# Leroy & Stitch

Leroy & Stitch is a 2006 American animated science fiction comedy television film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It was written by Bobs Gannaway and Jess Winfield, the latter of whom also served as producer alongside Igor Khait, and directed by Gannaway and Tony Craig. It is the fourth feature film in the Lilo & Stitch franchise and the third and final sequel feature film to the 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch, serving as the finale of Lilo & Stitch: The Series and concluding the franchise's main continuity where Lilo Pelekai is a main character and Hawaii is the main setting. It is the last Western-animated production in the franchise to date. The film debuted on Disney Channel on June 23, 2006, and was also aired on Toon Disney on June 26, 2006.

## Plot

With their mission to capture and repurpose Jumba's experiments completed, Lilo, Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley are honored as heroes by the Galactic Alliance. Jumba is offered to return to his old laboratory, Pleakley is offered a post as chairman of Earth Studies at Galactic Alliance Community College, Stitch is made the Captain of the Galactic Armada and commander of the Big Red Battleship 9000 (BRB-9000), and Lilo is made the Galactic Federation's ambassador to Earth and the experiments' guardian.
The aliens initially decline the offers for Lilo's sake, but she later lets them go after seeing how much they long for their new adventures. Before they leave, Lilo gives Jumba her favorite Elvis Presley record, Pleakley a small rock to use as a paperweight, and Stitch a necklace with a Kū tiki. Meanwhile, Gantu decides to break Dr. Hämsterviel out of prison, leaving his companion, Experiment 625, alone. Gantu frees Hämsterviel, who develops a new plan upon learning of Jumba's current status.
While they enjoy what they are honored for, Jumba, Pleakley, Lilo, and Stitch begin to feel sad from their separation. While Jumba works on a new experiment, Gantu and Hämsterviel intrude his lab and force him to create a new Stitch-like experiment dubbed Leroy. Stitch, on assignment to recapture Hämsterviel, arrives and duels Leroy, but is defeated and imprisoned in a capsule. Hämsterviel then clones Leroy to make an army to conquer the Galactic Alliance. Before leaving for Turo, Hämsterviel locks Stitch, Jumba and Pleakley in Pleakley's vehicle and sends it toward a black hole.
On Earth, Lilo decides to contact Stitch but realizes that the only intergalactic videophone available on the planet is in Gantu's ship. Upon arrival, she finds 625 and asks to use the videophone, but it is not functional. Lilo, upon seeing 625 emotionally hurt, consoles and names him "Reuben", and he repairs the videophone. Lilo contacts the BRB-9000 to reach Stitch. Leroy, now controlling the ship, disguises himself as Stitch, but Lilo sees through the ruse, noticing he is not wearing Stitch's tiki necklace. After Gantu reminds Hämsterviel of the threat of the other experiments, he commands Leroy to capture them. Realizing Stitch is in danger, Lilo has Reuben repair Gantu's ship. As the G.A.C.C. vehicle heads towards the black hole, Stitch escapes his capsule and frees the others. He then throws Pleakley's rock into the black hole, disrupting its event horizon and enabling them to escape.
On Earth, Leroy obtains Lilo's scrapbook of the experiments and captures them and Lilo's rival, Mertle Edmonds. Lilo and Reuben arrive at Turo, but learn that Hämsterviel has taken over the Galactic Alliance. He orders Gantu to imprison the duo, then fires him after realizing Leroy is more efficient than him. After having a change of heart, Gantu helps Lilo and Stitch escape, and they return to Earth in the G.A.C.C. vehicle.
Leroy and Hämsterviel gather the experiments at Aloha Stadium and prepare to kill them with the BRB-9000's cannon. The heroes arrive and destroy the cannon, but Hämsterviel unleashes the Leroys, who overwhelm the other experiments. Jumba then remembers that he programmed a secret shutdown command into Leroy: Elvis Presley's rendition of "Aloha ʻOe". Stitch interrupts the battle and performs the song, triggering the Leroys' command.
As the team is again honored by the alliance for their victory, Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley ask to return to Earth with Lilo. The Grand Councilwoman grants this and reinstates Gantu as the captain of the Armada, with Reuben as a galley officer. Back on Earth, Lilo sets up for one last ʻohana photo with her family and Mertle.
In a final scene, Hämsterviel is seen incarcerated with the Leroys in cells surrounding his. During the credits, a nearly-full list of Jumba's experiments is shown.

## Voice cast

* Chris Sanders as Stitch (Experiment 626) and Leroy (Experiment 629)
* Daveigh Chase as Lilo Pelekai
* Tia Carrere as Nani Pelekai
* David Ogden Stiers as Dr. Jumba Jookiba
* Kevin McDonald as Pleakley
* Jeff Bennett as Dr. Jacques von Hämsterviel, Fibber (Experiment 032), Slick (Experiment 020), Ace (Experiment 262), and Remmy (Experiment 276)
* Kevin Michael Richardson as Gantu
* Rob Paulsen as Reuben (Experiment 625), Felix (Experiment 010), Squeak (Experiment 110), and Forehead (Experiment 044)
* Zoe Caldwell as the Grand Councilwoman
* Ving Rhames as Cobra Bubbles
* Liliana Mumy as Mertle Edmonds
* Tara Strong as Angel (Experiment 624), Babyfier (Experiment 151), Belle (Experiment 248), Dupe (Experiment 344) and Pleakley's G.A.C.C. assistant
* Frank Welker as Sparky (Experiment 221), Sprout (Experiment 509), Mr. Stenchy (Experiment 254), Kixx (Experiment 601), Skip (Experiment 089), Holio (Experiment 606), Finder (Experiment 158), Deforestator (Experiment 515), Yin (Experiment 501), Yang (Experiment 502), Tank (Experiment 586), Checkers (Experiment 029), Slugger (Experiment 608), and Splodyhead (Experiment 619) (uncredited)
* Tress MacNeille as Bonnie (Experiment 149), Gigi (Experiment 007), Houdini (Experiment 604), Topper (Experiment 025), Melty (Experiment 228), Amnesio (Experiment 303), Cannonball (Experiment 520), Richter (Experiment 513), and the G.A.C.C. vehicle's navigational computer
* Nancy Cartwright as Shortstuff (Experiment 297) and Phantasmo (Experiment 375) (uncredited)
* Bobcat Goldthwait as Nosy (Experiment 199)
* Rocky McMurray as Clyde (Experiment 150)
* Lili Ishida as Yuki
* Jillian Henry as Elena
* Kali Whitehurst as Teresa
* Debra Rogers as First Officer Ombit
* Doug Stone as Ensign Getco

## Production

According to writer-producer Jess Winfield, Leroy & Stitch was produced alongside the second season of Lilo & Stitch: The Series and finished production in 2005. The film was originally set for a direct-to-video release in spring 2006. The animation production was outsourced to Wang Film Productions, a Taiwanese studio that previously worked on Lilo & Stitch: The Series.
The film marks the third film in the Lilo & Stitch franchise without any involvement from creators Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois (besides Sanders providing the voices of Stitch, Leroy, and the latter's clones), as they would leave Disney for DreamWorks Animation to write and direct How to Train Your Dragon.

## Release

Leroy & Stitch debuted on Disney Channel on June 23, 2006 and also aired on Toon Disney on June 26, 2006. It was released on DVD in the United States on June 27, 2006 under Walt Disney Pictures. Bonus features of the DVD include a then-unaired episode of Lilo & Stitch: The Series titled "Link" and a set-top game The Big Red Battleship Flight Simulator. Distributed by Walt Disney Home Entertainment, DVD sales in the United States earned a total of $16,672,732 as of September 2021.

### Critical reception

Leroy & Stitch received mixed reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 40% with an average rating of 5.4/10, based on 5 reviews.
Skyler Miller of AllMovie gave the film a rating of 3½ out of 5 stars, praising the voice acting, Elvis Presley songs, and "[the] fast-moving plot that mixes frenetic action, sentimentality, and a few laughs." Miller wrote, "While [Leroy & Stitch is] not nearly as engaging or emotionally rich as the original [Lilo & Stitch] film that inspired it [...] all in all, Leroy & Stitch is a fitting wrap-up to an enjoyable animated series."
Edward Perkis of CinemaBlend gave the film a rating of 1 out of 5 stars, stating the film is "just another direct-to-video sequel of Disney with no unusual stuff in it," and further uplifted and preferred the original film.
Common Sense Media (CSM) gave the film's quality 4 out of 5 stars and applicable for ages 5 above based on 10 reviews from both parents and children.
The film was nominated for the 2007 Golden Reel Award by the Motion Picture Sound Editors, which ultimately went to Disneytoon's direct-to-video film The Fox and the Hound 2.
In 2019, Petrana Radulovic of Polygon ranked Leroy & Stitch ninth out of twenty-six films on her list of direct-to-video sequels, prequels, and "mid-quels" to Disney animated films, one rank higher than Stitch! The Movie. Despite criticizing Leroy & Stitch for focusing more on the aliens and space over the "charming" characters like with Stitch! The Movie, she ranked the finale film higher than the pilot film because of all the now-united 626 experiments' "wacky and really specific powers", stating that "[w]e get to see what they've all been up to after acclimating to life on Hawaii[...], and see them in action in the final battle." In a similar list in 2020, Lisa Wehrstedt of Insider ranked Leroy & Stitch seventh out of twenty-five films on her list. Werhstedt wrote, "For fans who were really involved with the series [...], this film acts like the perfect finale." However, she also criticized it for "los[ing] a bit of the human charm of the original and the previous [released] sequel."

## Soundtrack

Lilo & Stitch Hawaiian Album is the soundtrack to Disney's Leroy & Stitch. The majority of the Leroy & Stitch soundtrack are Elvis Presley records, while other parts of the soundtrack include music inspired by Gustav Holst's "The Planets". The soundtrack also contains score pieces from the original Lilo & Stitch film (which was composed by Alan Silvestri) and from Lilo & Stitch: The Series's pilot film Stitch! The Movie (which was composed by Michael Tavera, who was also the composer for The Series).