Join Joshua Noel and TJ Blackwell as they dive into the enchanting universe of Lilo & Stitch, focusing on "Stitch! The Movie," the animated series, and "Leroy & Stitch." This episode highlights how these works stand apart from typical direct-to-video Disney sequels, showcasing their unique charm and storytelling quality. The hosts explore the significance of these films within the broader context of Disney's animation eras, discussing their impact and the beloved characters that continue to resonate with audiences. They also touch on themes of belonging, neurodivergence, and the cultural nuances present in the franchise. With a mix of nostalgia and critical analysis, this episode is a delightful exploration of a cherished Disney narrative.

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Is Angel in Stitch the movie? Why is Stitch so popular in 2024? Is Angel Stitch's girlfriend or sister? Are Leroy and Stitch the same? Is Leroy and Stitch the 3rd movie? How old is Lilo in Leroy and Stitch? What happened to Leroy and Stitch? We discuss all this and more in this one! Join in the conversation with us on Discord now!

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Support our show on Captivate or Patreon, or by purchasing a comfy T-Shirt in our store!

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Check out the rest of our Disney Eras series:

https://player.captivate.fm/collection/33fb9ea2-aea9-4bfc-a257-04405e9af3c4

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Check out our other Disney episodes:

https://player.captivate.fm/collection/09b1c796-b409-4cfe-bbd0-8b7a8032f846

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Listen to all of Joshua's episodes:

https://player.captivate.fm/collection/642da9db-496a-40f5-b212-7013d1e211e0

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Check out all of TJ's episodes:

https://player.captivate.fm/collection/f4c32709-d8ff-4cef-8dfd-5775275c3c5e

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Stitch! The Movie serves as a pivotal entry in the Lilo & Stitch franchise, marking the transition from the beloved original film to the subsequent animated series and the sequel, Leroy & Stitch. Joshua Noel and TJ Blackwell engage in a lively discussion about how this direct-to-video feature not only introduces new characters and plot threads but also solidifies the thematic elements that have made Lilo & Stitch resonate with audiences. The hosts delve into the unique charm of the direct-to-video Disney movies, asserting that while many sequels tend to falter, the Lilo & Stitch lineage stands out for its quality storytelling and character development. They reminisce about their childhood experiences with the series, sharing personal anecdotes about watching Stitch! The Movie and the animated series in daycare, which adds a nostalgic layer to their analysis.

The conversation touches on the significance of the Galactic Council's decision to retrieve Stitch, setting off a chain of events that leads to the episodic adventures of the animated series. The hosts explore how the movie sets up the premise for the series, where Stitch and Lilo must capture the remaining 625 experiments created by Jumba. There's a rich discussion on the character arcs of not just the main protagonists but also side characters like Gantu and Reuben, highlighting their evolution throughout the franchise. Joshua and TJ emphasize the importance of these arcs in giving depth to a storyline that could easily have relied on formulaic plots.

Ultimately, the episode culminates in a thoughtful reflection on the emotional core of Lilo & Stitch—its exploration of belonging, family, and identity. The hosts analyze how these themes are interwoven throughout the movies and series, culminating in Leroy & Stitch, which encapsulates the journey of the characters. They question what it means to belong, whether through familial ties or the bonds we form with friends and chosen family. Their insights offer listeners not only a deeper understanding of the Lilo & Stitch narrative but also a broader commentary on the nature of connection and community in our own lives.

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Takeaways:

• The podcast covers the lesser-known sequels to Lilo & Stitch, focusing on their unique qualities.
• Stitch! The Movie serves as a setup for the animated series, which expands the story.
• The discussion highlights how Lilo & Stitch sequels generally maintain better quality than other Disney direct-to-video films.
• The importance of friendship and belonging is a central theme throughout the Lilo & Stitch series.
• Cultural appreciation versus appropriation is explored in the context of Hawaiian culture within the franchise.
• The characters evolve throughout the series, showcasing growth and development that resonates with audiences.

Mentioned in this episode:

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Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, cousins, experiments and aliens of all ages, we welcome you all to the wonderful world of Walt Disney's animation studios. Today we're going to be talking about Stitch the Movie. Leroy and Stitch did. Lilo and Stitch the Animated Series. Etc, we are cheating.

This is part of our Disney eras series. We have been in the the made up era of direct to video Disney movies because they have their own kind of flavor.

So I feel like it's, you know, okay to talk about them separately. So we had three movies picked out.

This one was gonna be Stitch the Movie and then because reasons we are cheating and morphed it into like literally everything that happens to Lilo and Stitch post the original movie. Because it all came either direct to video or direct to tv as the series would be. And I think it's important to talk about.

I am one of your co hosts, Joshua Null here with the one and only TJ Blackwell. I think TJ would probably agree with me. Lilo was just like one of three or four of the Disney's where they have sequels that don't suck.

Usually the direct to video sequel stuff that they do are not good. I think Lilo and Stitch, Toy Story, Lion King, those are like the big Aladdin maybe big exceptions.

Yeah. This one, I will say this one technically is not direct to video.

Yeah.

Leroy and Stitches, everyone considers it. Yeah, everyone considers it direct video anyway.

Yeah. Cuz.

Cuz it came out on TV and the DVD came out like four days later.

Yeah. But Stitch the Movie was direct to video. I think.

No, I think it was the same way.

Was it? I don't remember. We're just lumping it together. We're cheating. We're cheating in several ways for this one. But it's fine.

We're still gonna include it as part of our Disney eras because we feel like it. Yeah. It's gonna be fun to get into all of this though. But before we do, tj, what have you been geeking out on lately?

It's been a long time since I've gotten to answer this question. I'm gonna go with Marvel Rivals. So good.

Yeah.

What a good game. Phenomenal.

I've heard good things. My best friend tj, he played it. He says I should get into it.

Yeah. I've only put like 70 hours into it, so.

Yeah. Yeah, it's fair.

79.

Yeah. I've actually really been getting into Creature Commandos, the James Gunn's first thing with the DCU animated series. It's really good. I.

I really enjoy it. So if you got HBO Max, maybe check it out, watch it with me, let me know what you think. I enjoy it so far. Ending could suck.

I'm recording this before the first season's over so could end up being bad, but so far it's great with that guys. Again, if you're on a laptop, please consider rating and reviewing our show on Podchaser or GoodPods.

Doing one of those two specifically really helps the show get recognition be easier to find on Google and other search engines like that. But if you're listening on your phone, consider rating, reviewing or commenting on our show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Those are the two largest podcast apps that people use to listen to podcasts.

Thank you to the one and only Trip Fuller. He is one of our sponsors who gives a show like $3 or more a month, so he gets a special shout out.

If you want to be like Tripp, which you should, you should probably drink a little bit more beer.

But then also if you want Your own shout out $3 a month on one of those platforms, Apple Podcast, Captivate or Patreon will get your own shout out on the show. This is the this is the third film we've covered in the direct to video era of Disney animation.

To catch our whole series of reviews going through the different eras of Disney animation, make sure you check out the playlist in the show's description below, below. All right, now tj, we're in the main event. We're going to be talking about lots of Lilo and Stitch stuff.

But first, you know, stitch the movie, Lilo and Stitch the animated series. Lilo and Stitch 2, Leroy and Stitch. I think there was another movie too, but I don't remember what it was.

Maybe I'm just thinking of the original Lilo and Stitch. Okay, outside of the original Lilo and Stitch, how did you first get introduced to the Animated Series and these other movies.

As a kid? We watched this in Daycare when it came out on dvd. This Lilo and Stitch. Stitch the movie. We watched the TV series.

Yeah, I was a child.

I was like four, five, six.

Yeah, I very vaguely remember when Stitch the movie came out because I was excited for it and then watched it. I think I actually got it at Blockbuster, watched it and then I was like this is just set up for a TV show.

But then I really liked the TV show, so it was fine. I was young enough to forget quickly.

Yeah, this is. I don't know. Lilo and Stitch stuck with me a lot more than I thought. Like going back and re watching.

Oh, yeah.

Literally all of these movies over the past couple of weeks.

Yeah. Turns out I thought a lot of the stuff was all one movie. That is just part of a bunch of different things.

It's just so good. So much better than I remember.

Yeah, same here. Especially the show.

I really thought because, like, I grew up in Florida for a large part of my childhood and I loved certain shows that I go back to now, and most of them I really. Wow, these are awful. Like the Timon and Pumbaa show. I loved that as a kid. It's not a good show. It's still funny. It's not very good.

The Hercules TV show, I loved it. Also not very good. But the Lilo one Stitch animated series, it's still pretty good. It's still pretty good. Yeah. Yeah, same thing, I guess.

You know, for the most part I was just younger and it was on tv, so I watched it. I wasn't in daycare. I probably mostly watch it because my brother wanted to watch it.

But also I was always a big Disney nerd, so they were just there. But why Stitch the movie? The series legal oriented? Stitch, like, what makes these things significant? Because I feel like a lot of the other people.

People forget that there's like three sequels to Cinderella and stuff. But why do these stand out as people remember that they exist?

So I'm glad you mentioned it because these movies are all actually good. I think that's the main thing. This is not the same direct video slop that we got with the Cinderella.

Sequels or Beauty and the Beast sequels.

Lady and the Tramp 2, I forgot about that. Or Fox and the Hound 2. Or Tarzan 2. Or Pocahontas 2.

The Little Mermaid sequel also was not good, in my opinion. I didn't like it.

Mulan 2.

These are two is really bad.

Pang, if you're listening, don't hurt us. Hang loves Mulan.

Yeah, it's awful though. As soon as Mushu spoke, I. I wanted to turn it off.

Yeah, but these movies are all good. They all still hold up. I feel like, personally, Stitch the movie is the weakest and it sets up a TV show.

So I like Stitch the movie a lot.

It's been a while since I've seen Lilo and Stitch 2, so I don't want to comment on it, but I feel like I remember liking Stitch the Movie better than that one.

No, but I think, honestly, you need to watch.

I do feel like the TV show is better than Stitch the Movie. And I think what's really weird, Leroy and Stitch. It's so good. Like, I really forgot. Like, I'm watching it. We're gonna talk about a little.

So this in a little bit, but I'm like, hold up. This is like, the same kind of epic battle that happened with In Game Marvel.

Like, this was just like, hey, it's fan service, and it's epic, and it's good, and you don't get any, like, cheesy nonsense moments. It's like, oh, this is all actually makes sense, and it's good and it's fan service. Yeah. And you even get the.

That annoying Guardians of the Galaxy thing where it's like, I'm going to win with music. Except again, it made sense this time.

Yeah.

He's like, man, Leroy and Stitch did it first. And maybe better.

I would say. Definitely better.

Sorry, Kevin Feige, but, I mean.

So let's just. Let's set up the timeline really quick.

Yeah.

So we get. We own Stitch the first movie. Instant classic.

Everyone loves it, despite the underhanded tactics that it's used to get the extra promotion that it had.

You're just upset that it undermined Treasure Planet for those listening.

Then after that came Lilo and Stitch 2.

Stitch is a glitch, maybe.

And then we have Stitch the Movie, which sets up the TV series. The TV series runs in its entirety of 54 episodes.

I don't know. I thought it was a lot longer than it is, it turns out.

And then we get Leroy and Stitch.

Yeah, the two weird timeline parts. I think Stitch the movie, chronologically, it happens after Lilo and Stitch 2, but I think it was released before Lilo and Stitch 2.

Yeah, it was a weird thing.

Yeah, I think so.

And then. And then Leroy and Stitch chronologically happens at the very end, but it happens before the last.

Like, it was released before the last episode of the show was released, which was only annoying because the experiment they find in the last episode of the show is in the movie, and you're just like, I don't know who this is.

Yeah. Angel.

Yeah. Was that the last episode? Was it Angel? I thought it was. I thought it was two. Two something. I don't know. I don't remember which one it was.

It's been so long.

Two, two, one.

No, that was from Stitch the Movie. Right. That was the electric one.

Yeah.

I don't know.

Yeah.

I don't know. It doesn't really matter.

All of these, like, from after Stitch and Stitch two, the animation style is the same because the same team, Walt Disney TV Animation, export a little bit of animation to Taiwan. You know, that kind of thing.

Yeah. What's so.

Just trying to remember it is kind of hard.

Yeah. What's different from the animation of these and the original movie? Is it just because it's the TV animators or is it the same?

Yeah, it's just because of the TV animators.

There's very minimal differences that I noticed. Stitch looks a little bit different. The watercolors. They use the watercolor backgrounds like they use in the movie.

It's still the same watercolor backgrounds, and it's beautiful. And I feel like that's really what gives it for me. That's what gives Lilo and Stitch its flavor, which why I'm kind of concerned about that.

The live action one, I'm still gonna watch it, but I'm like, yeah. Part of what makes Lila one Stitch, Leela one Stitch, is those beautiful watercolor backgrounds and can't do that in live action.

And they got to. They got to reuse a lot of assets because the setting generally remains the same.

Yeah. Which is pretty convenient.

Which is smart.

And it looks so good. Yeah. So as far as, like, summarizing the. The plot of this, since we're cheating, could you.

Do you think it's possible for you to lay out the plot from Stitch the movie all the way through to the end of Leroy and Stitch and make it make sense?

Yeah. Let me think, Let me think.

Yeah. I feel like you could. About Stitch, because the series is good, but I feel like you could summarize the series.

And they caught the experiments, gave them jobs.

So in Stitch the Movie, the Galactic Council decides Stitch needs to be taken back because he's a bad little guy. Right. So they don't like that.

Galactic Council tells them to round up every single alien that landed in Hawaii because they messed up the pot balls went everywhere, which is how they set up the TV show. But that happens at the end of the movie. And, you know that whole time they're grappling with, no, you can't take the pods.

No, you can't take Stitch for sure. And the pods go out. And that's how they set up the TV show, wherein they episodically find one alien at a time usually.

I think they might have done a couple on some episodes.

Yeah.

There definitely are not 625 episodes. So yet.

Maybe they'll go back and do it.

Maybe they won't.

I'm down.

Yeah. So don't. Don't look for that. And after the series, we get to Leroy and Stitch, which is best way to say this. I literally watched it today.

Why is it not making sense to me in my head? So, no. They get all the aliens. Grand Council rewards them all. Blakely gets to be a professor at gacc, the community college. Of course.

Jumbo gets his lab back. Stitch gets to be the commander of the flagship of the Galactic Council.

Big Red Battleship.

Funny.

Funny little. It's a kid's show. And that makes Lilo super sad because all our friends are gonna leave. So everyone goes out, tries to. Or.

Well, they turn it down at first because Lilo felt bad. And they can't have Lilo feeling bad.

So accurate.

They go back to Lil on Hawaii. Lilo realizes everyone's sad and lets them go try and live out their lives. And then everyone realizes, huh?

I would rather just be on Hawaii with Lilo. So a couple of things happen. Hamster wheel gets free Jumbo before he realizes he wants to be back in Hawaii. Creates Leroy 627.

628.

8. Because he did 627 in the show.

Ironically, they don't do all 625 other experiments, but they do take the time to go. Yeah. One time Stitch pissed Jamba off, so he made another experiment that was better than him.

Yeah. So 68 named Leroy is just like Stitch, but red. And Hamsterveal uses him to go capture literally every single cousin. And some things happen.

Stitch Jumbo weekly. I'll get launched into a black hole. Black hole comes out. Prison on that asteroid where Jumbo's breaking out. Lilo and Reuben, 625.

Yes.

Who is genetically completely similar to Stitch, except mentally he only cares about sandwiches.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Genius.

Love Ruben. And then they all group up, get back to Earth, save the cousins. The cousins fight Leroy Hampster View and the army of Leroy's.

And it ends in the nice big battle sequence where it turns out the key is. What was the song? Aloha.

Yeah. Genius.

Because as a going away present, Lieblow gave Jumba her favorite Elvis record, which was that record called the one with Aloha on it also has the lonesome song was hilarious. Yeah, yeah. And he plays Aloha. And that's while he's making Leroy. And then they were like.

Jumbo's like, well, actually, if we play Aloha Oi, he should just freak out, not really be able to do anything. That's what happens.

God. Yeah. That was one of my favorite moments too, because Jumbo, straight up, they're like, Leela goes, jamba, there's an army of Leroys.

We're all losing. Do something. Use your mad genius skills. He's like, man, if I was really an evil genius, I would have put a shutdown code in him.

He was like, oh, wait a minute. I did do that. So funny. It's like, oh, hey. Actually, you just turn them all off. Play a song. Yeah, it's perfect.

So that's basically what happened. Today's day and age that probably would have just been released as like a four part miniseries direct to streaming.

Yeah, I still would watched it. It would have been good.

Yeah, it would have been good.

Yeah.

Probably six part miniseries.

Honestly, I'm down. Yeah, a lot happens in that one. Like, a lot more happens in that one than Stitch the movie. Like, Stitch the movie.

I like it especially because it introduces Hamsterveal and Reuben. You know, Hamsterveal was Jamba's partner in creating evil experiments. And he's like, hey, I want the experiments back.

John was like, I'm not as evil as I used to be. And then, yeah, they proceed to release all the experiments and then the show happens, and Lilo and Stitch gives them all jobs too.

They don't just capture them. Like, they're like, we're gonna find exactly where you belong and then give you a job there.

And I kind of wish that Lilo would find me and give me a job and find exactly where I belong. That'd be cool.

You're. You're too old for this. But right towards the end of my high school career, they started making us do what is.

I don't even remember what the test is called, but it's supposed to show you what you would be best at, like, what field you would be best at. And I was like, that's awesome. Let me take this. So they, you know, it's some standardized test.

You take the whole thing, and then when you get the results, it gives you a medal that like, shows your overall performance. And it shades in a little part of the graph for you to let you know what field you should go into.

And I got my results as gold medal, region 99, which means nothing.

Yeah, that's also a big part of this Star wars skeleton crew thing too. Except for it does mean something in that show.

Yeah, that was really annoying to me. I got region 99, which meant choose whatever. So that was awesome. Thank you for making me take that test. South Carolina.

You can do whatever you want. Oh, you know, I kind of figured. Yeah.

Yeah, I sure can. I was hoping this would tell me what I should.

I wish someone was just, like, watching my life and was like, josh, you're Reuben. Just make sandwiches.

Just make sandwiches, man.

Yeah. Like, oh, okay. That's all I needed to do this whole time. Cool. I'm down.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But buy a Subway.

God, I love him. He's so good.

So if you had a rate like all of this together, like the posed Lilo and Stitch era of Lilo and Stitch, 0 to 10, where would you put all of that?

You're including just collectively Lilo and Stitch 2.

That's up to you.

If we're including Lilo and Stitch 2, it might be like, nine and a half.

Does that help it or hurt it?

It helps it. I think Lilo and Stitch 2 is just as good as Lilo and Stitch.

I don't remember it that well. I just remember not liking that much Stitch. I think I like Leroy and Stitch more than Lilo and Stitch. I really like Leroy and Stitch.

It was a good movie.

They're all really good.

Yeah.

Honestly, I think Stitch the Movie is what tracks it down for me.

I really like Stitch the Movie. I'm giving from Stitch the Movie all the way through Leroy and Stitch. I'll give it an 8 out of 10. I like it a lot.

Not as good as some of the other Disney movies. Like, I would still rather watch Hercules, but this is honestly kind of close. Like, it's good. It's really good.

It's really good.

Yeah. And there's more content. Yeah. I mean, and it makes so much sense, too.

I think the thing that really is crazy to me now, and probably just because I was a kid, but maybe not. You know, you watch the first movie, it's like experiment 626. I don't think anything about it.

You know, maybe at most, I think my thought would have been, oh, it took him that long to get a one that worked. And then, like, nah, he just made 625 other ones.

It's like, no, they all work. They just. They just weren't as good.

Yeah, some are literally just do lava. That's all they do. I think my favorite thing is one of them was just straight up a dog. They were like, you know what? Jabba was Like, I got it.

Puppy dog gonna make a dog. And the way they deal with the dog in the show is so funny. Like, oh, here you go, Myrtle.

Yeah. Like her bully, they just gift her a dog. But also, it's definitely just an alien.

And no, it's really funny because throughout Lilo and Stitch, she thinks Stitch is a dog. And then she gets one of Stitch's cousins that is just a dog.

God, it was just so funny. The way they did that was truly one of the funniest episodes. Oh, man. So, all right, going through, like, the art animation stuff.

I know they reuse a lot of the background. We talked about that. They do the TD stuff a little bit. 2D stuff a little bit more. Saves money.

Which is why they promoted it over Treasure Planet, because it was kind of cheap to animate. Yeah. Stitch the movie.

No, that was the original Lilo and Stitch. That was not. It was cheaper, but it wasn't cheap.

Oh, yeah. But Stitch the Movie, they have hidden Mickey Mouse symbols on the bars of soap. And that's kind of fun.

Also, the animation for two to one the Electric Guy was really cool. That's just a side note. It's really cool. The Leroy and Stitch. One of the fun things. This isn't about animation as much. It's just a fun little tidbit.

Whenever they got sent to the Black Hole and they designated a number for it, that number that they sent Jamba and them to the Black Hole was the year that the movie the Black Hole came out. It's pretty funny. Yeah. Yeah. It's just those little things.

Do you anything, like, animation wise, that stood out to you or anything that you think would be worth mentioning?

They, you know, I mean, like, obviously they cut some corners during animation. Yeah. But not in a way that would make the cousins suffer.

Yeah. Like, each experiment really has its own unique animation. And it's good. Like, none of them look bad. They're cool.

Yeah, they're all cool. They're really weird and super specific. Like, one of them is just straight up a traffic light.

I forget about that. I like the one that.

How evil could that have been, Jumbo?

I was straight up a chef. He's got spatulas for hands. Like, you know what? I'm hungry right now. Yeah. I think he uses the word evil a little too loosely, perhaps.

Yeah.

Oh, man. It was fun stuff. Oh, also, I feel like it's important to note because we mentioned earlier, experiment 624 angel, straight up just.

They were like, what if Stitch had a girlfriend? They animated It.

I'm curious because, like, obviously, the animated Stitch, knowing that he would be easy to replicate and they could put him on all the merch. I wonder if they did that intentionally with angel, because, like, if you go to, like, Disney World and stuff, there's always angel merch places.

And she's straight up only from the show. And then Leroy and Stitch are the only places she shows up. She's not in the theater. Movie. But they sell her merchandise like she was.

Yeah, well, she gets like. And she's cute a few episodes. And she's in the anime.

Oh, is she in the anime? I forgot. Yeah. So after. After all this, they make Stitch the anime that I haven't seen yet.

Yeah. And then Stitch in AI with an exclamation point.

The other one. Oh, Lilo and AI Or I.

No, it's Stitching. Stitch and I. Okay.

Have you seen that? No, I haven't seen that either.

It's probably good.

Yeah. No, it's probably. Yeah. I mean, it's all just so good, but. Okay, so with this particular set.

Movie, show, movie that we're going from Stitch the movie to Leroy and Stitch, if you had to pick a favorite scene or episode, I'll get. You can do episode, I guess. Favorite song and favorite character from it all. What would you go with? Hmm.

I don't know about my favorite episode. It's probably been too long since I saw the show.

Fair. Mine would be the dog. I just still think it's funny.

Yep. And then Sparky's episode is just Stitch the movie.

Yeah.

Yeah.

He's, you know, running up to the new ship, climbs up the front, ignores the door, climbs in through the air manifold, gets into the bridge through the air vents, like Captain on the ceiling.

God. Yeah, it was funny.

So funny. Like, they really just gave a child complete control over a massive battleship. Songs. Every. Every song's good. I really love it.

The.

The soundtrack for Leroy and Stitch is so good. Yeah.

They use so much Elvis. It's like asking, what's your favorite Elvis song? And it's like, I don't know, man.

Yeah, Jailhouse Rock was funny, especially since I had a hamster feel stuck with all the other Leroy clones.

Jailhouse Rock was really funny, but for, like, sleeper pick. Alan Silvestri did the orchestral music for this, which he used Holtz's the Planets Suite as inspiration for.

So there are a few tracks in Leroy and Stitch that are gorgeous. So good and so easy to miss because the movie's also really good.

Yeah.

Okay. All right.

So you favorite character, you didn't do that yet?

Stitch, man. I don't know. I do like Hamster Real a lot. I liked him a lot more when I was a kid.

Yeah, he's funny.

Yeah, he's just a little guy, man. Also, ooh, my favorite scene might be actually gone to breaking Humpster Beel out of prison. The start of Leroy instead.

Yeah.

Because he's running through the prison with a massive gerbil in his hand, talking to it like it's Hamsterveal. And then he walks past Hamster Wheel's cage like, you haven't freed me at all. You haven't even freed me yet. How are we going to escape?

God, it was.

That is just a terrible.

That's. That scene is still just so funny. Oh, man. I. I'm gonna put my favorite scene.

I'm gonna be cheesy here, unfortunately, because, like, there's a lot of good funny scenes and even good action scenes. Like, truly, the fight with Leroy and Clones was actually pretty epic. But I'm gonna make it from Leroy and Stitch my favorite scene. It's so Gantu.

For me, Gantu and Ruben have, like, such good character arc through all of this. And it helps that there was a show in between, so they had a lot of time.

He goes from, like, bad guy who works for the government and just does it because the government told him to do, and he's, you know, whatever. And then he ends up getting hired by Hamsterveal, and he does all his. The evil acts, and it's like he finally learns to kind of think for himself.

And Leroy and Stitch, I feel like it starts doing the right thing because, like, maybe it's the right thing. And then at the end of the movie, he gets reinstated as, like, the chief police officer with the Grand Council woman.

She offers it to him, and he straight up, instead of just accepting it and going with it, he says, I have a condition.

And the condition was, of course, to bring Ruben, aka Experiment 625, with him because he actually developed a friendship with this experiment on Hawaii, who. Who is just Stitch, but likes to make sandwiches. And all throughout, they make fun of each other. They call each other useless.

Even earlier in the movie, he's useless. He's like, well, you like my egg sandwich? He's like, well, it has too much mayonnaise. And then at the end, I think that's what's funny.

It's like A sweet moment. But it's also funny because he's like, you're really gonna bring me with you? You really care that much? Because he's gonna appoint him as an officer.

He's like, well, I've grown really fond of your egg sandwich, your egg salads. I was like, that. That's just funny because it's true to both of their characters. And it's also a sweet moment, you.

Know, they were never going to go to. When Gantu leaves to get hamster veal, Reuben's getting left behind. He's like, you're gonna miss my egg salad. And Gantu says, not enough mayonnaise.

Too much dill.

Oh, yeah. That was a funny joke, too, because he goes, what did you call me? That was just funny.

Oh, yeah. Because he says, do we?

Yeah. Which was so funny. Also. Definitely went over my head as a kid, but it's fine. Yeah. Yeah. And just.

Just, you know, that little acknowledgement, even though it was still plain into the joke of the egg salad, but, like, it was still an acknowledgement of, like, they have a real friendship. They've both grown, you know, in this movie, you see where, like, Reuben went from just the evil guy sidekick to trying to, like, learn to be on his.

His own person and figure out where he belongs in Hawaii. And he's like, actually, I just kind of, like, miss my friend.

So them being reunited, even though they were, like, the bad guys of the show sort of being reunited and then going back to the good side, it was like. Yeah, it was kind of. It was rewarding. I guess that was it. It was a really rewarding arc for me with their characters. Yeah. All right.

So with all that, I'm trying to figure out, did we do this other stuff? I guess we did.

I want to get some to, like, the more theological, deeper stuff to talk about when it comes to all this, because a lot of, like, Lilo and Stitch gets to this idea of. It hits on a few different things. I'm trying to figure out what I want to start with.

Let's start with what happened in Leroy and Stitch, because you have. Where they're all offered, like, their dream jobs, and they want to take it. So they end up leaving Hawaii after Lilo learns to let them go.

And then Passenger plays. You only know you love her when you let her go. I mean, that doesn't happen, but it does in my mind.

She lets them go, then they all go, and they realize that they miss home. And there's a little bit of an interesting commentary on, like, where do we belong? Do we belong where we have a job that we really like?

Do we belong somewhere just because our family's there? That kind of thing. And that's something, I don't know, I wrestle with maybe more than TJ does. We'll see.

Because, you know, I have a lot of family in Kentucky. Part of me would love to be in Kentucky.

But also there's nothing to do with Kentucky, like as far as like what I want to do with my career, like, whether it be law, professor, whatever. Kentucky just really won't be a good option for any of that. So I don't know. But dj, you ever wrestle with that kind of question?

Or like, what's your take on how we find where we belong? Is it family, job, friends?

It's just the people you love, you don't have to be genetically similar, but.

You think you should be with people you love more than where you can find a good job. Yeah.

Yeah. Unless you're like, if you were.

If you're like three dudes, chilling, loving life in the actual middle of nowhere on like an ice cap in a tent, you guys should probably move somewhere you can get your job.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I don't know, man. I think this might depend. Person to person. I think love is worth more living for love than anything else.

But if you're miserable where you're at, you'll probably find a way to go somewhere where you can get a job you like, find people you love there, or commute, travel back and see the people you love, you know, I don't want people staying a job they hate either.

You know, I think that's part of what does bother me a little bit about the movie is I'm like, I get it, it wrapped up nice and all, but like, Stitch definitely should be piloting a bite a battleship. It makes him too happy for him not to get to do it, you know?

Yeah. But he's sad cuz Lilo's not there.

Yeah. But maybe they could build like a, like a star base a little bit closer to Earth so he can hang out with Lilo.

Then when there's a job to do, he just, you know, he can go off and get in a ship.

He's just so lonesome.

Yeah. I don't know. The other thing, neurodivergence is a big theme throughout all of Lilo and Stitch. You kind of see where Lilo is a little bit.

You know, they kind of make hints at that.

A lot of your experiments are very clearly like, like Ruben just straight up he's just Stitch, but with, like, a little bit of autism, a little bit of hyper fixation, specifically on sandwiches, you know? But there's still a place he belongs. There's still, like, relationships he's able to build.

What do you think this theory says about, like, neurodivergence and how we handle that and find where we belong kind of stuff?

I've never considered that angle once.

Well, what about now? Now that I've asked? Well, how do you handle ideas of neurodivergence?

Well, I think it is possible, whatever you're comfortable with, to find a job doing that. The TV series does a pretty good job saying, hey, no matter what your skill set is, there is something for you to do.

Yeah. Yeah.

And if you are 15ft tall and your head has lights on each side that are red and green, I know exactly what you can do.

Specifically, be a traffic light. Yeah.

I hope you like standing in the middle of an intersection.

If you like making sandwiches that much, just make sandwiches. I think what I like that the show does is it doesn't just do, like, representation with that kind of stuff.

I feel like it kind of creates a permission structure. I don't think a lot of people put that much thought into it, but I do think it is intentional in how it does this a little bit.

It gives you a permission structure to be weird. It's probably more so than neurodivergent, but I kind of. I do like that. And it gets a lot to. We're gonna be talking to Aaron Simmons soon.

Some of his philosophy stuff that he talks about with, like, Kierkegaard and how, like, that thing that makes you alive. You should do that because it's worth your finitude.

So whether you're neurodivergent or not, if for some reason you're just passionate about sandwiches and it makes you feel alive, then it is worth your time on this planet to just make sandwiches. If it's something else, I think the question is a little bit trickier.

Whenever it's like, hey, Jamba, he, you know, being an evil genius makes him feel alive. Should he be an evil genius? I don't know. Seems like he defines evil pretty loosely, so he could probably still do it.

As long as by evil, he means create puppies, it's probably fine.

Yeah. Also, it is really funny that Jumbo goes through the whole TV series and the first and second movie and last movie. Well.

And as soon as he gets his lab back, he's like, all right, time to be evil again.

He's Just been waiting this whole time. I can't wait to create something evil.

It gets back in the lab and immediately he's like, all right, I can finally make anti aircraft lollipops.

Literally creates exploding boom boom juice for his new experiment. Just. Just so funny. All right, last thing that I think could be important, theological, philosophical, whatever to consider.

And you see this in all of the series and shows and movies, etcetera, there's kind of this, like, it tiptoes around that cultural appropriation kind of conversation of like, are you participating in the culture or are you appropriating it? You know what I mean? Like. Like, Stitch is very clearly not Hawaiian, but he lives on Hawaii and that is part of who he is now.

So obviously no one takes offense to him saying aloha. But, like, you know, when they incorporate some of these culture into, like, literal aliens from outer space come.

And then they incorporate aloha into the Galactic Council, you're like, what are they. Are they appropriating? Are they respecting the culture? Are they learning from the culture? Like, what.

What is the difference between learning from a culture and respecting it and then appropriating it as someone who doesn't really belong to it?

Well, they all live in Hawaii, which I feel like is the appropriate place to appreciate practice Hawaiian culture.

Yeah. Even if you're not Hawaii.

Yeah.

Because, like, if I were to go to, I don't know, insert place here. I'm trying to think of the least offensive thing I can say here. Not really sure if I were to go to. No, that's definitely not it. Let's.

Let's go with Australia.

Russia.

Yeah, sure. Russia. We don't care if we offend Russians. If I.

If I go to Russia and I just start, like, eating and acting like a Russian, I feel like it's still cultural appropriation. Like, I shouldn't do that.

No, that's what you should do.

Dress like a Russian. I'm clearly not a Russian.

You enjoy the culture while you're there.

Yeah.

Respect it.

But I can't take it back with me.

You can take back a little bit.

Okay, but like, you know. Okay, so for, like, the ground things, like food. Yeah, food's good. I love other cultures food.

But, like, I can't dress like a Russian here because I went once now I think they're cool and I identify as Russian.

Yeah, don't.

Don't do that. Okay, so. But like, what about in the Leroy and Stitch, when the Grand Council decides they're gonna start using aloha at Their. At their meetings.

Is that cultural appropriation at that point? Are they just learning from.

I think a little bit. Yeah. It's a little.

Little appropriation. They shouldn't do that.

Well, in that specific scenario, they're already in a society where they've, like, form such an amalgam of languages. Gotta assume they're just using bits and.

Pieces of all of them.

So many different ones. Yeah, they just throw aloha in there.

Yeah, that's fair. But, yeah, so if you're watching these movies, you shouldn't start calling everybody cousin or anything like that. Or wear hula skirts everywhere.

Yeah.

Was. Did Elvis do cultural appropriation or did he spend enough time in Hawaii that it was fine?

No, he did cultural appropriation really bad. Like, a lot.

Yeah. Well, I mean, I know he used what is.

Was considered black people music, and he just kind of made it his own, but he also definitely did that with Hawaii and then just profited off of all of it.

Yep. Bad guy.

All right. That's it. If you're getting something theological out of this, just know that you shouldn't be like Elvis. I think that's.

That's the main takeaway from this episode, right?

Yeah, that's right.

Yeah. Also, maybe watch all of the Lilo and Stitch sequels. Literally all of them. They're great.

All right, so with that, we're going to go ahead and wrap this up. We will have a bonus question afterwards for people who are on Patreon, Captivate or Apple Podcast. You'll get to hear us answer.

Which experiment would we most want to spend time with? Just hang out. And now we will give a recommendation for everybody, something that they should read, listen to anything like that play.

Perhaps I had something. I try to remember what it was. I'm reading Shangri La Frontier right now. It's a manga. It's really good.

Or might I recommend that we all go watch Stitch with an exclamation point?

The anime.

The Stitch anime. Yeah.

Yeah, I do want to do that. That's a good recommendation.

Apparently Angel's in it a lot.

I heard that they. Some of the other experiments that were introduced in Leroy and Stitch that weren't in the series. TV series do show up in the anime. Stitch. The anime.

So it might also be a good reason to see it.

Yeah, maybe we should check it out.

I'm gonna recommend there's a graphic novel version of Beowulf. It's kind of cool. It's not the best by any stretch. You should just read Beowulf. But if you've already read Beowulf. Check out the graphic novel.

It's interesting, you know.

Yeah.

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