes unpleasant since they poke fun of being fat, different looking, and so on.
There’s also minor peril, depictions of weapons, and childish violence. No one ever gets actually hurt. Only complete fucktards will find the violence level too much. If it is, I suggest you start with Mickey Mouse Funhouse, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, or Bluey. They may be more your speed.
Talk to your kids about…
One of my favorite aspects of Common Sense Media is how they try to give advice on what to talk with your kids about. If you are so inclined to use Lilo and Stitch the Series as some sort of educational lesson (trust me, the show lacks anything even close to learning), then go for it.
Here are some helpful, fun questions and topics to get you started:
- Myrtle is a featured antagonist of Lilo and Stitch the series and shown as a mean, evil little girl. She also suffers from Gingervitus. Do you know any children at your school who are Gingers? Are they as soulless and mean as Myrtle? Have you ever felt like they are trying to steal your soul?
- Lilo is a bratty little kid. Do you think you should be bratty like her? Would that make mom or dad happy or sad?
- The experiments are all – how do we put this nicely – useless and basically burdens, a lot like you. Do you know what you can do to be, well, less worthless to us? Do you think being our child gives you a pass to be a burden?
FAQs
A lot of people ask questions about Lilo and Stitch. Here are some helpful answers to popular questions from around the web.
Is Lilo autistic?
A lot of fans theorize that Lilo presents with neurodivergence typical of someone on the autism spectrum. There is no evidence that the creators of Lilo and Stitch meant to make her autistic, though.
They wrote her to have one of the most tragic backstories ever that Lilo and Stitch the Series largely ignores. The original movie strongly implied that her parents’ deaths ultimately messed her up, causing post traumatic stress.
Why did they cancel Lilo and Stitch the series?
Disney canceled Lilo and Stitch the Series after it hit 65 episodes. According to lore, Disney Channel implemented a rule called the 65 Episode Rule stating – unofficially – that all shows, no matter how popular, had to end after it hit 65 episodes. The rule was “in effect” during the time period that Lilo & Stitch the Series started and ended.
Who is Stitch’s girlfriend?
Stitch falls in love with his “cousin” Angel in some of the most back country woods shit you’ve ever seen. She is one of many of Jumba’s evil experiments. Not sure if this qualifies as incestual or not, but it seems a bit odd that he refers to all pod creatures as cousins and seems to want to bang the hot one.
Lilo and Stich the Series: Parent Review
Name: Lilo and Stitch the Series
Description: Lilo and Stitch go on magic adventures to capture and rehabilitate all 625 remaining evil experiments released on Hawaii.
Author: Nathan
Overall
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Plot
(2)
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Characters
(3)
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Watchability
(3.5)
User Review
( vote)Dad's Take
There is no doubt about it, Lilo and Stitch the Series follows a predictable pattern to each and every episode. It goes like this.
Lilo, Stitch, or sometimes Gantu have a problem. An experiment that may help them with their problem happens to get released from it’s dehydrated state within minutes. Only, as is in its “evil state,” the little freak won’t be useful at all. Lilo and Stitch try to turn it good by “finding its one true place” while Gantu tries to capture it for Dr. Hämsterviel’s nefarious plots. Lilo and Stitch succeed, the experiment gets locked into its prison sentence where it will supposedly be happy, and the series continues on, repeating the same basic pattern.
As Disney Channel shows go, particularly one set up from a straight to video movie, it’s not terrible. In fact, like Bluey, there are several times it can be funny, even entertaining. But then comes the other moments that make you question your sanity.
To enjoy the show, you have to ignore a single fact: the experiments get activated when coming in contact with water and got dispersed all over one of the wettest climates in the world. How the hell did they not all get activated instantly or very close to when released?
Havoc would unleash on Hawaii leaving Stitch and Lilo overwhelmed and unable to do much of anything because Lilo would curl up into a useless ball shaking and crying. But we are expected to believe that the experiments conveniently release during an episode when someone could possibly use the generally worthless experiments, giving Lilo and Stitch an actual chance to find a solution to the problem? Do better Disney. Do better.
But if we back this up further, the show clearly shows that Jumba made 626 fully functioning experiments and just freeze dried them to store. If they were failures, why store them? Why not just destroy them? As weird plot devices go, you can suspend disbelief that maybe he had unexplained reasons to keep the useless experiments alive and some sort of static state, so moving on.
If you happen to like early 2000 Disney Channel shows, you may really enjoy the four episodes where they brought in popular characters from other shows, including:
- “Morpholomew” (season 2, episode 13) features American Dragon: Jake Long.
- “Spats” (season 2, episode 14) features The Proud Family
- “Rufus” (season 2, episode 20) features Kim Possible
- “Lax” (season 2, episode 21) features the douche bags from Recess
For fans of those series, it probably was an amazing moment, full of feels. As someone who didn’t watch or give two shits about any of the other shows, it felt like corny cross promotional bullshit trying to capitalize on a successful series despite one of the main characters: Lilo.
While in the original movie, Lilo is generally sympathetic, in Lilo and Stitch the Series she is mostly unlikable.
She can be grating. And by “can be” I mean generally is. She is constantly whining and can’t seem to do anything by herself. I don’t have the exact word counts of each of these, but she says the following things usually three or more times an episode:
- “STITCH!”
- “Ohana”
- “I’m going to call you [insert stupid name here].”
- a variation of “We have to find (his/her/crappily named experiment’s) one true place.”
For those interested in learning value, this show is purely entertainment oriented. There are vague lessons Lilo supposedly learns at the end of each episode, but it is hardly inspirational. And given her stupid fuckery in each episode, I’d say she mostly ignores them.
While entertaining in spurts, episodes can get really repetitive. You will keep seeing the same plot – as outlined above – play out over and over. Thanks to rule of 65 episodes, Leroy and Stitch finally puts this show out of its misery when they have a final resolution to finding the one true place for all the freaks.
In short, while you may appreciate the show as an adult, particularly if you fawn over Stitch, ultimately the childish themes and constantly repeated plot lines become tiresome after a while. Still, as Disney Channel shows go, Lilo and Stitch the Series is not a dumpster of dog shit set on fire.
Pros
Contains some humorous and entertaining moments geared towards adults
Takes several episodes to get bored with it overall
Stitch is a fan favorite character featured throughout the series
Cons
Lilo is obnoxious and downright annoying at times
Once you saw one episode, you pretty much see them all
Sensitive viewers may find body shaming and other aspects of the show off putting
Can get tiresome after watching a few episodes as they all follow a similar, children show pattern to them
