Lilo & Stitch

Disney Gets Backlash For “Lilo & Stitch” Casting

by

Disney’s run of live-action adaptations for their animated classics has been mixed. 2017’s Beauty and the Beast? Totally forgettable. 2019’s Dumbo? I bet you forgot this movie happened. 2019’s The Lion King? Memed to hell and back because CGI animals can’t show emotion. 2020’s Mulan? Meh. 2021’s Cruella? Did surprisingly well.

But that hasn’t stopped Disney from making these films because they are the company with more money than God. The Little Mermaid, led by Halle Bailey, premieres later this year. Also reportedly in the works is The Princess And The Frog. But one project that may have slipped under the radar is a live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, the charming movie about the Hawaiian girl who adopts an alien. That was until Disney announced who would be playing one of the main characters.

Disney Casts Light-Skinned Actress For Famously Non-White Role

Nani is a pivotal character in Lilo & Stitch. She is Lilio’s older sister, who is trying her best to care for their family after the death of their parents. The original film perfectly balances showing Nani as overbearing from Lilo’s perspective while also highlighting the sad reality of this twenty-something thrust into the role of both sister and mother. Nani does her best and eventually comes to finally realize her sister’s uniqueness and a better way to interact with her.

In an announcement made April 13, it was announced that Hawaiian-born actress Sydney Agudong had been cast Nani. There was just a small problem – Nani (and Lilo) are indigenous Hawaiians. They are some of the few prominent non-white characters in Disney’s animated films of that era. Adudong is very light-skinned, as countless side-by-side comparisons have shown. Safe to say that fans were less than impressed. There was widespread criticism of Disney “white-washing” the role, which uniquely represents contemporary Hawaii. Hawaii’s indigenous population have long asked for white tourists and families to not visit or move to the islands. This is due to the increasing displacement of the indigenous population to make room for tourism and housing for white relocators. The replacement of an indigenous character with a white-passing actress is in its own way a reflection of Hawaii’s problems.

Twitter Reacts

[via]

Zach Galifianakis Cast In Disney’s Live-Action “Lilo & Stitch”

by

That’s right, Disney is doing a live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch and the cast is coming into fruition. Zach Galifianakis has officially joined the cast of the movie that has Disney fans buzzing. Disney has not disclosed the details of Galifianakis’ role in the film. However, the film is set to be released on Disney+. Dean Fleischer Camp’s Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is nominated for best-animated feature at the upcoming 95th annual Academy Awards. He will be directing the Lilo & Stitch adaptation from Chris Kekaniokalani Bright’s script.

Galifianakis will star in the live-action movie that follows the iconic 2002 animated film, Lilo & Stitch. The family hit grossed $273 million globally at the box office. Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois wrote and directed Lilo & Stitch. The film centers around 6-year-old Lilo and her teenage sister, Nani. The pair live in Hawai’i and adopt Stitch, an adorable, mischievous blue alien. The movie features wonderful songs, such as “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride,” and introduced audiences outside Hawai’i to the concept of ‘ohana.

Zach Galifianakis Gets A New Role

Zach Galifianakis arrives at the U.S. premiere of Ron’s Gone Wrong at El Capitan Theatre on October 19, 2021 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)

Galifianakis marks the beginning of the studio’s casting process for the film, which is still in the early stages of pre-production. Disney has begun a wide search for their perfect Lilo and Nani. Stitch will, obviously, be made and portrayed using CGI. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich (Rideback) are producing the Lilo & Stitch remake. Ryan Halprin (Rideback) will executive produce. Fans know Galifianakis for his work in The Hangover trilogy, but he has additional impressive credits. Some of these credits include Due Date, The Campaign, Puss in Boots, Keeping Up with the Joneses, and The Lego Batman Movie. He also won two primetime Emmy awards for his short-form series, Between Two Ferns, and is a five-time nominee.

This is not Galifianakis’ first time working with Disney. He voiced Ron in Disney’s Twentieth Century Studios and Locksmith Animation series, Ron’s Gone Wrong. He also played a live-action role for Disney previously with 2018’s A Wrinkle in Time. UTA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Yorn Levine represent Galifianakis. The Hollywood Reporter was the first to announce the news of his casting.

[Via]