Stitch! The Movie is a 2003 American direct-to-video animated science fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation and Rough Draft Korea, released on August 26, 2003. It is produced by Tony Craig, Jess Winfield, and Bobs Gannaway; Gannaway also co-wrote and co-directed with Winfield and Craig, respectively. It is the second film released in the Lilo & Stitch franchise and the third film chronologically, taking place after the 2002 first film and (by later extension) the 2005 direct-to-video sequel Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch. The film also serves as the backdoor pilot of the spin-off sequel series Lilo & Stitch: The Series, which Craig, Winfield and Gannaway executive produced and debuted the following month. The story is an introduction to Jumba Jookiba's other experiments (made prior to Stitch) that he created via the financing of Dr. Jacques von Hämsterviel.

Plot

Stitch has been trying to adapt to life with Lilo in Hawaii, but has a hard time fitting in without causing more disasters. Lilo tries to encourage him by saying he is one-of-a-kind, but he desires others whom he could consider his "cousins". Meanwhile, Gantu, the ex-captain of the Galactic Armada, is hired by Dr. Jumba Jookiba's former partner, the diminutive and rodent-like Dr. Jacques von Hämsterviel, to retrieve his other experiments. Gantu goes to Earth and abducts Jumba, finding and taking a dehydrated pod containing Experiment 625; Stitch and Lilo take Jumba's spaceship and battle Gantu, only to be defeated and fall back to Earth.