Lilo & Stitch (2002 soundtrack)

As in almost all Disney animated films, music was considered an important aspect in Lilo & Stitch, to which co-writer and co-director Dean DeBlois admitted, "Music is half of the equation. It does all the heavy lifting emotionally." Alan Silvestri, who was prioritized first on composing the film score, was curious on the sonic landscape and wanted to bring the traditional Hawaiian influence on the songs due to its "very deep, sacred aspect". Lilo & Stitch creator and the film's other writer-director Chris Sanders visited the Virgin Megastore in San Francisco and found two CDs of Hawaiian music. Sanders said, "The African-music section was huge, tons of CDs, but like two in the Hawaiian part. We found out that's because the parameters are very clear as to what you can and can't do with this music. We wanted to orchestrate this music. We wanted to take these Hawaiian themes and make them movie scale."^[4]

Silvestri then came across Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu, a Hawaiian music artist who managed a hula studio in the San Francisco Bay Area with hundreds of students. DeBlois considered Hoʻomalu as "rebellious" as he would use the old chants expanding in both melody and harmony and bringing old Hawaiian music to new generation. Silvestri recorded his renditions of the traditional chants which was set to music in such a way that had a cinematic quality in both breadth and scope-wise. Silvestri considered it as an "interesting courtship" as Hoʻomalu did not want their chants to commercially exploited, and the community had been sensitive about outsiders coming in and protecting their culture.^[4]

As the film's producer Clark Spencer wanted a children's choir to sing the opening song, the team went to Honolulu to record with the students at the Kamehameha School. The music teacher, Lynell Bright, said that the Chorus learnt one song, "He Mele No Lilo", which was supposed to be recorded during May 2001. However, recording for the song was later delayed to October and then again to December after the September 11 attacks, by which time the Chorus recorded the second original song, "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride". The choir consisted of 15 to 20 students, with Bright serving as the choir director and playing the piano, and Hoʻomalu's nephew was also involved in the choir.^[4]

Sanders was a fan of Elvis Presley and included some of Presley's music in the narrative, establishing title character Lilo Pelekai as a big fan of the singer. However, Sanders found it challenging to get the licensing of Presley's songs until representatives of the Presley estate came out to look at the storyboards and liked it, resulting in their approval.^[4] Two of his songs—"Burning Love" and "Can't Help Falling in Love"—were covered by American singer Wynonna and Swedish group A-Teens,^[4][5] with the former cover used during the film's epilogue montage and the latter used during the end credits. "Baby You Belong" by Faith Hill was used as the theme song in the Japanese version.^[6] In North America, the song was simply a track from her album Cry with no connotation to the film.^[6]

• Lilo & Stitch (2025 soundtrack)