It’s June 26th, which means it’s “Stitch” day, and what better way to celebrate than to sit with someone who knows more about Stitch than anybody, his lead animator!
What’s Happening:
- Wednesday is June 26, or “626″ Day, which celebrates Stitch from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Lilo & Stitch, the cute yet bonkers galactic character that is given the experiment number 626.
- In the video below, Alex Kupershmidt, the lead animator on Stitch in the film, offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the team crafted the character, how hand-drawn animation informs technical animation, and how animation fundamentals from Disney Animation classics — like Pinocchio and Fantasia — still guide his animation process.
- Originally released in 2002, Lilo & Stitch was one of three animated full-length animated features at the Walt Disney Feature Animation Studios at the then Disney-MGM Studios theme park at Walt Disney World.
- In the classic film from what is now known as the Walt Disney Animation Studios, we follow two individuals – an orphaned Hawaiian girl named Lilo (raised by her older sister, Nani), and the extraterrestrial genetic experiment gone awry, Experiment 626, who is adopted by Lilo as her "dog" and renamed "Stitch" after he escapes capture from the Galactic Federation. Stitch, who was genetically engineered to cause chaos and destruction, develops a close bond through the Hawaiian concept of ʻohana (extended family), causing Stitch to reconsider his intended destructive purpose in order to keep his newfound family together.
- You can trace Kuperschmidt’s career at Disney Animation back to the opening of the afrorementioned Florida studio, having a hand in nearly every short or feature film to come from the studio before it was shuttered in 2004, including Roller Coaster Rabbit, Off His Rockers, Trail Mix-Up, Mulan, and Brother Bear, just to name a few. After the Florida location closed, Kuperschmidt stayed with Disney and contributed to other films over the last few decades, including Tangled, Moana, Raya & The Last Dragon, Paperman, and The Princess and the Frog, among others.
- Lilo & Stitch was considered a highlight in Disney’s post-renaissance era, and deviates from previous film’s art styles of the time, opting to go back to films like Dumbo and Pinocchio and using watercolors for background art.
- Character designs were based on director Chris Sanders's personal drawing style, rather than the traditional Disney in-house style. And, reportedly because of a limited budget, details like pockets or designs on clothing were avoided in the animation process. Since they could not afford to do shadows throughout much of the film, many of the scenes took place in shaded areas, saving shadows for more dramatic and pivotal moments in the film.
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