Lilo & Stitch faced a massive backlash over its ending that was quite different from the original movie.
2025 family adventure is an action live remake of the 2002 animated movie that goes by the same name.
The new version features Maia Kealoha, Sydney Agudong as Lilo and Nani.
While the original version showed Nani retaining custody of her baby sister, the live action remake depicts Nani giving up custody completely.
Lilo is handed over to Tūtū, played by Amy Hill, as Nani heads to California to study Marine Biology.
The ending sparked controversy online with fans pointing out that the film ignored the core message “Ohana”, which means family.
Agudong has finally addressed the backlash by saying that this decision was made to change narratives to prove that Nani could have lived a life of her own besides being forced to parent Lilo.
“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.”
The 24-year-old also explained that they did not ignore the Ohana message.
Sydney told Forbes, “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.”
