Starting in the English versions of Stitch! and Stitch & Ai, both of which are Asian-produced spin-offs of the franchise, he is currently voiced by Lilo & Stitch: The Series executive producer and screenwriter Jess Winfield.
In Disney Speedstorm in 2023, he was briefly voiced by Piotr Michael.
In the upcoming live-action remake, he will be voiced and motion-captured by Zach Galifianakis, who also played Alan Garner, Happy Medium and Mr. Link.
In his first appearance, Jumba was on trial for creating illegal genetic experiments. While Jumba was imprisoned, Stitch escaped from his vessel, which would send him to a desert asteroid for a lifetime of exile (hoping that he would eventually perish from lack of food). The Grand Council then ordered Jumbo to search the island of Hawaii to find and capture Stitch, providing him with one of his warriors' plasma cannons in an attempt to stun 626.
Jumba and his new sidekick Pleakley attempted numerous plans to capture Stitch, but they always failed, mainly due to their own incompetence, Stitch's aggressive nature, Pleakley's insistence on the rule that Jumba should never wreak havoc on anyone who crossed his path, or the three. at the same time. As Jumba and Pleakley camped under surveillance, Jumba lamented that he had never given 626 a greater purpose and wondered what it must be like for 626 to not even have memories to think of in the middle of the night. Once Jumba and Pleakley were fired and scheduled for jail time for not capturing the 626 in time, Jumba decided to play by his own rules - which meant causing as much destruction as he wanted, much to Pleakley's dismay. At Lilo's house, there was a battle between Jumba and Stitch. Because of the battle, the blaster exploded and Jumba and Pleakley ran away from the house.
While Jumba and Pleakley were away, Stitch and Lilo were kidnapped by Captain Gantu. Stitch managed to escape but was handcuffed by Jumba. Lilo's sister Nani asked Jumba and Pleakley if they knew where Lilo was, but the duo had no idea. Stitch fairly easily convinced Jumba to help save Lilo. Nani, Stitch, Pleakley and Jumba set out to rescue Lilo. Once everyone was rescued and Gantu was defeated, Jumba helped rebuild Lilo's house and became part of Lilo's ohana along with Pleakley and Stitch.
Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch[]
Jumba reappears in this off-shoot sequel. Before either of them met Lilo, Jumba was finishing Stitch (then known as Experiment 626), but the 626 molecules had to be charged before the Doctor could release him. While Experiment 626 was charging, intergalactic police officers broke into the lab and arrested Jumba, leaving 626 incomplete.
Finally, the events of the past catch up with Stitch and the consequences begin to unfold. During a family night, she notices that Stitch has a glitch that causes him to lose control and becomes worried for him as he realizes what was wrong with him. To save him, he must build a fusion chamber to recharge him before his molecules run out or he will die.
Due to the lack of technology, Jumba and Pleakley are forced to use household appliances, and when it was finally "done", it exploded and Jumba, losing hope, revealed to Pleakley that it was just a catalog order. He believes he can't actually make the machine himself, but is given the will to try after encouragement from Pleakley. When he finally gets it right, he discovers that Stitch is gone and sets out with the others to find him.
In the end, after the fusion chamber fails to recharge Stitch, Jumba is clearly devastated by his "death", holding him tightly in his arms, but Lilo miraculously manages to resuscitate Stitch as she takes him in her arms and weeps at her deep depth. love for Stitch as part of her family; Jumba earned Lila's gratitude and love by showing a deep, loving interest in Stitch. His attempt to recharge Stitch seems to have succeeded in the end.
The Origin of Stitch[]
While Stitch is playing soccer, his ball lands inside Jumba's ship where he discovers the ship's laboratory and the ship's computer scans and identifies Stitch as Experiment 626. After showing a list of experiments and their components used to create Stitch, Jumba enters the ship's laboratory and offers Stitch a choice between milk and cookies. After learning that Stitch is curious about his origins, Jumba reveals that he hunted down some of the scariest and scariest animals to create the ultimate monster he had ever created before. Jumba then goes on to say that creating Stitch didn't go exactly as planned because Stitch discovered a family in Lilo, Nani, David, Jumba, and Pleakley when he landed on Kauai. Jumba then says that of all the experiments he has ever created, Stitch is his greatest achievement and that he is very proud of him.
Stitch! The Movie[]
Jumba reappears in the second film of the franchise. In the film, Jumba is kidnapped by Gantu and Jacques von Hämsterviel, Jumbo's former lab partner, who is out to take over the galaxy; originally thought to be deceased by the events of the film. It turns out that Jumba has created a much larger number of experiments than Stitch.
Before his kidnapping, Jumba managed to hide his experiments from Pleakley, though this only prompted Hämsterviel to hold the scientist for ransom and threaten to kill Jumba if the experiments were not handed over to him; though Jumbo's brash and fearless demeanor prevented the villains from legitimately intimidating him. Pleakley, Nani and former CIA agent, Cobra Bubbles, built a transaction area in defeat. Still, Lilo and Stitch manage to save both Jumba and the experiments, though they are accidentally freed. In response, Jumba and the others are recruited by the Grand Councilor (who was also alerted to the situation regarding Hämsterviel and Jumba) to travel across the island to find every experiment and turn them from bad to good.
Lilo & Stitch: The Series[]
Now living with Lilo and Stitch in Hawaii, Jumba goes under the guise of Lilo's uncle and plays a major role in the series. With 623 experiments spread across the island, Jumba provides information for everyone Lilo and Stitch discover and/or capture. Despite becoming a humble hero, Jumba still tries to maintain his bad reputation, but ultimately fails for the sake of his family. When the experiment is captured, Lilo and Stitch take it primarily to Jumba. Most experiments recognize Jumba and refer to him as their father. On many occasions, before the reformation of the experiment, the former went to Jumba to prevent him from revealing the key to defeating them before he could tell Lilo and Stitch.
In the episode "Ace", it was revealed that Jumba is a member of the Evil Genius Organization (E.G.O.), an organization made up of various evil scientists from around the galaxy. At the end of the episode, as a result of his apparent reformation, Jumba was dismissed from the organization.
The episode "The Asteroid" revealed that Jumba suffered from homesickness and was willing to leave the endangered Earth if it meant returning to his home planet. However, his attitude changed when he realized his desire to stay with Lilo and Stitch.
In the episode "Snafu", Jumbo has experiment 120 (Snafu) pod in his shoe box. However, he took the pod when revealing 120's design to foil enemy's plan at any possible means which is the worst experiment to activate when making complex rescue missions. Pleakley brought the hose and accidentally activate 120.
Also in the series, Jumba and Pleakley even met other Disney characters such as Penny Proud and Kim Possible during their adventures. Jumba even mistook Rufus for one of his missing experiments, Experiment 607.
Leroy & Stitch[]
Three years after Jumbo's experiments were scattered across Kauai, Hawaii, Lilo and Stitch collected and reformed 624 experiments. Jumba was given the opportunity to return to his old lab by the Grand Council. At first he didn't want to hurt Lilo's feelings by leaving, but she agreed to let him go and gave him an Elvis record to remember him by. However, Hämsterviel escaped from prison with the help of former Captain Gantu. Hamsterviel attempted to persuade Jumba to work with him again, but Jumba refused to do so due to Hamsterviel mistreating him for 25 years, including finking on him to the Galactic Federation, Hamsterviel then held Jumba hostage in his own laboratory, forcing him to create a new experiment, eventually named Leroy. However, Jumba used the board Lilo gave him to program a power switch for Leroy: if he hears the song "Aloha ʻOe", he stutters and shuts down (but doesn't die like Stitch would, as shown at the end of Stitch Has a Glitch). When asked what he would like as a reward, he decides to give up his lab and return to Earth to rejoin Lilo's family.
Stitch! Anime[]
In the anime series, Jumba was tasked by the Grand Council to watch over Stitch when he recently went on a destructive rampage after Lilo grew up, went to college, and found a boyfriend. Jumba eventually lost Stitch, but was quickly reunited with him on a small island known as Izayoi. When he arrived, he met Stitch's newest girlfriend, Yuna, and learned of Stitch's newest goal of doing good deeds and gaining ultimate power. Jumba agrees to help Stitch and stay on the island.
Stitch & Ai[]
Sometime after he was captured by Federation forces shortly before the first film, the computers in Jumbo's labs were hacked by space pirates hoping to recreate Experiment 626. When these attempts failed, they decided to kidnap Stitch. While chasing the pirates, but unaware of Stitch's escape, Jumba and Pleakley are brought before the Grand Councilor, who explains the situation and once again instructs them to take Stitch back into protective custody and keep him out of the hands of the space pirates. After seeing that Stitch has found a new family in China, Jumba decides to stay and help fight the pirates.
Quotes[]
“
Of course! Experiment 375! Designed to take possession of inanimate objects and create utter chaos!
„
~ Jumba when he, Lilo and Plankton found out Phantasmo.
“
No! 120 is havoc wreaker of all havoc wreakers. Designed for to foil enemy plans by any possible means. Is worst experiment to activate when making a complex rescue mission.
„
~ Jumba explained to Lilo about Snafu.
“
Jumba Jookiba: No. No. Those idiot police! I thought this day would never come. Pleakley: What are you talking about? What is wrong with Stitch? Jumba Jookiba: During his creation, Stitch was never fully charged.
„
~ Jumba when discovered of Stitch's glitch.
“
Jumba Jookiba: Now his... circuits are going haywire! Pleakley: That's why he was freaking out! Jumba Jookiba: He can't control it! If it continues, his circuits will burn themselves out like supernova! Pleakley: Can ya, Can ya fix him? Jumba Jookiba: I must, or my little Stitch will shut down... for good.
„
~ Jumba revealed to Pleakley of Stitch's condition.
Gallery[]
Images[]
Trivia[]
Since Jumba is the creator of Stitch and the other experiments, he is often cited as their father.
Jumba's mass changed throughout the franchise. For example, at the beginning of the original movie, he was obese, and at the end of the film, he was slender.
He appeared in a limited amount of Disney Villains related material prior to the original movie's release
Jumba appears, along with several other Lilo & Stitch characters, in a parody of the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, which was broadcast as part of the High School Musical: Around the World one-year anniversary special.
Jumba enjoys hearing Elvis Presley's song "Hound Dog" when the phonograph record starts playing in the original movie.
Prior to creating Experiment 177 (Clip), Jumba had long, flowing locks of curly black hair. Since then, he has been bald with the exception of three long hairs which grow from the top of his head. He managed to get a full Afro of hair but later decided to go back to being bald, finding it more suitable for himself.
Jumba likes to dance, and he is not afraid to bust a move every now and then.
Jumba has a habit of referring to himself in the third person. This habit was probably passed down to Stitch, since he has a tendency to refer to himself in third person as well.
During early development of the film, Stitch was conceived as an intergalactic gangster with a gang of three rather than a recently-created genetic monster. In that early version, Jumba was a former fourth member of Stitch's gang who was left behind during a bank heist and had been stewing in prison for years. Upon Stitch's escape, the Grand Councilwoman would then make the deal to release Jumba if he would go to Earth to capture his former boss. This characterization as a galactic crime lord would later be used for Hämsterviel, who is often seen imprisoned during most of the run of the TV series (althought the circumstances behind his arrest are different).
In a deleted scene, Jumba is shown to have an insane side when he attacks Stitch at Lilo's house.
To be specific, the scene where Jumba attacks Stitch which results in the Pelekai residence accidentally being burned down was actually going to have more violent scenes like Stitch using a chainsaw to attack Jumba, as well as Stitch setting the house on fire by biting apart a gas pipe and tricking Jumba into shooting it with his blaster. The final version of the same scene has everything violent edited out and replaced in favor of making the scene more slapstick-oriented (Jumba knocking the ceiling down with dishes instead of laser blasts, Jumba's "shuriken" being made of hairbrushes and a tube of toothpaste instead of knives and a pizza cutter, the entire chainsaw scene shortened), having more comedic scenes added in (exploding Scrump, Stitch catching Jumba's laser, Stitch yelling, "Blue Punch Buggy! No punch back!" when hitting Jumba with Nani's VW, the Elvis Presley song "Hound Dog" playing in the background), and the house being destroyed by having Stitch stop up Jumba's blaster with a carrot and then having them both play "hot potato" with it until the blaster overloads and explodes.
A similar treatment was done to the climax, where Jumba, Pleakley, Stitch, and Nani fly through the sky to pursue Gantu after he accidentally captures Lilo as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Originally Stitch hijack a 747 passenger jet to chase Gantu's ship through Honolulu, however after the attack the climax was altered with the plane being replaced with Jumba's ship and takes place in the mountains.
The alien species and even the spaceships in Lilo & Stitch were inspired by Hawaiian wildlife and marine creatures as well. In Jumba's case, he seems to be inspired by sea lions and their relatives.
In Lilo & Stitch, Jumba mentioned that Stitch was "irresistibly drawn to large cities, where he will flood sewers, reverse street signs, and steal everyone's left shoe." In storyboards/concepts during Jumba's trial, there were video feeds of Stitch attacking a peaceful alien planet called "Lytwoc", in which he flooded sewers, reversed street signs, and stole left shoes from several citizens of the planet.
Also in Lilo & Stitch, when Jumba attacks Stitch on the ceiling using plates like shurikens in that film's climax, he claims that he wants to reprogram Stitch to be "taller" and "not so fluffy", hence foreshadowing the creations of both Experiment 627 and 629/Leroy in Lilo & Stitch: The Series and Leroy & Stitch, respectively; coincidentally, both of them are improved versions of Stitch that are more evil and destructive and less fluffy than Stitch himself.
In Stitch! The Movie and certain episodes of Lilo & Stitch: The Series, it is revealed that Jumba's bare feet exactly resemble Gantu's.
In "Spooky", Jumba's worst fear is his ex-wife.
Jumba states in "The Asteroid" that he finds chewing food rather annoying because on his home planet, nutrients are sucked in through the skin. However, at the end of the same episode, he admits that he enjoys pizza, and in "Holio", he mentions that he likes eating pastrami.
We learn in "The Asteroid" that Jumba had been banished from his home planet for evil genius research, but in "Sinker", he mentions about having given presents to his evil genius family back home (hinting that he may come from a family of evil geniuses), implying while he cannot go back to his home planet, he is allowed to send gifts there.
Jumba was David Ogden Stiers' last character in the Disney Animated Canon, 16 years before his death in 2018.
.jpg "Jumba, Pleakley and Mr. Bubbles (What do we do now).jpg (75 KB)")
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