TheLilo & Stitchlive-action remake proved to be Disney’s most successful remake in years. With nearly $500 million domestically and $1 billion worldwide,it became an outstanding release that has already put a sequel into development. Yet, while the original animatedLilo & Stitchwas also a big success, its sequel is relatively underrated and may be ignored by Disney.
After all,Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitchis barely memorable. The story does not introduce many adorable new characters, which could hurt its chances at the box office. Fortunately, just as Disney did not adapt theoriginalLion King’s sequelafter its live-action remake,the studio will likely follow Stitch’s story with a new adventure.
Disney certainly has ample material to fold into a single movie. If it wants to introduce more lovable stars, it can do so bybringing in established characters into this new live-action universe. There have already been some massivechanges from the originalLilo & Stitch, so Disney is certainly not opposed to changing the narrative.
Lilo & Stitch: The Seriesintroduced a variety of experimentswhich all played integral roles in Stitch’s life. They cannot all appear in a single movie, but there are some crucial experiments that need to be introduced to help flesh out this universe, especially given that Jumba (Zach Galifianakis) is now the villain in Stitch’s story.
6Angel/Experiment 624
Introduced InLilo & Stitch: The Series
While no other experiment has been officially confirmed,Experiment 624 was already teasedin the live-actionLilo & Stitchremake. The experiment,Angel, had the power to reverse any subject’s moral alignment, meaning that she was capable of turning any experiment into a hero.
Given that she was teased, she should appear in the upcoming sequel, especially since she could be used as a vehicle to introduce other experiments. After all, if Angel is going to be involved in the franchise, then others shouldappear inLilo & Stitch 2,solely so that she can showcase her powers on different subjects.
Angel is also Stich’s primary love interest, so her introduction would allow the franchise to explore another genre altogether. Audiences already loved getting to see Stitch teasing his friends, but a romantic interest could allow the studio to further develop his character. Besides, Angel is exciting in her own right, and she needs to be introduced to the wider audience.
5Experiment 000
Introduced InStitch!
While most of the experiments were introduced inLilo & Stitch: The Series, Experiment 000 first appeared in the animeStitch!, which began in 2008. After Lilo leaves Stitch to go to college, Stitch is left to continue his adventures alone. Unfortunately for him, he happens to stumble uponthe unnamedExperiment 000, who is a violent and brutal killer.
As Jumba’s first experiment, 000 proved to be an uncontrollable agent of chaos, whichled Jumba to sentence him to solitary confinement on a frozen planet. Undeterred by his imprisonment, 000 always planned to escape and even worked to enhance his own body with mechanical supports just to ensure that he would become even more deadly.
Given that Jumba is an unrepentant monster in this adaptation, 000 could be introduced to serve his story.
Experiment 000 is much stronger than Stitch, largely because Jumba never considered that he would need to control his monsters. Partly because he was completely unaware that the other experiments existed, 000 never had any interest in connecting with the rest of his family. Instead, he planned to kill Stitch and the entire galaxy.
Given that Jumba is an unrepentant monster in this adaptation,000 could be introduced to serve his story. After all, if Jumba is uninterested in joiningLilo & Stitch’s Ohana, then he could very well recruit 000 from his icy cell to wage war against Lilo and Stitch. Fighting alongside a cybernetic monster would certainly fit Jumba’s new depiction, after all.
4Leroy/Experiment 628
Introduced InLeroy & Stitch(2006)
Leroy was Jumba’s final experiment, as he was created afterJumba became a better man. Unfortunately, Leroy was designed from the same template that Stitch came out of, and he never had a Lilo to truly change his ways. Even as the rest of the family worked to rehabilitate him, Leroy refused to be anything more than a monster.
To make matters worse,Leroy had terrible intentionsfor the rest of the galaxy. With an army of clones by his side, he planned to destroy every other experiment, solely so that he could prove to be the strongest of Jumba’s mutants. He is, however, a loyal servant, as he was willing to obey the monstrous Dr. Hämsterviel’s every word.
Leroy was voiced by Chris Sanders, who also played Stitch.
Leroy has already been the primary antagonist in a movie, so there is no reason that Disney should shy away from introducing him to a wider audience. He is just as adorable as Stitch, so he should have the same primary draw to audiences, and his insistence on destroying the other experiments should contrast well with Lilo’s tight-knit family.
From a purely budgetary perspective, Leroy would also be the perfect addition. There would be no need to invent an all-new model for his character, asanimators could simply tweak Stitch’s design. There is no need to invent a new villain when Leroy is there, waiting for a chance to be used.
3Evile/Experiment 627
As his name implies,Evile is nothing more than an irredeemably evil villain. He was Jumba’s second-to-last experiment, designed specifically to never achieve redemption. His entire purpose was to put Stitch in his place, causing him to spend most of his appearances tormenting the older experiment.
Given how many allies Lilo and Stitch have now, the next movie will likely need to have multiple antagonists.
If introduced inLilo & Stitch 2, Evile could serve the same primary purpose. Given his abrasive sense of humor, he could provide some levity to the movie, especially given that the previous theoretical inclusions, Leroy and Experiment 000, have no interest in practical jokes.Evile would be perfect for a younger audience, as he is both villainous and utterly unintimidating.
Given how many allies Lilo and Stitch have now, the next movie will likely need to have multiple antagonists.Evile could distract Stitch, while the other antagonists take care of Agent Pleakley, the good-hearted aliens, and other heroes. More importantly, they offer more adorable and chaotic creatures for Disney to market.
Introducing Evile could also offeran opportunity for Jumba to redeem himself. When he sees the differences between Stitch and Evile, he may finally accept that his creations do not need to be monsters, and they could be happier when on the right side of history. If Disney wants to fix its Jumba mistakes, Evile could offer that opportunity.
2Sparky/Experiment 221
Introduced InStitch! The Movie(2003)
BeforeLilo & Stitch: The Series, there was no real confirmation thatany of Stitch’s monster cousinswere capable of redemption. Though Stitch proved to be a kind and friendly alien, when taught about the value of family, he could have been alone. Sparky (Experiment 221) wasthe first to prove that other experiments could be redeemed.
Sparky lives in the Kilauea Lighthouse, where he can use his powers freely.
Sparky is unique among the experiments, ashe has control over electricityand can even turn himself into an electric charge. As such, he had the capacity to devastate the entire world, if not the galaxy. Fortunately, after encountering Stitch, he was firmly reprogrammed and discovered that there was no need to use his powers for evil.
Just as the first movie proved that Stitch was capable of good, the next movie needs to prove that other experiments also have the power to help people. Sparky, who can power Hawaii’s entire electrical grid with renewable energy, isthe perfect character to make that argument, just as the original movies did.
1Reuben/Experiment 625
Introduced InStitch! The Movie
While there is not much of a narrative reason to include Experiment 625, it would be a serious mistake to leave him out. Reuben is one of the most recognizableLilo & Stitchcharacters, despite not actually appearing in the original movie.The yellow-bellied experiment has all of Stitch’s powers, while having none of his courage.
Hilariously,Reuben’s only true role is to serve as a cook, as he loves nothing more than making sandwiches. If audiences fell in love with Stitch’s design and personality, they will undoubtedly be happy to tune in to see Reuben eating giant sandwiches, while the entire world falls apart around him.
Reuben was played by voice actor Rob Paulsen.
Those scenes couldadd simple levity to the movie, which could easily slip into melodrama, depending on the way that theLilo & Stitchsequel handles Nani’s exit.Nani’s decision to enroll in collegeproved to be controversial, so Reuben’s sandwich antics could offer Disney the opportunity to address that narrative choice without growing overly serious.
