Lilo and Stich, one of the classic Disney animations, is a well-known and beloved movie. Yet, not many know about its sequel spinoff series, Stitch!
Now it might come as a shock to you, but Stitch! does not have one of the most important characters of the series, namely Lilo. Yuna, a Japanese girl, replaces her. The series is also not based on Hawaii but rather shifts to Okinawa, an island in Japan.
The culture of the Okinawa prefecture and other Ryukyu islands are featured in the spinoff anime. While the target audience was still young children from 8-12 years of age, the anime spinoff still has a much darker and more mature theme than the original movie.
So let’s find out more about this hidden treasure so that you can continue your Lilo and Stitch obsession, albeit without Lilo.
Stitch! Anime Plot
The plot of the Stitch! anime begins after Disney’s Lilo and Stitch movie. In the pilot episode, it is insinuated that Lilo is now older and has her own family. Stitch feels abandoned and blasts off into space with a Jet Scooter.
He makes an emergency landing on Earth after an attempt to recapture him is made. He finds himself on an island in Japan called Okinawa. Stitch tries to find food and wants to apologize to Lilo for running away. Instead, he meets Yuna, a young girl he eventually bonds with.
Yuna takes the place of Lilo in the anime, and she and Stitch go on various adventures together.
Trailer
The Stitch! anime has received a single trailer that came out before the series aired in 2009. The trailer outlines the new protagonist beside Sticth named Yuna, a girl from the island of Okinawa. The old villains and experiments will return from the Disney movie, with the addition of yokai, Japanese spirit monsters that the duo will face.
Is the Stitch! Anime Completed?
Yes, the Stitch! anime is completed after releasing three seasons as well as two post-series specials. In season 3, Stitch got to meet Lilo again before she went away forever. By the end, it is shown that Lilo has a daughter now named Ani, who resembles her.
Stitch first mistakes her as Lilo, but Yuna discovers Ani is Lilo’s near-identical daughter. Later Stitch learns that the reason Lilo never showed up to meet him at their promised place is that her sister, Nani, was having a child on the same date. The two make up after spending years apart.
Stitch! Anime Studio, Cast, and Crew
The first and second seasons of the Stitch! anime was produced by Studio Madhouse, but the third season was handed over to Shin-Ei Animation. The two anime television films, Stitch and the Planet of Sand and Stitch! Perfect Memory were also handled by Shin Ei Animation.
Here are the staff members behind the anime’s first and second seasons:
- Director: Masami Hata
- Script Writing: Yūko Kakihara, Shōji Yonemura
- Music Composer: Yoshihisa Suzuki (Japan)
Season 3 of Sitch! Had the following staff members:
- Director: Tetsuo Yasumi
- Writer: Mio Aiuchi
- Music Composer: Kōtarō Nakagawa
The cast members who worked on the Stitch! anime are as follows:
| Character | Voice Actor (Japanese) | Voice Actor (English) |
| Stitch | Kōichi Yamadera | Ben Diskin |
| Yuna Kamihara | Motoko Kumai | Eden Riegel |
| Dr. Jumba Jookiba | Shōzō Iizuka | Jess Winfield |
| Agent Pleakley | Yūji Mitsuya | Ted Biaselli |
| Dr. Jacques von Hämsterviel | Hiroshi Yanaka | Kirk Thornton |
| Gantu | Unshou Ishizuka | Keith Silverstein |
| Reuben | Kōji Ochiai | Dave Wittenberg |
| Delia | Romi Park | Mary Elizabeth McGlynn |
| Gramma | Hisako Kyōda | Gwendoline Yeo |
| Kijimunaa | Kappei Yamaguchi | Colleen O’Shaughnessey |
| Mr. Kamihara (Yuna’s father) | Kōichi Yamadera | Keith Silverstein |
| Taro | Tomoe Hanba | Stephanie Sheh |
| Ted | Hitomi Hase | Laura Bailey |
| Marvin | Yuki Ishii | Kari Wahlgren |
| Lilo Pelekai | Sumire Morohoshi (young Lilo) Tomoe Hanba (adult Lilo) | Melissa Fahn (young Lilo) Gwendoline Yeo (adult Lilo) |
| Ani | Sumire Morohoshi | Melissa Fahn |
Release Date and More
The first season of Stitch! contained 26 episodes which were released from October 8, 2008 – June 26, 2009. Season 2 received 30 episodes and one special, which aired from October 13, 2009 – June 29, 2010. Season 3 came out with 30 episodes and one special from July 6, 2010 – June 19, 2011.
The first anime television film ‘Stitch and the Planet of Sand’ was released on June 16, 2012. The second movie, ‘Stitch! Perfect Memory’ was out on August 7, 2015.
Season 1 of the anime aired on TV Tokyo, while seasons 2 and 3 were out on TV Asahi before they were broadcast on Disney Channel.
Where to Watch Stitch!?
Unfortunately, the Stitch! anime is not available to watch on any official streaming website. The episodes are uploaded on Dailymotion, but it is not the official streaming site.
As Stitch! is an old anime with low popularity, it is unlikely to be featured on any streaming sites in the future.
Now that you know, a wonderful world of more adventures with Stitch exists! What are you waiting for?
Go search for the series like crazy and get involved with the new ohana that Stitch becomes a part of. Don’t forget to comment down below if you find the series exciting1
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