Disney thought they had a pair of new stars at the beginning of the 21st century to go along with action heroine Kim Possible.
However, Lilo & Stitch, spun off from the movie of the same name, lasted just 2 seasons on ABC (2003-5), with a few extra episodes having aired on Disney Channel. The series picks up where the movie left off, with the alien Stitch remaining in Hawaii as the pet/companion of young Lilo (Daveigh Chase). Dr. Jumba, Stitch's creator (David Ogden Stiers, ex-M*A*S*H), joins them on the island. This was a rare case where the movie cast was retained for the subsequent series, including Tia Carrere (ex-Relic Hunter) as Lilo's older sister/guardian. A subsequent DTV, "Leroy & Stitch", brought closure to the series.
With Disney's latest, "Moana", opening tomorrow, I couldn't help but think of a possible correlation. Simply subbing a Polynesian god given human form (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) for Stitch might not register with today's kids, even though it's only been 14 years since "Lilo & Stitch" was in theatres.
Here's the intro to Lilo & Stitch:
ABC was gradually losing interest in Saturday morning cartoons by this point, as their Disney-centric lineup went to auto-pilot after the series ended.
Rating: B.
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