Stitch & Ai

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Stitch & Ai
Stitch & Ai cast poster.jpg
A promotional poster for Stitch & Ai featuring the show's main characters. From left to right: Dahu, Jiejie, Jumba, Pleakley, Ai, and Stitch.
Chinese安玲与史迪奇
MandarinĀn líng yǔ shǐ dí qí
LiterallyAn Ling and Stitch
Genre
Based onLilo & Stitch characters
by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
Written byMarc Handler[1]
Directed byTony Craig[2]
Marc Handler[3] (voices)[1]
Voices of
ComposerStephen James Taylor[7]
Country of originChina
Original languagesEnglish (original production)[8]
Mandarin Chinese (dubbed; first released version)[8]
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producers
  • Wang Gang
  • Pei Duo
  • Tian Tian
  • Tony Craig
  • Marc Handler[1]
ProducersCao Jie
Wu Wensheng
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesAnhui Xinhua Media
Panimation Hwakai Media
DistributorDisney Media Distribution
Release
Original network
Picture format1080i (HDTV)
Original releaseMarch 27 (2017-03-27)[9] –
April 6, 2017 (2017-04-06)[10]
Chronology
Related shows

Stitch & Ai (Chinese: 安玲与史迪奇; pinyin: Ān líng yǔ shǐ dí qí; lit. 'An Ling and Stitch') is an English-language-produced Chinese animated spin-off of Disney's Lilo & Stitch franchise. It is the franchise's third television series, after the Western animated Lilo & Stitch: The Series and the Japanese Stitch! anime series, and was produced with the assistance of American animators. Set in Huangshan, Anhui, the thirteen-episode series features a Chinese girl named Wang Ai Ling in place of the original 2002–06 Western continuity's Lilo Pelekai and the anime's Yuna Kamihara as the titular human companion of the alien Stitch.

The series first aired in China with a Mandarin Chinese dub from March 27[9] to April 6, 2017.[10] The original English-language version first aired from February 5[4] to 27, 2018, in Southeast Asia on that region's Disney Channel. Twelve episodes of the series later received a free digital streaming release in the United States via DisneyNow on December 1, 2018,[11] although it was later removed from the service in June 2019.

Plot[]

Stitch & Ai follows the events of Lilo & Stitch and its subsequent film and television sequels up to and including Leroy & Stitch.[12] The series shows Stitch kidnapped by the Jaboodies, a faction of alien criminals who want to use him to win a space war after hacking a United Galactic Federation database and discovering a previously-unrevealed "metamorphosis program" that was secretly programmed in Stitch—a function that causes the experiment to grow into a giant beast with four laser-firing tentacles when his destructive programming is triggered in a large city. However, a rival faction called the Woolagongs, who managed to steal the stolen data from the Jaboodies, board the Jaboodies' battle cruiser spaceship to try to kidnap Stitch themselves from the Jaboodies, only for Stitch to be freed in the fighting. He escapes back to Earth, ending up on China's Huangshan mountains.

In Huangshan, Stitch meets Wang Ai Ling, a spirited local girl who is at risk of being separated from her older sister Jiejie by their aunt Daiyu after the sisters lost their parents in the past year. Daiyu, who hates the mountains and lives in a city, desires to move Ai to in with her, believing that Ai would live a better life in the city, but Ai loves her home and is resistant to the idea. Stitch quickly befriends Ai and becomes her new "dog", and the two help one another dealing with the other's problems; Ai helps Stitch fight off the Jaboodies and Woolagongs so he wouldn't be taken or used by either of them, as well as help find a shrine that he's been seeing in unusual visions he's been having, while he helps her ward off Daiyu's attempts to take her away in order to have her stay in the mountains with Jiejie. Jumba and Pleakley later show up initially trying to rescue Stitch and bring him back to the United Galactic Federation, but Ai and Jiejie convince the two aliens to let Stitch stay with them, letting them stay to keep a watch on Stitch and to help out him and his new family.

The series also features various flashbacks to key scenes in the franchise that appear in "Hello - Goodbye", "Teacher's Pet", and "Monstrosity". The flashbacks consist of closely re-animated sequences, copying the originals to the best of their ability. The flashback scenes are based on scenes from the original Lilo & Stitch, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, and The Origin of Stitch. In co-ordinance with this, there are occasional appearances from previous characters of the Lilo & Stitch franchise, including Captain Gantu, the Grand Councilwoman, Cobra Bubbles, the Ice Cream Man, and (briefly and from a distance) Dr. Hämsterviel.

Characters[]

See also: List of Lilo & Stitch characters § Characters introduced in Stitch & Ai
  • Stitch (史迪奇; Shǐ dí qí) – An alien genetic experiment also known as Experiment 626. He was kidnapped by space criminals who want to use him so they can have their own evil genetic experiment, but he manages to escape back to Earth, ending up in China. He befriends a local girl named Ai, who takes him into her family. He is voiced in English by Ben Diskin,[4] who also voiced the character in the Stitch! anime, and in Mandarin by Li Zhengxiang.[citation needed]
  • Wang Ai Ling (王安玲; Wáng Ān líng) – A Chinese girl who lives in the Huangshan mountains. Her aunt wants to move her to the city, but she wants to stay in the mountains. Ai befriends Stitch, taking him in as her "dog", and helps him ward off the warring alien factions that want him. She serves as this series's counterpart to Lilo Pelekai. She is voiced in English by Erica Mendez,[4] who tweeted that she is a fan of Stitch and getting to voice his companion in a series was "a dream come true" for her.[13] In Mandarin, the character is voiced by Jiang Sunwei.[citation needed]
  • Wang Jiejie (王婕婕; Wáng jié jié) – A young Chinese woman who tries to take care of her younger sister Ai after their parents' death. She works at a tea shop for a man named Mr. Ding. She serves as this series's counterpart to Nani Pelekai. She is voiced in English by Laura Post[4] and in Mandarin by Li Yan.[citation needed]
  • Qian Dahu (钱大胡; Qián dà hú) – Jiejie's boyfriend and Ai's drum instructor. He serves as this series's counterpart to David Kawena, with an element of Moses Puloki with regards to his teachings of a local tradition. He is voiced in English by Lucien Dodge.[4]
  • Jumba Jookiba (强霸卓奇霸) – The Kweltikwan creator of Stitch. He is sent by the Grand Councilwoman to retrieve Stitch from the space criminals that captured him. However, after reuniting with Stitch in China and meeting his new family, Jumba decides to let Stitch to stay with Ai, sticking around himself to assist and watch over him. The show also reveals that he is the galaxy's leading expert on metamorphosis. He is voiced in English by Jess Winfield, who previously served as screenwriter and executive producer for Lilo & Stitch: The Series and its films Stitch! The Movie and Leroy & Stitch, and voiced the same character in the Stitch! anime.[4] In Mandarin, the character is voiced by Cheng Yuzhu.[citation needed]
  • Wendell "Wendy" Pleakley (温帝独眼霹雳) – A Plorgonarian former United Galactic Federation agent and Jumba's partner. He is also sent by the Grand Councilwoman to retrieve Stitch alongside Jumba. After Jumba decides to let Stitch stay with Ai, Pleakley also stays with Stitch's new family and tries to help out. He is voiced in English by Lucien Dodge[4] and in Mandarin by Hu Qian.[citation needed]
  • Daiyu (姨妈) – Ai and Jiejie's mysophobic aunt who believes that Ai should not be living in the "dirty" mountains and move to the city, despite her nieces' protests. She is voiced in English by Laura Post[4] and in Mandarin by Yan Lixuan.[citation needed]
  • Meiying (美英; Měiyīng) – Ai's rival who serves as this series's counterpart to Mertle Edmonds. She is voiced in English by Cherami Leigh and Xanthe Huynh.[4]
  • Sage – A wise but mysterious sage who observes Stitch and Ai's journey, appearing to them at times. He hands ancient scrolls to Jumba so the Kweltikwan can use them to make ancient Chinese creatures. He is voiced in English by Lucien Dodge.[4]
  • The Jaboodies – A race of reptilian-like alien creatures who are at war with the Woolagongs. They desire to use Experiment 626 (Stitch) and his metamorphosis program to make him fight for them to win their space war. They were the ones to have captured Stitch prior to the events the show. Their leader, Commander Wombat, is voiced in English by Richard Epcar.[6][4]
  • The Woolagongs – A race of platypus-like alien creatures who are at war with the Jaboodies. They also desire to use Stitch to make him fight for them to win their space war. They accidentally freed Stitch at the beginning of the series when they attack the Jaboodies' battle cruiser spaceship. Their leader, credited as "Platypus", is voiced in English by Lucien Dodge.[4]
  • Mr. Ding – Jiejie's employer who runs a tea shop and likes to juggle tea kettles. He is voiced in English by Richard Epcar.[6][4]
  • Dim Long – An orange dragon-like experiment Jumba makes as a beta test for future experiments. He has the ability to fly without wings using the power of qi. Introduced in "The Lock", he acts as a pet to the aliens.

Kyle Hebert, Bobby Thong, Sarah Anne Williams, Deborah Crane, Jacob Craner, and Steve Kramer provide additional voices.[4]

Episodes[]

All episodes were written by Marc Handler, who also directed the voice cast, and directed by Tony Craig.
No.TitleOriginal air date
(Mandarin Chinese dub)		English air date
(Southeast Asia)
1"Hello – Goodbye"
Chinese title: "你好黄山"[9]		March 27, 2017 (2017-03-27)[9]February 5, 2018[14]
Stitch is held captive on a spaceship above Earth by an alien faction called the Jaboodies, who want to use him against his own will to win a space war against their enemies, the Woolagongs. However, the Woolagongs themselves attacks the ship wanting Stitch for themselves, accidentally freeing him in the process during the fight and allowing him to escape back to Earth. Upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere, Stitch lands in China's Huangshan mountains where he meets orphaned Chinese girl Wang Ai Ling. Her aunt Daiyu has told her that she will be forcibly moved out of her mountain home and separated from her older sister Jiejie to live in a city. The two quickly bond as the girl shows the blue alien around the mountains. Stitch desires to find a shrine he's been seeing in visions he had, but once Ai takes him to a shrine that does not match the one in his visions, they soon find themselves pursued by both alien factions. Ultimately, after Stitch and Ai leads them on a goose chase around the mountains, causing a number of both factions' soldiers to be knocked out, teleporting away to regroup. When Stitch and Ai finally arrive at the latter's house, Daiyu sees the unusual and "ugly" Stitch and freaks out, calling for Jiejie, but when she turns her back, Stitch curls into a ball and Ai pretends to be playing with the blue "ball". After Jiejie brings Daiyu back inside, Stitch then tells Ai that the two of them will find a way to get her to stay in the mountains where she belongs.
2"Teacher's Pet"
Chinese title: "家是最重要的"[15]		March 28, 2017 (2017-03-28)[16]February 6, 2018[citation needed]
Ai, who's happy to now have Stitch in her life, is ready to show her science class a strobe light she made. However, she and Stitch, who snuck into her school, find that her teacher has been possessed and mutated by a Woolagong sent to capture Stitch, leading to Stitch and Ai fighting the possessed teacher in the classroom. Meanwhile, at Mr. Ding's tea shop, Jiejie tries to convince Daiyu to not move Ai to the city, deciding to bring her to Ai's school to show that Ai is getting a good education there.
3"Gotcha!"
Chinese title: "外星访客"[15]		March 28, 2017 (2017-03-28)[17]February 7, 2018[citation needed]
After Jiejie and Dahu head out, Stitch and Ai find they are being spied on by the Jaboodies' "spybots". Meanwhile, Jumba and Pleakley are ordered by the Grand Councilwoman to go to Earth and bring Stitch back before either the Jaboodies or the Woolagongs get him first. Once they arrive, however, they find that Stitch isn't willing to be taken away by anyone, even his old family.
4"The Scroll"
Chinese title: "神奇的竹简"[15]		March 29, 2017 (2017-03-29)[18]February 8, 2018[citation needed]
Jumba and Pleakley come to Earth to get Stitch, who flees with Ai to an old shrine with a strange sage there. The sage helps Stitch and Ai flee from the aliens, and sidetracks Jumba with ancient scrolls that detail monsters, which peaks the scientist's "evil genius" curiosity, leading him to create a qilin. Shortly after Stitch and Ai return home, the Jaboodies' drones arrive to capture Stitch, but he's saved by Jumba's qilin, who destroys the drones. However, Jumba then finally captures Stitch afterward, which upsets Ai to the point of having a breakdown. After Jiejie passionately argues for Jumba and Pleakley to let Ai keep Stitch, the alien partners free him and explain to the Grand Councilwoman via video chat what happened. She permits Jumba and Pleakley to let Stitch live with Ai, under the condition that they are responsible for safeguarding him.
5"Spirals"
Chinese title: "爱的力量"[15]		March 29, 2017 (2017-03-29)[19]February 12, 2018[citation needed]
Jumba creates a dragon, which disobeys him. He then realizes the dragon needs a mate or it will turn evil for 100 years. They succeed in this, but have to fight off one of the factions threatening the newborn dragon egg.
6"The Lock"
Chinese title: "同心锁"[15]		March 30, 2017 (2017-03-30)[20]February 13, 2018[citation needed]
Ai takes Stitch to a bridge where several locks are. Friends write their names on the locks and lock them on the bridge as a symbol of their unbreakable friendship. Unfortunately, Stitch does not agree with where to place the lock, resulting in them fighting over it and dropping the lock below the bridge.
7"Dragon Parade"
Chinese title: "舞龙庆典"[15]		March 30, 2017 (2017-03-30)[21]February 14, 2018[citation needed]
Dahu is assigned to lead the town's annual Chinese New Year dragon parade. A dragon puppet for the parade is ruined by accident when Meiying and her friends accidentally burn it while taking smartphone photos, so Ai has Jumba substitute the puppet by having Dim Long temporarily enlarged to take its place. Meanwhile, Stitch tricks the Jaboodies and the Woolagongs to invade Earth at the same time to get him, causing them to fight and severely damage to each other at the end.
8"Tell the World"
Chinese title: "告诉世界"[15]		March 31, 2017 (2017-03-31)[22]February 15, 2018[citation needed]
Ai and her classmates are motivated to produce and share videos for an online event called Tell the World. Meanwhile, Jumba creates a nian who captures children around town. When Stitch and Ai find out that the nian likes watching videos, they pretend to be a director and producer who are going to make him a movie star so they could trick him into leading them to where he captured the children.
9"The Phoenix"
Chinese title: "凤凰"[15]		March 31, 2017 (2017-03-31)[23]February 20, 2018[citation needed]
Daiyu brings Ai's cousin Bao to try to convince Ai to move to the city. Jumba creates a fenghuang that quickly grows and flies off to find a ruined shrine, so Ai, Stitch, and Bao head after it. However, two alien hunters try to capture the fenghuang to try to sell it to collectors. (Note: This episode was not released in the United States.)
10"Dream On"
Chinese title: "梦境"[15]		April 5, 2017 (2017-04-05)[24]February 21, 2018[citation needed]
The Woolagongs send an agent down to knock out and capture Stitch. His dream beam gun instead zaps Ai, bringing her imaginary friend to life. The friend takes her to a mythical land in the mountains called the Valley of Dreams, which brings her dreams, good and bad, to life, including a dream of Stitch growing into a monster. Meanwhile, Jumba creates a mo, and Stitch captures the agent that zapped Ai. After Jeijei contacts Jumba saying that Ai was absent from school, the aliens set out to find the little girl.
11"Nuo Opera"
Chinese title: "傩戏"[15] Alternate English title: "Creatures"[11][25]		April 5, 2017 (2017-04-05)[26]February 22, 2018[citation needed]
Stitch decides to be naughty and mass produce mythical creatures Jumba has been working on. The end result is ruining the nuo opera the town was planning to put on. Cobra Bubbles radios the Galactic Alliance, ready to apprehend Stitch. However, after witnessing Stitch remedy his mistake and gets the creatures to behave and successfully help put on the nuo opera, he calls off the attack.
12"Brothers"
Chinese title: "兄弟" [15]		April 6, 2017 (2017-04-06)[27]February 26, 2018[citation needed]
Pleakley finds an alien cube, which gives Ai and Stitch "brothers" named Yong and Scratch. They all get along until Scratch starts convincing Stitch to act bad.
13"Monstrosity"
Chinese title: "我有家了"[15]		April 6, 2017 (2017-04-06)[10]February 27, 2018[citation needed]
Ai learns that the "brothers" the cube created for her and Stitch are actually disguised Jaboodies that have activated the destructive programming in him. Stitch grows into a monster and attacks the city, but Ai is able to get through to the real Stitch. Stitch uses his new form to destroy the weaponry of the Jaboodies, then after shrinking back down to his normal size, he gets help from most of Jumba's recreated Chinese creatures to drive the Jaboodies away. After returning home, Stitch is disappointed to still not have found the shrine from his visions, but is nonetheless grateful to have a family.

Production[]

Stitch & Ai is produced by Anhui Xinhua Media[28] and Panimation Hwakai Media[28][4] in association with Disney[4] with additional work by Showfun Animation, Shanghai Fire & Ice Media, and Shanghai Aoju Media.[4] The series began broadcast on CCTV-14 on March 27, 2017.[28] Unlike Stitch!, this series was produced in co-operation with American Disney animators to maintain a sense of visual continuity to the original American-produced films and TV series.[4] The series was produced as part of an effort by Disney to enter the Chinese animation market.[29] It was originally produced in English then dubbed into Mandarin Chinese.

Tony Craig, an executive producer of Lilo & Stitch: The Series who directed Stitch! The Movie, Leroy & Stitch, and the season two episodes "Spike" and "Shoe", served as director for Stitch & Ai.[8][2] Victor Cook, who was a director for both seasons of Lilo & Stitch: The Series, was initially signed onto the Chinese series and even visited China to assist making the eighth episode.[30] At first, Cook contacted Craig to storyboard the first episode, but when Cook had to drop out due to other commitments, he had Craig take over directing.[2] Craig joined during pre-production, and had to delay joining in full due to a prior employment issue, although Panimation waited for him.[2] Craig oversaw the storyboards, animatics, animation, most of the designs, and all the editing sessions, but he was not involved with the dialogue recordings, which happened in Los Angeles while Craig lives in North Carolina.[2]

The show made its English premiere on Disney Channel Asia on February 5, 2018.[14][4] The series (except for the ninth episode "The Phoenix") later became available in the United States for free streaming on DisneyNow on December 1, 2018.[11][25] It was later removed from the service in June 2019.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Handler, Marc. "Handler's Resume" (PDF). MarcHandler.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Croyle, Joshua. "Interview with Tony Craig: Director of Stitch & Ai!". JoshuaCroyle.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  3. ^ "Takao" (June 24, 2017). "Disney's Stitch returns in new Chinese series Stitch & Ai". ToonBarn. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2017. It was directed by Marc Handler, who previously handled localization work on BattleClaw, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Naruto, Battle B-Daman and a bunch of other series.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "Takao" (February 13, 2018). "Stitch & Ai debuts in South East Asia". ToonBarn. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  5. ^ Epcar, Richard. "Richard Epcar – Voice Acting Resume" (PDF). RichardEpcar.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c Epcar, Richard. "Richard Epcar – Characters Resume" (PDF). RichardEpcar.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  7. ^ "Stephen James Taylor Scores 'Stitch and Ai' for Disney China" (Press release). Los Angeles, California: Soundtrack Music Associates. January 16, 2018. Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c Bennett, Steve (March 29, 2017). "CONFESSIONS OF A COMIC BOOK GUY – TIME FOR TEENS". ICv2. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "An Ling and Stitch – Episode 1". CCTV.com (in Chinese). March 27, 2018. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c "An Ling and Stitch – Episode 13". CCTV.com (in Chinese). April 6, 2018. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c ""Stitch & Ai" Has Surprise Release on DisneyNOW". LaughingPlace.com. December 1, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  12. ^ Croyle, Joshua. "Discussions with Tony Craig: Executive Producer "Lilo & Stitch: The Series" and "Stitch & Ai!"". JoshuaCroyle.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  13. ^ Mendez, Erica [@tsunderica] (February 5, 2018). "Oh... the subsequent tweet didn't go through, but tl;dr.... I love Stitch SO MUCH. Getting to be his companion in a series was a dream come true" (Tweet). Retrieved February 5, 2019 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b "Disney Channel Asia – Stitch & Ai Promo". YouTube. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l "An Ling and Stitch official CCTV program page". CCTV.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on June 24, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  16. ^ "An Ling and Stitch – Episode 2". CCTV.com (in Chinese). March 28, 2018. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  17. ^ "An Ling and Stitch – Episode 3". CCTV.com (in Chinese). March 28, 2018. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  18. ^ "An Ling and Stitch – Episode 4". CCTV.com (in Chinese). March 29, 2018. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  19. ^ "An Ling and Stitch – Episode 5". CCTV.com (in Chinese). March 29, 2018. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  20. ^ "An Ling and Stitch – Episode 6". CCTV.com (in Chinese). March 30, 2018. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  21. ^ "An Ling and Stitch – Episode 7". CCTV.com (in Chinese). March 30, 2018. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  22. ^ "An Ling and Stitch – Episode 8". CCTV.com (in Chinese). March 31, 2018. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  23. ^ "An Ling and Stitch – Episode 9". CCTV.com (in Chinese). March 31, 2018. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  24. ^ "An Ling and Stitch – Episode 10". CCTV.com (in Chinese). April 5, 2018. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b "Watch Stitch & Ai TV Show". DisneyNow. Archived from the original on December 1, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  26. ^ "An Ling and Stitch – Episode 11". CCTV.com (in Chinese). April 5, 2018. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  27. ^ "An Ling and Stitch – Episode 12". CCTV.com (in Chinese). April 6, 2018. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  28. ^ Jump up to: a b c 《安玲与史迪奇》27日起全球首播. Xinhua News Agency (in Chinese). March 27, 2017. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  29. ^ Mo Hong'e (2018-09-11). "Disney shares its secrets with leading Chinese animators". Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on 2018-09-11. Retrieved 2018-09-12 – via ecns.cn.
  30. ^ "流程流程流程！重要的事情说三遍！—— Victor Cook". qq.com (in Chinese). December 22, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2019.

External links[]

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