The Correct Order To Watch The Lilo & Stitch Movies

Chris Sanders' and Dean De Blois' 2002 animated film "Lilo & Stitch" was released by Disney and was part of what might be considered a "low" period in the studio's history. Disney had a series of bangers in the 1990s, a period often referred to as the Disney Renaissance. That period came to an end in 2000 with the release of "Dinosaur," however, a technology experiment featuring life-like dinosaurs realized in CGI. That was followed by multiple expensive bombs, one right after the other, and almost all the films (from "Fantasia 2000" in 2000 through to "Bolt" in 2008) were costly misfires.

Only two from the period stand out. Mark Dindal's slapstick comedy "The Emperor's New Groove" and "Lilo & Stitch." The latter is deeply beloved by the children who saw it in 2002, and appreciate both its warmth and its weirdo edge.

"Lilo & Stitch" is a riff on "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," wherein a young child, Lilo (Daveigh Chase), befriends a strange space alien dog animal she names Stitch (Chris Sanders). Stitch is, in actuality, an escaped lab animal, genetically engineered on a distant planet to engage in combat. Stitch learns to be gentle and about the importance of family, all while enjoying the music of Elvis Presley and learning to surf in the Pacific Ocean around Hawai'i. It's predictable but sweet, and Stitch is a wonderful little agent of potential chaos.

The film spawned three sequels, three TV shows, and will see a live-action/CGI remake at some point in the near future. For those wanting to marathon through all the Stitch media in the world, read below for a handy list of all the titles you will need to check out.

The "Lilo & Stitch" movies were released in the following order. Note that the numerical system may not help you this time, and the film labeled "Part 2" is actually the third film in the series:

• "Lilo & Stitch" (2002)
• "Stitch! The Movie" (2003)
• "Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch" (2005)
• "The Origin of Stitch" (2005) (short)
• "Leroy & Stitch" (2006)

Those five titles, however, only tell part of the story. "Stitch! The Movie" was, in fact, the elongated pilot episode to "Lilo & Stitch: The Series" (2003-2006), an ABC Kids TV show that ran for 65 episodes over the course of two seasons. "Leroy & Stitch," meanwhile, was the elongated finale episode of the same series. Meanwhile, "Origin" was included as a special short on the "Lilo & Stitch 2" DVD.

Not content to let the franchise rest, Disney collaborated with TV Tokyo in 2008 to make an anime series merely called "Stitch!" which lasted for 26 episodes, released fitfully until 2011. That series would be followed by two TV specials in 2014 and 2016, called "Stitch and the Planet of Sand" and "Stitch! Perfect Memory," respectively. That series took place after Lilo had grown up and moved away to college, and Stitch was left at home to have his own merry adventures. 

2017 saw the release of "Stitch and Ai," a Chinese-set, English-language spinoff TV series that aired only in China.

As of this writing, no release date has been selected for the live-action/CGI version of "Lilo & Stitch," although Dean Fleischer Camp, the director of "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On," will helm the picture. At last announcement, it will be released straight to Disney+.