After the backlash against the ending ofLilo & Stitch(2025), one star is coming to the film’s defense.Disney’s latest live-action remakefollows Lilo Pelekai (Maia Kealoha), Nani (Sydney Agudong), and Stitch (Chris Sanders), as they face off against the mad scientist Jumba (Zach Galifianakis). It was released on May 23 and quicklyearned over $1 billion at the box office.
Yet, despite its initial success, it is somewhat controversial, givenLilo & Stitch’s divisive ending. While the animated classic saw Nani retaining custody over Lilo, the remake hasNani giving up custodycompletely. Lilo is sent to Tūtū (Amy Hill), while Nani studies Marine Biology in California. The decision sparked considerable backlash, as it seemingly ignored the “Ohana” message.
Though Agudong understands the backlash, she defended the movie’s changes while speaking withForbes. Emphasizing that"change is scary,“Agudong explained that these narrative decisions were made in an effort to prove that Nani could have a life of her own outside of being forced to parent Lilo. Check out her comments below:
I felt like I understood where Nani’s heart was.I understand sacrifices that way, and I wanted to pay homage and tribute to those types of people who were in my life. Being an older sister and seeing that, I almost felt like I wanted to do this as a love letter to my sister.
Family is a huge thing. It’s really tough to understand something when you’re outside and vice versa. It’s constantly changing. What is tough is that there are not a lot of people who get the opportunity to [leave the island]. I totally understand Lilo and Nani had a very fortunate series of events at the very end. Does that always happen? No. But, at the same time, I think it’s extremely important to see how they made it through all these sacrifices. They created their own hānai family within all of this broken mess after losing their parents, thinking that everything is over and thatNani never had a future.
Yes, it means ‘nobody gets forgotten or left behind,’ and that’s still true to this day. That also means blood or not. We’ve got your back. That’s the point. That’s what they got right.Your family is what you make of it, and they will be there for you, blood or not. The community is your family.
What This Means For Nani’s Character
Lilo & Stitch 2 Will Likely Retain This Change
The changes did not necessarily make Nani a weaker character, but they did significantly shift her narrative goals. While the original movie saw Nani as a frustrated older sister, the remake gave her goals of her own.Nani is no longer setting aside her own interests for Lilo’s sake, but she is instead able to explore her personal dreams.
The idea reportedly came from Sanders, according todirector Dean Fleischer Camp, who argued that “Neighbors, church groups, aunties and uncles,all these people would step in” to help support the sisters. The shift was largely to showcase the communal nature of life in Hawaii, as “ohana” would not simply be restricted to Nani’s blood relatives.
By allowing Nani to leave home to pursue her dreams, the movieleaves Lilo in a stable home, while also letting Nani prove that everyone has the right to follow their interests. She no longer needs to put her life on hold until Lilo is older, which could help fight the resentment that Nani felt early in the original movie.
They Weren’t Really Necessary
Image via Disney
Every live-action remake is left in the unenviable position of being forced to make some changes to the source material. These can be minor moves made to make characters more expressive in a live-action environment, but they could also be great narrative shifts. Given that these movies are classics,any changes at all will inevitably enrage some viewers.
The next Disney live-action remake isMoana, which will be released on July 23, 2025.
Anyone hoping to see a live-action reimagining of the exact same script will be disappointed, but the “Ohana” changes were an unforced error. Nani’s story was tragic, but her love for Lilo resounded through the decades, and the remake is losing something by having hersimply leave Lilo behind.
Even if Nani and Lilo are still in regular contact, it means leaving her sister to move in order to California to pursue a program that is readily offered in Hawaii.Lilo & Stitch’s Nani story simply feels like abandonment, rather than a self-actualizing opportunity. The Nani changes are certainly defensible, but they arenot necessarily the correct decision.
