5 fun facts about Stitch, from ‘Lilo & Stitch’

This Wednesday, the 26th, “Stitch Day” is celebrated, a date that celebrates the classic and beloved Disney character featured in the 2002 animation “Lilo & Stitch”. The celebration was inspired by its original name: “Experiment 626 ”, since in the North American date model the month is written first than the day, thus: 6/26 = June 26th.

To celebrate this special day, RECREIO has separated five interesting facts about Stitch that you might not already know. Check out!

1. Creation

Stitch was officially introduced to the world in 2002, with the release of “Lilo & Stitch”, with official dubbing by the film’s director himself, Chris Sanders. However, the character has been around for much longer than many might imagine.

This is because, according to the documentary “The Story Room: The Making of Lilo and Stitch”, published by the Business Insider portal, the character was created in 1985 for a children’s book that the filmmaker was writing, but never reached the shelves. .

2. Gangster stitch?

Nowadays, we are all in love with Stitch due to his charismatic, caring and funny personality. But, did you know that the initial idea for the character was completely different from the one we know today?

According to The Gamers, Stitch was originally planned to be an intergalactic gangster who was Jumba’s partner and a member of a gang that carried out robberies, but who ended up fleeing to Earth and abandoning his companion after a robbery went wrong, being chased by him soon after. However, the idea was scrapped, as the producers realized that the blue alien was too adorable to be a thief.

3. Creating emotions

One of Disney’s biggest difficulties in the production process was giving Stitch emotions, as the character does not have pupils, making it difficult for the public to see these feelings being transmitted through his eyes, as The Gamers points out.

Therefore, the animators found a very creative solution: all their emotions would be transmitted through body language.

4. Disney attraction

Did you know that Stitch once had his own attraction at the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida? The ride was called “Stitch’s Great Escape”, and it opened on November 16, 2004, remaining in operation for 14 years, until it closed in 2018.

Despite the animation being incredibly loved by the global public, the attraction, on the other hand, accumulated a series of criticisms from park visitors, as pointed out by the Inside the Magic website, saying that the ride was too scary for children. Check out a video of the attraction!

5. The idea of ​​“Ohana”

One of Stitch’s most popular lines in the film is “Ohana means family. Family means never abandoning again.” As reported by Business Insider, in an interview with IGN, the co-writer and co-director, Dean DuBloisexplained that the phrase came about after a tour guide explained the concept of “Ohana” to the production during a trip by the animators to the island of Kauai, in Hawaii.

“[A animação] It would always be about family and this destructive force [Stitch] entering a fragile, crumbling family and accelerating its destruction, but then being affected enough by the idea of ​​a family he could transform in the end. But it wasn’t until we went to Hawaii and were exposed to the idea of ​​’ohana,’ which is something that Hawaiian people carry with them. It’s alive and present and it’s this overarching philosophy that if you live several islands away, you’re as much my brother and sister as my real brother and sister,” Dean revealed.