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. It was a modest hit, but "Dinosaur" was never the merch or marketing bonanza that Disney had become accustomed to. It was followed by multiple additional expensive bombs, one right after the other; all the films released from "Fantasia 2000" to "Bolt" in 2008 were costly misfires.

Only two from the period stand out. Mark Dindal's slapstick comedy "The Emperor's New Groove" (merely because it's so wackily out-of-character) 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. It was one of the few modern Disney animated films that felt modern. 

"Lilo & Stitch" is mostly just 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 Hawaii. It's predictable but sweet, and Stitch is a wonderful little agent of potential chaos.

The film spawned three sequels, three TV shows, and a live-action/CGI remake, which was released in the spring of 2025 to massive box office numbers. 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)
• "Lilo & Stitch" (2025)

Those six titles, however, requires some clarification. "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," only five minutes in length, was included as a special short on the "Lilo & Stitch 2" DVD.

And Stitch had a healthy life on TV beyond the above movies, enjoyed by audiences in Japan, and then China. 

Disney collaborated with TV Tokyo in 2010 to make an anime series merely called "Stitch!" which lasted for 30 episodes, released fitfully over the source of three seasons. 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. "Stitch!" took place after Lilo had grown up and moved away to college, and the little blue alien was left at home to have his own merry adventures. These episodes are somewhat obscure outside of Japan.

2017, then, saw the release of "Stitch & Ai," a Chinese-set, English-language spinoff TV series that aired only in China. That series was set after the events of all the movies and TV shows up to that point. It ran for 13 episodes. It was briefly available in North America on the DisneyNow app, but was taken down in 2019. Only resourceful internet spelunkers will be able to find "Stitch & Ai" today.

As mentioned, the kids who saw the original "Lilo & Stitch" in 2002 fell in love with it, and those same kids kept their enthusiasm high into adulthood. In 2025, the nostalgia factor had reached a high enough fever pitch to warrant a live-action/CGI remake starring Maia Kealoha and Lilo, and Chris Sanders returning to play the voice of Stitch. The live-action Disney remakes have been large hits, but are generally bad movies, brazenly recycling the public's nostalgia for the most cynical reasons. BJ Colangelo's review on /Film, however, rated it above average, saying that it was sweet, even if it could have been weirder. 

The nostalgia was a big hit with audiences, however, and the new "Lilo & Stitch" made over $341 million worldwide in its opening weekend. The dual openings of "Lilo & Stitch" and "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" made for the highest-earning Memorial Day weekend in the United States in history. Millennial nostalgia is ruling the roost. "Lilo & Stitch" was certainly better received than Disney's live-action "Snow White," released the previous March. After the relative failure of that film (it made only $205 million on a $270 million budget), Disney decided to rethink their spate of live-action remakes, canceling a few upcoming projects. The success of "Lilo & Stitch" may push the company back into the game, however. 

Whatever form it takes, we can all likely rest assured that there will be more "Stitch" media in the future. The little blue critter ruled home-video markets throughout the '00s, and was seen steadily on TV screens overseas throughout the 2010s. The 2025 film only proves that Stitch thirst has not be slaked. We might need to prepare ourselves for the inevitable announcement of a live-action "Lilo & Stitch 2."