Leroy & Stitch


Leroy & Stitch is a 2006 American animated science-fiction comedy television film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It is the third and final sequel film of the 2002 animated feature film Lilo & Stitch, and the television series finale to . It also concluded the main continuity of the Lilo & Stitch franchise where Lilo Pelekai is a main character and Hawaii is the main setting. The film debuted on Disney Channel on June 23, 2006 and was also aired on Toon Disney on June 26, 2006.
While the film received mixed reviews, it 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.

Plot

With their mission to capture all 624 experiments and repurpose them on Earth completed, Lilo, Stitch, Jumba and Pleakley are honored as heroes by the Galactic Alliance. Jumba is given the confiscated key to his laboratory again, Pleakley is offered a post as chairman of Earth Studies at G.A.C.C., and Stitch is made the Captain of the Galactic Armada and commander of his newly commissioned ship BRB-9000. Lilo is made Galactic Federation Ambassador to Earth and sole guardian of Stitch's "cousins". Before they leave, Lilo gives Jumba her favorite Elvis record, Pleakley a paperweight and Stitch a necklace with a Kū tiki.
In his ship, Gantu has decided that since he failed to capture all of the experiments, he will have to break Dr. Hämsterviel out of prison. He takes the two-man space shuttle, leaving 625 alone and helps Hämsterviel escape from prison. Stitch is then assigned to recapture Hämsterviel. Hämsterviel and Gantu burst into Jumba's lab and force Jumba to create an evil twin of Stitch, Leroy, to defeat the Galactic Alliance. Stitch arrives and after a fight, he is defeated when Pleakley appears at an inopportune moment, distracting Stitch long enough for Leroy to lock him in a glass :wikt:capsule|capsule. Hämsterviel reveals his plans to clone an army of Leroys to take over the Galactic Alliance. Before leaving for Turo, Hämsterviel locks Jumba, Pleakley and Stitch in Pleakley's ship, and sends the vessel into a black hole.
On Earth, Lilo decides to contact Stitch. Lilo realizes that the only intergalactic videophone on the planet available is in Gantu's ship. There, she finds 625 and asks to use the videophone. However, 625 says it is broken. Lilo then names 625 "Reuben". He thereafter consents to help Lilo. Once the videophone is fixed, Lilo contacts the BRB-9000. Leroy impersonates Stitch, using shape-shifting to disguise himself, but fails because he does not have Stitch's tiki necklace. Hämsterviel then commands Leroy to go to Earth and capture all of the other experiments to destroy them. Lilo, sensing Stitch is in trouble, asks Reuben for help in fixing Gantu's ship. As Jumba, Pleakley, and Stitch head towards the black hole, Stitch escapes and frees the others. However, the navigational computer is locked on course for the black hole and will teleport them to a volcanic planet where they will be vaporized, but if they can disrupt the event horizon by throwing a small object into the black hole, it will send them somewhere else. Pleakley pulls out the rock that Lilo gave him and asks if this will work. After Jumba says it is too heavy, Stitch takes a bite out of it, then crawls out the front of the vehicle and throws it at the black hole. There is a flash and the vehicle is sucked in.
On Earth, a Leroy clone obtains Lilo's scrapbook of "cousins" and quickly captures all of them. Lilo and Reuben arrive at Turo, but they are too late; Hämsterviel has taken over, making the Grand Councilwoman his receptionist, and orders Gantu to lock them up. Gantu imprisons Lilo and Reuben, but decides to release them after Hämsterviel fires him. After a close call with several Leroy clones, they are trapped. All is lost until the G.A.C.C. van suddenly appears. With no time to explain, Lilo, Reuben and Gantu all climb in and head for Earth. On Earth, the original Leroy has herded all the experiments into a large stadium where "Alohapalooza" is about to take place. The BRB-9000 appears and Hämsterviel prepares to obliterate all of the experiments, until a timely appearance by Lilo, Stitch and the others and destroy the BRB's primary cannon. Hämsterviel reveals that he brought along his Leroy army as backup. Stitch rallies his "cousins" and the battle begins. Despite some initial victories by the experiments, it soon becomes apparent that the adversaries are better than them. Jumba remembers that he programmed a secret shutdown command into Leroy: if he plays Elvis Presley's "Aloha 'Oe", the others will deactivate. Stitch appears on-stage in his Elvis attire and plays "Aloha 'Oe" with Lilo and Reuben accompanying him, causing the Leroys to have violent seizures and shut down. With his plan foiled again, Hämsterviel is recaptured and sent back to prison.
Back at the Galactic Alliance HQ, they are proclaimed "Heroes of the Alliance". Stitch, Jumba and Pleakley ask to be allowed to return to Earth with Lilo. The Grand Councilwoman grants this and asks Gantu if he would like to be reinstated as the Captain of the Armada. Gantu agrees on the condition that Reuben be assigned as his galley officer. Back on Earth, Lilo sets up for one last picture. Mertle arrives with Gigi. Lilo's last picture in the album is of all of the experiments still on Earth, Mertle, Jumba, Pleakley, Nani, David and herself. Meanwhile, Leroy and all of his clones, who have recovered from their seizures, are dancing to the song "Jailhouse Rock". As the credits roll, a full list of Jumba's experiments 001 through 626, and the names they were given by Lilo, scrolls along the left side of the screen.

Cast

The film marks the third film in the Lilo & Stitch franchise without any involvement from creators Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, 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. 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 $15,503,113.

Critical reception

Leroy & Stitch received mixed reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rating of 40% 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 " fast-moving plot that mixes frenetic action, sentimentality, and a few laughs." Miller wrote, "While not nearly as engaging or emotionally rich as the original film that inspired it all in all, Leroy & Stitch is a fitting wrap-up to an enjoyable animated series."
CinemaBlend.com 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.
The website Common Sense Media 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.
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 "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 a bit of the human charm of the original and Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch|the previous 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 and from Lilo & Stitch: The Series's pilot film Stitch! The Movie.

Track listing