The Disney movie Lilo & Stitch is approaching its 20th anniversary this summer. There were a lot of behind-the-scenes facts that fans didn't know about the movie that have since come out, which only made fans more excited for the possibility of a live-action film coming their way.
The success of the movie transformed into a TV show (Lilo & Stitch: The Series) on the Disney Channel and two spinoffs. The film also inspired fans to create fan theories on Reddit. While some theories were actually debunked in the movie, others are quite plausible and fun to think about.
Lilio's Future
Some of the best quotes in Lilo & Stitch came from Lilo because her sense of humor was so dry and a tad dark for a child her age.
Lilo adopted Stitch because even though people thought he was weird and different, he needed a good home and deserved to be loved. Reddit user Yay855 expressed a theory that revolved around Lilo's job in the future, based on her traits as a child. "Lilo will grow up to start an employment agency. Think about it; she can match each and every experiment to a good home, many of which are jobs." They continued saying, "She could easily make a career out of that skill when she grows up, creating an employment agency that everyone likes because of its emphasis on family and friendship."
Why Pudge Was So Important To Lilo
At the start of the movie, Lilo was late to hula lessons because she was busy feeding her fish Pudge a peanut butter sandwich. She explained that she fed him every week because he had the ability to control the weather and it was important to her to take care of him. One of the funnier quotes in Lilo & Stitch was when Nani suggested Lilo feed Pudge a tuna fish sandwich, which of course, sent Lilo into a frenzy since Pudge was a fish.
On Reddit, Not_Steve had a theory about why Lilo cared so much about Pudge. They wrote, "Lilo is so concerned about Pudge the Fish ("he controls the weather") because her parents died while driving in a rainstorm. If Lilo appeases Pudge, maybe he would save Nani from the same fate."
Lilo And Nani's Parents Were In The CIA
It was odd that a CIA agent was also a social worker and sent to take care of Nani and Lilo's situation. Agent Cobra Bubbles was sent to their house after their parents died to make sure Lilo was in a thriving home. However, Nani and Lilo didn't exactly sell a healthy, happy image to him.
Agent Bubbles was one of the more intelligent Lilo & Stitch characters because he knew Nani was in over her head raising Lilo alone. Kapu_koa's theory was that the reason why Bubbles was sent to them was because "Lilo and Nani's parents were CIA agents." After their death, Bubbles "Keeps an eye on them, makes sure they're safe, which is why they find themselves so easily 'in the sheltered harbor of [his] patience.'"
Agent Bubbles: A Social Worker For Gifted Children
Fans are excited for a live-action Lilo & Stich for several reasons. One of them is to see Agent Bubbles in action as he tracks down Lilo and Stitch.
Regardless of the possible plot the live-action movie will have, one Redditor thinks the reason why Agent Bubbles was assigned to Lilo and Nani's case was because he's a social worker for "super-powered children." While it doesn't seem like Lilo has powers, the Redditor defended their theory. "[Lilo] appears to read minds, she knows Bubbles has killed someone and his response kinda confirms it, she knows that Nani likes the other guy and that she thinks he has fancy hair and a cute butt, most importantly she appears to read the mind of Stitch, specifically his motivations and abilities."
Aliens Are The 'Norm' In the Lilo & Stitch Universe
Did Lilo & Stitch take place in a universe that knew and accepted aliens? Rafael-a wrote, "I recently rewatched Lilo and Stitch and I realized that in the third act aliens are all over the place but nobody seems much surprised in seeing them." They continued this theory by writing, "Further evidence to this is the fact Cobra Bubbles mentions he worked in the CIA in 1973 on Roswell and he is very well aware of the existence of ETs and the Galactical Federation, so this proves that at least the government knows their existence."
To wrap up their theory, they think the introductions of aliens happened decades before Lilo & Stitch took place, which is why so many characters weren't phased by them.
Stitch Is A Cyborg
One of the things that didn't make sense about Stitch in Lilo & Stitch was what kind of "being" he was. Twerking_nine2five theorized that Stitch was more than an alien being, he was a cyborg. "Stitch is almost certainly a cyborg, meaning he's part organic alien, but also part machine. This is implied throughout the series as a whole by several major hints."
Some of the hints throughout the movie included Jumba describing Stitch as having "destructive programming" and for Lilo to "reprogram" him. More examples include Stitch thinking faster than a Stitch can think faster than a "supercomputer" and Stitch being able to lift "3,001 times his own weight."
Pudge Is Another Experiment
A reason why Lilo was one of the more likable Lilo & Stitch characters was how much she cared. She loved Nani but was frustrated by the current events in their household. And she leaned on Stitch for support because she didn't have many friends.
But what if Pudge wasn't just a weather-changing fish but an experiment and friend as well? Hollywood5050 wrote, "Isn't it also possible that Pudge is another experiment, like Stitch, and can control the weather?" Perhaps Lilo really did have superpowers and one of her missions was experimenting with a powerful fish named Pudge.
Nani Was A Surf Star
Living in Hawaii, the beach was important to Lilo and Nani. Lilo enjoyed going and taking pictures of tourists while Nani enjoyed surfing. In one heartbreaking scene, Nani and Lilo were tired from job searching all day. Nani's friend David inspired them to lose their worries surfing and that's exactly what they did. David's actions proved he was one of the better male Disney characters.
Before viewers saw Nani and Lilo shred on the surfboard, ZeromousPrime theorized that Nani was actually a surfing sensation because of all of the trophies in her room. They theorized, "Nani stopped her pursuit of becoming a professional surfer after her parents died to look after Lilo."
The Reason Behind Lilo's Photos Of Tourists
One of the odder things about Lilo was her obsession with taking pictures of tourists. There are a lot of theories about Lilo taking pictures because she wanted them to know what it felt like to be a local who has her picture taken all the time. But the more touching theory revolved around Lilo's desire to remember people.
ItalianSpy explained that when Lilo told Stitch about her parents dying and that she never forgot those who left her, she looked sadly at her wall of tourist photos. They wrote, "I think she takes those pictures because she was so traumatized by the loss that she cannot cope with anyone leaving, including all the tourists she meets in day to day life, whom all eventually leave."
Lilo & Stitch And The MCU
Just like Lilo & Stitch, the MCU has heroes and villains – and this might not be a coincidence. Tolnin theorized that the two may be connected. "Cobra Bubbles is the cousin to Nick Fury and is also in Shield, Gantu is the brother of Cull Obsidian and the Grand Councilwoman is the sister to Ebony Maw making both of them also children of Thanos," they wrote.
Considering the theory of Agent Bubbles and Lilo's parents in the CIA, this could mean Lilo's parents were a part of the Shield.