Lilo & Stitch character becomes unlikely ambassador of high culture
Bringing a sense of fun and irreverence to the solemnity of a historical Italian gallery was the brief for The&Partnership, who we reckon pulled off its Lilo & Stitch partnership.
Disney Italy, in collaboration with the Galleria dell’Accademia and the Italian Ministry of Culture, has launched a promotional campaign for the live-action remake of ‘Lilo & Stitch’.
Released on May 23, the campaign, crafted by creative agency The&Partnership, features a playful video and a temporary sculpture of Stitch, the mischievous alien from the film, set against the iconic backdrop of Michelangelo’s David. And why not?
The initiative, which runs until June 20, 2025, blends art, humour, and chaos to tap into the film’s themes of creativity and family, while sparking both delight and debate among art enthusiasts.
Stitch’s chaotic encounter with Renaissance Art
The campaign centres on a 90-second promotional video that captures Stitch’s whirlwind arrival at the Accademia Gallery. Directed by Molly Burdett through Iconoclast, the video shows the blue, dog-like alien crash-landing his police spaceship on a Florence street before bursting into the museum.
Chaos ensues as Stitch weaves through crowds, dodges security guards, and playfully disrupts restorers working on masterpieces like Giambologna’s ‘Rape of the Sabine Women’. The mayhem halts when Stitch encounters Michelangelo’s ‘David’, the 16th-century masterpiece. Awestruck by its beauty, Stitch transforms from troublemaker to artist, sculpting a plaster statue of himself draped in a toga, complete with his signature grin and perky ears.
This ‘self-portrait’ statue, created exclusively for the campaign, is now on display in one of the Accademia’s rooms until June 20, 2025. The initiative, approved by the Italian Ministry of Culture, aims to “bring people of all ages closer to Italian cultural heritage in a fun and engaging way,” according to a Disney Italy press release.
The&Partnership’s vision
The campaign was developed by The&Partnership, a London-based creative agency known for its innovative storytelling. The agency collaborated closely with Disney Italy and the Accademia Gallery to craft a narrative that bridges contemporary pop culture with Renaissance art.
“Stitch’s irreverent energy is the perfect foil for the solemnity of the Accademia,” said Sarah Golding, CEO of The&Partnership. “We wanted to show how art can inspire even the most chaotic characters, reflecting the film’s message of finding family and purpose.”
The agency’s strategy includes a multi-platform rollout, with the video shared across Disney’s YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok channels, alongside OOH placements featuring Stitch and David in Florence and key Italian cities.
Our take
This Disney Paris campaign is memorable in part because it's so unexpected. The ad juxtaposes Stitch’s anarchic energy with the timeless elegance of the Accademia Gallery - which is not a sentence I thought I’d write.
Quick cuts and bright colours contrast with the museum’s muted marble halls, and the social media assets amplify the campaign’s humour, with TikTok and Instagram Reels featuring behind-the-scenes footage of the statue’s creation and fan reactions.
The campaign might seem a bit random, because it is, but ultimately it sparks a broader conversation about blending pop culture with high art. The more we can diversify museum audiences, the better I say.
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