Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch is shattering box office records this weekend, but perhaps the most exciting result of the new film’s release is the sudden and enormous wave of love the entire animated franchise has received. This weekend has seen a massive spike in streaming attention for Lilo & Stitch, with people either prepping for the new movie or wanting to watch the original after coming home from the theater. And this has led to surprises for a lot of fans as they discover just how many Stitch movies are out there.
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If you weren’t aware, Lilo & Stitch is a franchise that had a huge second wind after its theatrical debut in 2002, steadily becoming even more popular over time. There was an entire TV series on Disney Channel, as well as a couple of anime that weren’t ever released in the United States. Holding it all together is a series of four feature films, only one of which was actually released in theaters.
Since the live-action Lilo & Stitch hit the big screen on Thursday, all four of these animated adventures have taken up residence in the daily Disney+ Top 10 charts. The original Lilo & Stitch is currently the number one title on Disney+ in the U.S., according to Sunday’s edition of the streamer’s rankings, followed closely by 2005’s Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch. Sitting in the fourth overall spot on the list is Disney’s 2003 film Stitch: The Movie, which served as the launching point for Lilo & Stitch: The Series. Finally, in the seventh overall spot on the Disney+ Top 10, you’ll find the 2006 movie Leroy & Stitch, which took place after the show.
One of the most interesting things about the rankings of these movies in the Disney+ Top 10 is that they’re not appearing in the order they’re released. Fans seem to be watching through these movies in chronological order, which switches the place of the two movies in the middle of the order, thanks to how the timing of the TV show worked out.
[RELATED: Check Out Our Review of Disney’s Live-Action Lilo & Stitch]
Lilo & Stitch was followed with Stitch: The Movie just one year later. That film begins the plot of Jumba’s previous 625 experiments crash-landing on Earth, sending Stitch and the other characters on a mission to track them all down before they cause too much trouble. That story is then stretched out into Lilo & Stitch: The Series.
After the show was over, Disney released Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch. That movie is, as the title suggests, a direct sequel to the first movie, taking place after Lilo & Stitch but before Stitch: The Movie.
If you want to take your own deep dive into the world of Lilo & Stitch, you can sign up for a Disney+ subscription here.
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