Toon Talk: Leroy and Stitch
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Toon Talk: Disney Film and DVD Reviews
by Kirby C. Holt

(c) Disney

When a beloved television series comes to an end, one can expect at least one of the following plotlines:

Since the first two choices above would prove rather … controversial for the stars of the Lilo & Stitch television show (especially if it involved Pleakley and Jumba, who have grown awfully close it appears), it is the latter option that takes place in the “series finale�? of the popular program, which recently aired on The Disney Channel and is available today on Disney DVD under the title Leroy & Stitch.

Picking up at the close of the series-long mission to collect and aid all 625 of Jumba’s pre-Stitch experiments, Lilo (once again voiced by Daveigh Chase) and Stitch (still voiced by the creator of the original feature film, Chris Sanders), along with former evil genius Dr. Jumba (David Ogden Stiers) and the increasingly TransAmerican Pleakley (Kevin McDonald), are heralded by the Galactic Federation’s Grand Councilwoman (Zoe Caldwell) as heroes. And, just like the Wizard of Oz, she has presents for them: Jumba is allowed to return to his secret lab, Pleakley is appointed “Dean of Earth Studies�? at GFCC (Galactic Federation Community College) and Stitch is made captain of his very own “BRB�? (Big Red Battleship).

(c) Disney

The three aliens are thrilled, but Lilo (now the Federation’s first ambassador from Earth), is not happy with the prospects of her “ohana�? being spread out all over the universe. Not wanting to sadden the little girl, they all return to Hawaii with her, even if it means giving up on their dreams. It isn’t until they are back on the third rock from the sun that Lilo, urged on by big sisterly advice courtesy of Nani (Tia Carrere), realizes that, in the “spirit of aloha�?, if she truly loves her friends, she should let them go. After a tearful goodbye, Lilo is alone once more.

Meanwhile, Gantu (Kevin Michael Richardson), after leaving Experiment 625 (Rob Paulsen) to his sandwich-making, breaks the nefarious Dr. Hamsterviel (Jeff Bennett) out of intergalactic prison to hatch his latest evil plan.  He forces Jumba to create the ultimate weapon of mass destruction: Experiment 627, a nasty little bugger who bears a strong resemblance to his immediate predecessor, save for a threatening red complexion in place of our hero’s familiar blue fluffiness (the creature even sounds like Stitch … mostly because he is also voiced by Sanders). Hamsterviel dubs 627 “Leroy�? and proceeds to clone him into his very own army, an army set to attack Earth and defeat Stitch and all his “cousins�?. What follows is a full-on attack of the clones, with the multiple Leroys taking on Stitch and all the other multi-colored Pokemons - er, experiments - seen throughout the series’ run. It is up to Lilo, along with some unexpected assistance from her rock royalty idol, to save the day and reunite her entire “ohana�? once and for all.