The one “Lilo & Stitch” fan theory you probably never heard before

Prepare to be amazed: This is one of the best Disney fan theories we’ve ever read. Like, it’s totally sound. The theory, which we uncovered on Reddit, is about Lilo and Nani’s parents in Lilo & Stitch. In the film, we’re told that they died in a car crash. But kapu_koa suggests they were really in the CIA.

Let’s start at the beginning of the movie. When the Grand Councilwoman comes for Stitch, she mentions that she’s seen the social worker Cobra Bubbles before. And Cobra replies that he used to work at Roswell with the CIA. (Also, he totally looks like a CIA agent, so there’s that. Maybe it’s the Men in Black vibe/outfit.) We think nothing of it and move on. But wait: Isn’t it kind of weird that a CIA agent — who worked with aliens — would just walk away from the job and become a social worker?

According to the theory, Cobra’s former partner was one of Lilo’s parents. Maybe he knew both of them, even. That’s why he keeps such a close watch over Lilo and Nani: He’s so involved because he’s doing it for his former partner. He’s more of a guardian than a social worker, really.

“Lilo’s behavioral problems, the state of their house, and the frequency Lilo is left to her own devices would have any other social worker taking Lilo out of that environment well before the events of the film, or at the very least intervening with some sort of court ordered therapy,” kapu_koa writes.

Whoa, right? But that’s not all. The theory goes on to suggest that Lilo is on the island of Kaua’i because of a special assignment. You know how she’s always taking pictures of people? Specifically, more overweight people? Perhaps when she was younger, Lilo’s dad used to bring her along when he was looking for a target. A young daughter was the perfect cover — nobody would suspect anything strange from a father/daughter duo taking pictures. The behavior of taking pictures stayed with her, and became a way for her to stay close to her late father.

Oh, and maybe that can explain Lilo’s odd book collection! She has a roadmap of Iowa, plus books like Oyster Farming: Is It For You?, Practical Voodoo, and Fire Eating for Fun and Profit. They’re probably titles that their parents read while undercover!

(Images via Disney.)