Stitch

**Stitch** or **Experiment 626** is a character from the film *Lilo & Stitch* (2002).

## Description

Experiment 626 was a genetic experiment designed to be virtually indestructible, fireproof, bulletproof, shockproof, think faster than a supercomputer, have super sight and hearing, and lift objects 3,000 times his own weight. He has blue fur and is described by humans in-world as resembling a deformed dog or, "Evil koala". 626 naturally has a spine-ridged back, six limbs (two legs and four arms) and two antennae though he is shown to be capable of retracting certain physiological traits. He is also capable of walking up walls, projectile spitting from great distances via his throat, and transmuting electric signals to his mouth similarly to a speaker. Stitch's one true weakness is water as his genes are too dense to survive it.

## History

### Film

Experiment 626 was an illegal genetic experiment created by the alien mad-scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba to be an unstoppable interstellar criminal. 626 was designed to think like a super-computer, have enormous strength, be rapidly adapting and be practically indestructible. Due to this being a crime in the eyes of the *United Galactic Federation*, both Jumba and 626 were put under arrest although 626 escaped captivity and stole a space-ship.

626 would crash his ship on Earth on the Hawaiian island of Kauai where he was presumed to be a mutated dog and picked up by an animal shelter. The experiment was later adopted by a young orphaned girl named Lilo Pelekai and her older sister Nani with Stitch posing as a dog with them as a means of using them as a shield to protect himself from the Galactic Federation. Lilo would give 626 the name of Stitch and the two developed an inseparable bond.

Eventually Stitch learned about sympathy and family through them, revealing his true identity and being given a pardon by the Galactic Federation. Lilo, Nani and Stitch would also live with Jumba and his partner Pleakley when the two were marooned on Earth.

### Disney Parks

Experiment 626 was an illegal genetic experiment created by the alien mad-scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba to be an unstoppable interstellar criminal. 626 was designed to think like a super-computer, have enormous strength, be rapidly adapting and be practically indestructible. 626 was one of several alien experiments which were created by Jumba, most if not all of which were highly wanted criminals by the United Galactic Federation. Due to this being a crime in the eyes of the *United Galactic Federation*, both Jumba and 626 were put under arrest.

626 was teleported to the *Galactic Federation Prisoner Teleport Center* before his planned isolation on a desert asteroid. Experiment 626 was guarded by a large amounts of new recruits under the robotic *Sergeant C4703BK2704-90210* while also being monitored by one Captain Gantu. Stitch managed to escape his captivity by hijacking his teleportation tube to take him to the planet Earth. Stitch landed in the state of Florida where he caused chaos before eventually finding his way by unknown means to the futurist colony of Tomorrowland in California.

Stitch's great escape reached Tomorrowland news via the Earth edition of the *Galaxy Gazette* newspaper and news report from the *Tomorrowland News Network*, both of which identified him as one of the planet's most wanted criminals. Stitch himself later causing havoc on the People-Mover used by the Tomorrowland Transit Authority and insulting their robotic A.I., ORAC-1. Stitch also partook in Tomorrowland's Galaxy Day celebrations via robbing the company Robo-Mart of custom-made androids to use as backup dancers in a show which he hijacked from the performers, "*Tip Trendo and the Galactic Girls*".

Stitch was later presumed to be a mutated dog and picked up by an animal shelter on the Hawaiian isle of Kauai. The experiment was later adopted by a young orphaned girl named Lilo Pelekai and her older sister Nani with Stitch posing as a dog with them as a means of using them as a shield to protect himself from the Galactic Federation. Lilo would give 626 the name of Stitch and the two developed an inseparable bond. Eventually Stitch learned about sympathy and family through them, revealing his true identity and being given a pardon by the Galactic Federation. Lilo, Nani and Stitch would also live with Jumba and his partner Pleakley when the two were marooned on Earth.

Stitch and Lilo would travel together to the resort of Aulani where a wooden sculpture of Stitch was erected and where Lilo wrote essays on the culture of Meles. Stitch would also take a ship built by Jumba to the unidentified Hawaiian island which held the Enchanted Tiki Room during a time when its birds were holding a musical celebration. Stitch was misidentified by the Tiki Room masters of ceremony Hanoli, Manu, Mahina, and Waha Nui as being the Tiki God, "The Big Kahuna" leading to Stitch taking over the celebration and singing covers of Hawaiian songs. During this time, Lilo was searching for Stitch on the island of the Tiki Room.

## Appearances and allusions

### Aulani

There is a wooden sculpture of Stitch in this resort.

### Disney Springs

A large sculpture of Stitch marks one of the entrances to World of Disney, set in the market-place of Disney Springs, Florida.

### Enchanted Tiki Room: Stitch Presents Aloha e Komo Mai!

In this Tiki Room overlay, Stitch takes over the Enchanted Tiki Room after crashing his spaceship on the Tiki Room's island. He is initially perceived as a Tiki God by the birds but then becomes their musical leader in singing Polynesian songs.

### It's a Small World

Lilo and Stitch appear in the Hawaii scene of Disneyland's *It's a Small World* where they are seen surfing a wave.

### Main Street, U.S.A.

During the opening of Stitch's Great Escape, wanted posters for Stitch were hung up on Main Street while Cinderella Castle was covered in toilet-paper by the experiment.

### Mickey's Star Traders

Stitch made a cameo on a removed mural from Mickey's Star Traders which showed him in Tomorrowland.

### Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

A stuffed-animal version of Stitch appears in baggage within the queue for this attraction. Previous versions of the scene instead had a plushy of Figment from Journey Into Imagination.

### Stitch's Great Escape

This defunct attraction in the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland revolved around Stitch breaking out of a Galactic Federation facility and going on to cause havoc, namely in Cinderella Castle. It was largely disdained due to erroneously referring to 626 as Stitch before his break-out, portraying the character as a 2-dimensional troublemaker without any sympathy, and the experience effectively amounting to being strapped down in a dark room while Stitch burps in your face and spits on you for five minutes. The attraction was ultimately quietly shut down in the 2010s due to how hated it was with Disney having no apparent planned replacements for the attraction.

### Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover

Stitch's voice can be heard on this attraction where he mocks the robotic tour-guide of the attraction.

### Live-appearances

Stitch is a frequently encountered character in Typhoon Lagoon, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort and Tomorrowland.

## Connections

### Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

Stitch's owner Lilo is the namesake for *Lilo's Playhouse* in this resort.

### ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter

The technology used to restrain Stitch in Stitch's Great Escape came from the evil alien corporation X-S Tech. Additionally, another prisoner in the facility was the alien, "Skippy" who had previously been used as an unwilling guinea-pig by X-S Tech. In the show, "Stitch's Supersonic Celebration", Stitch robbed the company's subsidiary, "RoboMart" of robots to use in a musical-number.

## Trivia

* In the film Lilo & Stitch, Stitch was inferred to have been named by Lilo while in the rides he identifies himself as Stitch before landing on Earth. It is possible that in park continuity, Stitch gave Lilo this name off-screen to Lilo at the animal-shelter when he revealed he could talk to her.

## References

1. ↑ https://allears.net/2014/07/07/tomorrowland-part-seven/
2. ↑ https://allears.net/2009/05/06/stitchs-supersonic-celebration/
3. ↑ https://i.pinimg.com/originals/43/b8/03/43b8039bc333b37998be89d9b7a04e21.jpg
4. ↑ https://www.flickr.com/photos/brookepearcephotography/16373366761/
5. ↑ https://flickr.com/photos/frikitiki/6096982194/in/photostream/
6. ↑ http://www.disneyimages.co.uk/stitchs-great-escape-opening-day.html
7. ↑ https://www.themeparktourist.com/features/20140714/19353/8-interesting-futuristic-features-tomorrowland
8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf7HMyW49XI&list=ULsS8WZcuSFhk&index=4390
9. ↑ https://www.disneyparkscripts.com/star-tours-queue-preshow/
10. ↑ http://www.disneyparkscripts.com/tomorrowland-transit-authority-peoplemover-magic-kingdom-2009-version/
11. ↑ https://attractionsmagazine.com/stitchs-supersonic-celebration-in-pictures-and-video/