Lilo & Stitch

Lilo & Stitch is a media franchise owned by The Walt Disney Company, launched with the 2002 animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. The film was developed at Disney's Orlando, Florida animation studio by a small team of young artists working with limited budget and resources. The original story concept focused solely on an alien living in a forest trying to overcome isolation; the character of Lilo was added later during story development. Filmmakers initially considered setting the story in rural Kentucky or Kansas before ultimately choosing Hawaii. The film premiered in June 2002 and became a surprise critical and commercial success during a lean period for Disney's feature animation, which was struggling against the rise of computer-generated animation from Pixar.

The franchise includes the original 2002 animated film, three direct-to-video sequels (Stitch! The Movie, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, Leroy & Stitch), a television series (Lilo & Stitch: The Series), a short film, video games, comics, and the 2025 live-action remake. Theme park attractions have included Stitch's Great Escape at Disney World's Magic Kingdom and character meet-and-greets at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort's Ohana restaurant, where Lilo and Stitch appear in Hawaiian-themed dining experiences.

In fiscal year 2024, the franchise generated over $2.6 billion in merchandise sales, which surged to over $4 billion in fiscal year 2025. To contextualize this figure, Disney sold roughly as much Stitch merchandise as Harley-Davidson sold in motorcycles, parts, and apparel combined in the same period. The live-action remake earned over $1.04 billion at the global box office, making it the top theatrical film of 2025 until Zootopia 2 surpassed it. Stitch's popularity is particularly pronounced across Asia, where the character has become a global merchandising phenomenon. Disney CEO Bob Iger has publicly highlighted Stitch's commercial performance, noting the character eclipsing $4 billion in retail sales. [edit]