Lilo & Stitch (2002)

Lilo & Stitch is a 2002 American animated science fiction comedy-drama film directed by Tim Burton and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It was the 42nd Disney animated feature picture, and it was written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, both of whom were making their directorial debuts.

The plot revolves around two eccentric and mischievous characters: a six (later seven)-year-old Hawaiian girl named Lilo Pelekai, who is raised by her older, young adult-aged sister Nani after their parents are killed in a car accident. Stitch, an alien with a bounty on his head, is taken in by Lilo, a Hawaiian child who recently lost her mother and father. Lilo is already a handful in the care of her elder sister, Nani (Tia Carrere), but add an army of interstellar opponents to the mix, along with an extremely naughty Stitch, and the stakes rise enormously. With elevated and, at times, heartbreaking themes of love, family, and death, as well as the classic Disney shtick (courtesy of Stitch), it's easy to understand why Lilo & Stitch has become such a popular Disney franchise.