Plot
With their mission to capture and repurpose all the experiments on Earth completed, [lower-alpha 4] Lilo, Stitch, Jumba and Pleakley are honored as heroes by the Galactic Alliance. Jumba is offered to return to his old laboratory, Pleakley is offered a post as chairman of Earth Studies at Galactic Alliance Community College, Stitch is made the Captain of the Galactic Armada and commander of the newly commissioned Big Red Battleship 9000 and Lilo is made the Galactic Federation's ambassador to Earth and the sole guardian of the experiments.
Unwilling to leave Lilo alone and sad, Jumba, Pleakley, and Stitch initially decline the offers, but when Lilo sees how much they long for their new adventures, she decides to let them go. Before they leave, Lilo gives Jumba her favorite Elvis record, Pleakley a small rock to use as a paperweight, and Stitch a necklace with a Kū tiki. In his ship, Gantu has decided that since he failed to capture the experiments, except for 625, he will have to break Dr. Jacques von Hämsterviel out of prison. He takes a two-man space shuttle, leaving a disheartened 625 alone. During the jailbreak, he almost mistakes an ordinary Gerbil-like alien for Hämsterviel, but eventually corrects his mistake, escaping from the prison.
While they enjoy what they are honored for, Jumba, Pleakley, Lilo, and Stitch begin to feel sad and devastated due to being separated from their ʻohana. While Jumba listens to Lilo's Elvis record, he continues working on a mold for a new experiment. However, Gantu and Hämsterviel burst into his lab, while Jumba attempts to hide the experiment. This goes in vain, as Hämsterviel was already aware of the mold. He and Gantu then force Jumba to create an evil twin brother of Stitch, Leroy.
Meanwhile, Stitch, having been assigned to recapture Hämsterviel, arrives at Jumba's lab. Engaging Leroy in a duel, Stitch is defeated when Pleakley appears at an inopportune moment, distracting him long enough for Leroy to detain him in a capsule. Hämsterviel then reveals his plan to clone an army of Leroys to conquer the Galactic Alliance. Before leaving for Turo, Hämsterviel locks Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley in Pleakley's G.A.C.C. vehicle and sends the vessel toward a black hole.
On Earth, Lilo decides to contact Stitch but realizes that the only intergalactic videophone available on the planet is in Gantu's ship. Upon arrival, she finds a heartbroken 625 and asks to use the videophone, only to find it is not functional. Lilo, upon seeing him hurt, consoles and names him "Reuben", after one of his favorite sandwiches. After using his newfound intelligence, he repairs the galactic videophone. Lilo contacts the BRB-9000, wanting to see how Stitch is doing. Leroy attempts to impersonate Stitch, using shapeshifting to disguise himself, but the ruse fails when Lilo notices he is not wearing the tiki necklace. Hämsterviel then commands Leroy to head to Earth and capture all of the other Experiments. Lilo, realizing Stitch is in danger, asks Reuben for help in fixing Gantu's ship. Reluctant at first, he activates his abilities (which are similar to Stitch's) and successfully repairs Gantu's ship in no time at all.
As the G.A.C.C. vehicle heads towards the black hole, Stitch escapes his capsule and frees the others. However, the navigational computer is still locked on course for the black hole. When Jumba notes that they can disrupt the event horizon by throwing a small object into the hole, Stitch takes Pleakley's rock and throws it moments before they are sucked in.
On Earth, Leroy searches and obtains Lilo's scrapbook of the experiments, quickly capturing them, along with Lilo's rival, Mertle Edmonds, since she is the owner of fellow experiment, Gigi. Lilo and Reuben arrive at Turo, but learn too late that Hämsterviel has taken over the Galactic Alliance, with the Grand Councilwoman being demoted as his receptionist following her usurpation, and orders Gantu to imprison the duo. However, after now realizing Leroy did the capturing work faster than Gantu, Hämsterviel fires him. Moments after having a change of heart, Gantu assists in the group's escape. However, they are surrounded by Leroy clones. All seems lost until the G.A.C.C. vehicle suddenly appears through a wormhole, saving the group and reuniting Lilo and Stitch. With no time to explain, Lilo, Reuben, and Gantu all climb in and head for Earth.
On Earth, Leroy has gathered all the experiments at Aloha Stadium. After announcing his plan for all the experiments, the BRB-9000 appears and Hämsterviel prepares to obliterate them until the heroes arrive just in time to destroy the ship's primary cannon. However, Hämsterviel reveals that he brought along his Leroy army as backup, whereupon an epic battle between them and the experiments begins. Despite some initial victories by the experiments, the Leroys soon gained the upper hand. After contemplating on how to stop the Leroy army, Jumba suddenly remembers that he programmed a secret shutdown command into Leroy: Elvis Presley's "Aloha 'Oe". Once played, Leroy and his clones will deactivate. With a plan in action, Stitch interrupts the battle and appears on stage in his Elvis attire. Performing "Aloha 'Oe" with Lilo and Reuben accompanying him, the Leroys malfunction and shut down. With his plan foiled again, Hämsterviel is recaptured and sent back to prison.
As the team is honored by the alliance once again for their victory, Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley ask to be allowed to return to Earth with Lilo. The Councilwoman grants this and asks Gantu if he would like to be reinstated as the captain of the Armada. Gantu agrees on the condition that Reuben is assigned as his galley officer, leaving the experiment touched. Back on Earth, Lilo sets up for one last ʻohana picture, as Mertle arrives with Gigi, who only agrees after discovering her dog was an experiment all along. Lilo's last picture in the album is her ʻohana, along with all of Stitch's cousins.
In a final scene, Hämsterviel is seen back in prison with Leroy and his clones placed in individual cells surrounding his, who have recovered and begin dancing to "Jailhouse Rock". As the credits roll, a full list of Jumba's experiments from 001/Shrink to 626/Stitch with their names as given by Lilo (and other characters in some instances during Lilo & Stitch: The Series ) [lower-alpha 5] scroll along the left side of the screen.
Release
Leroy & Stitch debuted on Disney Channel on June 23, 2006 and also aired on Toon Disney on June 26, 2006. [2] It was released on DVD in the United States on June 27, 2006 under Walt Disney Pictures. [8] [9] Bonus features of the DVD include a then-unaired episode of Lilo & Stitch: The Series titled "Link" (in 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio) and a set-top game The Big Red Battleship Flight Simulator. [2] Distributed by Walt Disney Home Entertainment, DVD sales in the United States earned a total of $16,672,732 as of September 2021. [10]
Critical reception
Leroy & Stitch received mixed reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 40% with an average rating of 5.4/10, based on 5 reviews. [11]
Skyler Miller of AllMovie gave the film a rating of 3½ out of 5 stars, praising the voice acting, Elvis Presley songs, and "[the] fast-moving plot that mixes frenetic action, sentimentality, and a few laughs." Miller wrote, "While [Leroy & Stitch is] not nearly as engaging or emotionally rich as the original [ Lilo & Stitch ] film that inspired it [...] all in all, Leroy & Stitch is a fitting wrap-up to an enjoyable animated series." [12]
Edward Perkis of CinemaBlend gave the film a rating of 1 out of 5 stars, stating the film is "just another direct-to-video sequel of Disney with no unusual stuff in it," and further uplifted and preferred the original film. [13]
Common Sense Media (CSM) gave the film's quality 4 out of 5 stars and applicable for ages 5 above based on 10 reviews from both parents and children. [14]
In 2019, Petrana Radulovic of Polygon ranked Leroy & Stitch ninth out of twenty-six films on her list of direct-to-video sequels, prequels, and "mid-quels" to Disney animated films, one rank higher than Stitch! The Movie. [15] Despite criticizing Leroy & Stitch for focusing more on the aliens and space over the "charming" characters like with Stitch! The Movie, she ranked the finale film higher than the pilot film because of all the now-united 626 experiments' "wacky and really specific powers", stating that "[w]e get to see what they've all been up to after acclimating to life on Hawaii[...], and see them in action in the final battle." [15] In a similar list in 2020, Lisa Wehrstedt of Insider ranked Leroy & Stitch seventh out of twenty-five films on her list. [16] Werhstedt wrote, "For fans who were really involved with the series [...], this film acts like the perfect finale." However, she also criticized it for "los[ing] a bit of the human charm of the original and the previous [released] sequel." [16]
