After Stitch (voiced by Chris Sanders) tries to retrieve a soccer ball he was playing with from Jumba's ship, he finds Jumba's secret computer (voice provided by Tress MacNeille), which reveals to him what strange and horrible creatures were used to make the otherwise cute and fluffy experiment, shows him hints of the other experiments Jumba made, and reminds him about his original destructive purpose. The little blue alien is dismayed by this revelation until Jumba (voiced by David Ogden Stiers) comes in to tell him that despite defying his destructive programming, Stitch is Jumba's greatest creation because of both that and his discovery of love and ʻohana through Lilo.
The short runs for 4:35 and can be watched on Disney+ (under the Lilo & Stitch 2 extras).
The Origin of Stitch: Secret Tropes
- Aliens Speaking English: Blah, blah, blah, it's Lilo & Stitch, blah, blah, blah, Jumba and Stitch speak English, blah, blah, blah...
- Art Shift: Compared to all the other works in the franchise, Stitch looks much more cutesy in this short, with a somewhat Super-Deformed look.
- Call-Forward: At the end.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Some of the experiments shown appear in Lilo & Stitch: The Series episodes that had not yet aired at the time this short was released.
- Evil Me Scares Me: Stitch was so upset with being reminded of his original purpose that he tells Jumba's computer to stop playing the simulation.
- Foregone Conclusion: Considering Jumba's statement at the end of the short, the experiments do indeed get unleashed upon Earth later on.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: Many of the aforementioned Early-Bird Cameos.
- I Am a Monster: Before Jumba arrived, Stitch was upset to find out about the myriad creatures used to make him, as well as being reminded of his original purpose.
- I Hate Past Me: Considering that Stitch was evil prior to meeting Lilo, he's clearly unhappy about reminded about what he was.
- Interquel: Although it's not made clear whether this short takes place before or after the events of Lilo & Stitch 2, it's commonly believed though that it takes place afterwards. It still does take place sometime between the original film and Stitch! The Movie.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Apparently, Jumba has a friggin' pink tea set in his ship. With cookies!
- Retroactive Idiot Ball: This short does this to the later-set Stitch! The Movie, as it establishes that Stitch first learns about existence of the other experiments here. By the time the direct-to-video film's events come up, he doesn't even recall the other experiments when he first desires to have "cousins".
- Series Continuity Error: Almost all of the experiments are displayed with incorrect numbers. Particularly obvious at the beginning, which shows Experiment 617 (Plasmoid) as Experiment 001 (Shrink), Experiment 609 (Heat) as Experiment 002 (Doubledip), and Experiment 601 (Kixx) as Experiment 003 (Howcome). Additionally, Experiment 627 is shown on the computer despite Jumba creating it after Stitch.
- So Proud of You: Jumba to Stitch at the end.
- Stylistic Suck: The simulation of 626 causing destruction was not really well animated. Not that it stopped Stitch from worrying about himself, though.
- Tempting Fate: Considering what happens after the events of this short, when Jumba talks about how each of Stitch's predecessors are capable of "tremendous destruction" at the end.Jumba: If they were ever to be unleashed upon an unsuspecting world, there is no predicting the horrifying repercussions! But, 'course that would never happen. (Jumba laughs, followed by a Beat. Both Jumba and Stitch make a curious face before looking at each other, then Fade to Black.)
- You Are Number 6: Jumba's computer identifies Stitch by his old Experiment 626 name. He denies it.Stitch: Not 626, meega Stitch!
