Lilo and Stitch is one of Disney's most beloved animated features, and its furry blue lead is one of the studio's most marketable and cherished characters. There are hundreds of fans that would love to have a little blue alien creature running around, but is that really the best idea?
What so many Disney fans fail to remember is that Stitch, despite his cute and fluffy exterior, is responsible for nearly all the film's conflict. Due to his own destructive nature and occasional ignorance, he really does wreck everything he touches. But does he do enough to redeem himself by the time the credits roll?
Villain: Attacking Various Alien Officers
While they are only there to serve as obstacles between Stitch and his escape, the officers aboard the Galactic Council's spacecraft are simply doing their job by containing a hostile alien life form. Remember, Stitch is the threat in this scenario.
A more adult, albeit extreme, equivalent to this situation would be Ripley and the crew of the Nostromo trying to contain the Xenomorph. Captain Gantu and his troops are only doing what they are trained to do to ensure the safety of those aboard.
Hero: Finding A Friend In Lilo
Being a wanted criminal, Stitch does not have too many friends. Fortunately for him, neither does his counterpart, Lilo. Lilo is far more than just a lonely child, she is an outcast, rejected by her peers.
Although it does take the two some time to develop a Disney-movie-worthy friendship, the two become nearly inseparable once they realize that strange and unusual attracts strange and unusual. This results in one of Disney's best pairings.
Villain: Grand Theft Spaceship
Although not the most illegal of activities, one does have to give Stitch some credit on this one. It's not easy to break free of one's prison cell, evade a space cruiser through the ventilation shaft, cut off the ship's power, and escape in a red spacecraft.
Not only does he steal a spaceship, but he also makes sure there's no way he can be followed in the process. It's thinking like this that might make Stitch one of Disney's best criminal minds.
Hero: Defending Lilo From Jumba And Pleakley
Although the house isn't spared in his actions, Stitch does manage to keep Lilo safe from a deranged Dr. Jumba and his reluctant cycloptic sidekick, Pleakley. Although the two really aren't that big of a threat, the lengths Stitch is willing to go to protect his friend is certainly admirable.
His destructive nature definitely keeps him from getting full good-guy points here, but he's still getting used to playing for the other side at this point.
Villain: Using Lilo As Protection
To quote Jumba: "Using little girl as a shield? That is low even for you!" And this literally what Stitch does in his first moments with his human companion.
This is not one of his best moments. At first, Stitch isn't really being Lilo's friend, he's only using her to avoid capture by Jumba and Pleakley. Sorry, Stitch, but that's no way to keep your friends and allies around for very long.
Hero: Rescuing Lilo From Gantu
Stitch is able to redeem himself by rescuing Lilo after he escapes from Captain Gantu's clutches. Once again, one can't help but admire the lengths he'll go in terms of his loyalty and protective nature - especially when those lengths include an exploding propane truck in a volcano.
Stitch literally goes flying to Lilo's aid after getting shot back to earth. He wastes no time, his super-computer intellect formulates a crude yet effective plan, and he's able to save the day before Gantu can evade him.
Villain: Crunching Pleakley’s Head
This one gets a special mention, not just because it's incredibly over-the-top and out there, but because it's quite brutal compared to the rest of the film - especially considering the fact Stitch bites down on another being's head.
At the restaurant, Stitch literally bites down on Pleakley's head with an audible crunch, meaning that the guy definitely suffered some sort of head trauma before the night was over.
Hero: Reuniting Lilo's Family Unit
Stitch has done some pretty nasty things, but only because he doesn't know any better. By the end of the film, he's mostly rehabilitated and understanding, but he also discovers a place for himself in the universe by helping Lilo and Nani mend their broken family unit.
Lilo's name comes from the Hawaiian term for lost, so when her life is "stitched" back together, it feels entirely appropriate and poetic on Disney's part to have them at the forefront of the film's message. No one gets lost, left behind, or forgotten.
Villain: Kills Pudge The Fish
It might come from a deleted scene, but there are more than a few good reasons that this sequence involving the untimely demise of Pudge the Fish never made it out of storyboards. Not only does Stitch cause some huge trouble, but he shows absolutely no remorse.
When Lilo introduces her to her fishy friend, Stitch flings him to the beach where he is immediately pecked to death by seagulls. As Lilo frantically tries to save him, Stitch merely looks on in sadistic glee.
Hero: Rebuilding The House
While he is technically responsible for most, if not all, of the damage to Lilo and Nani's abode, he does more than his part to rebuild it. Along with help from Jumbaa and Pleakley, their home is made bigger and better as the credits roll.
Home is where the heart is, and this one includes some impressive alien architecture and room enough for Lilo, Stitch, Nani, and any other extra-terrestrial friends that might show up. Perhaps one of Stitch's 625 cousins, maybe?