Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the Lilo & Stitch live-action remake.
For many, Lilo & Stitch is considered a cult classic.
In contrast, the recently released live-action version of the 2002 Disney animation has undergone significant alterations, primarily with a revised finale.
In the finale of the animated film, Stitch’s emotional speech persuaded the United Galactic Federation to allow him to complete his exile on Earth alongside 6-year-old Lilo and her sister Nani. Consequently, their “ohana” (family) was safeguarded from social services attempting to place Lilo in a different, supposedly more suitable home.
Regarding the live-action remake, it’s stated that Sydney Agudong (Nani) departs Hawaii to study marine biology at a college in California, leaving Lilo (Maia Kealoha) with their neighbor Tutu (Amy Hill). Many viewers found this ending to be problematic as it seemed to significantly change Nani’s character and the overall message of the movie.
In a nutshell, it seems that you’re sharing information about the end of the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch. You mentioned that Nani leaves Lilo with neighbors so she can go to California to study marine biology, but as you pointed out, there’s already an institute for marine biology in Hawaii.
Apart from the alternative ending where the two sisters are divided, despite a magical gateway enabling frequent meetings, fans of the original movie were also displeased when they found out that Captain Gantu was omitted from the updated version and instead, Dr. Jumba, portrayed by Zach Galifianakis, was transformed into the villain.
A different viewer commented, “I’m not enjoying the apparent reinterpretation of Lilo & Stitch, as it seems to be transforming Jumba from his original quirky scientist character into an outright villain, rather than keeping Gantu in that role.
In the latest movie, Jumba’s associate Pleakley (portrayed by Billy Magnussen) continued to be a significant character. However, some viewers expressed their dismay when the film chose to abandon Pleakley’s distinctive disguises. Rather than concealing himself under wigs and dresses, as was customary for this alien character often referred to as a “drag icon”, the movie opted to grant Pleakley the ability to transform into human form instead.
On platform X, a user pointed out that turning Jumba into the villain and ending Pleakley’s cross-dressing could be seen as an indication of increasing intolerance towards gender diversity, or ‘queerphobia,’ in contemporary culture.
Instead, director Dean Fleischer Camp had earlier explained that the variations in Pleakley’s character were due to the practicalities involved in depicting aliens within a live-action movie setting.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly prior to the movie’s premiere, he remarked that the comical scene featuring characters strolling around Hawaii wearing these outrageous costumes, especially Pleakley with only one eye remaining, may seem less convincing in live-action format.
For more facts about your favorite Disney films, keep reading.
How far did Walt Disney travel to ensure this 1937 film was the most enchanting? Answer: As a teenager, Disney watched a silent adaptation of the fairy tale and decided to create the first full-length animated movie in U.S. history. After three years of production, the budget skyrocketed to $1.5 million. To fund it, he had to mortgage his own home.
2. Initially, another dwarf was meant to take part, but at the last moment, Sneezy stepped in as a replacement. Some other characters, such as Snoopy, Blabby, Dizzy, Graceful, Hotsy, Jumpy and Biggy-Wiggy, were initially envisioned and sketched out, but they were eventually removed from the final lineup.
3. In 1939, when Walt was given an honorary Oscar for the movie, the award was crafted as a single standard statue encircled by seven smaller replicas.
4. In 1941, a heartwarming story about an elephant who learned to cherish his unusually large ears (taken from the 36-page book, Dumbo the Flying Elephant) nearly made it onto the cover of TIME, with Dumbo being considered for Mammal of the Year. However, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, editors opted to change direction.
5. A long time ago, even before Taylor Swift, Disney held the crown for hidden references. The WDP Circus, where Dumbo resides, is actually an (almost overt) abbreviation for Walt Disney Productions.
6. In a brief runtime of 64 minutes, this Disney film stands among their shortest full-length productions. Due to ongoing war-related expenditures, the budget was kept low, amounting to only $812,000 in total.
7. Many people who were distressed by the (early death warning!) demise of Bambi’s mother in the story aren’t unique in their feelings. Diane Disney expressed her concerns about the scene to her father, only to be told that he was adhering to the plot of the book, Bambi: A Life in the Forest. In response, she noted the creative liberties he had taken in previous adaptations.
8. To accurately depict the life tale of a fawn, animators examined wildlife documentaries, made excursions to the LA Zoo, analyzed the actions of two donated deer at their studio, and, as a testament to their dedication, closely observed the process of decomposition in a deceased deer.
10. At age 6, I was given a lifetime role that I would forever be associated with – the voice of Bambi. Despite this early brush with fame, I chose a different path and joined the Marines, serving in the Vietnam War. Throughout my military career, I kept my acting background under wraps (“Most people’s mental image of Bambi was a delicate deer struggling on icy terrain,” I explained to NPR’s StoryCorps). However, during my final weeks of service, when I was just weeks from retirement, I found myself unable to complete an assigned task due to time constraints. It was then that I had to disclose my past acting career to a general, who graciously understood my situation.
He reminisced about how he once saw him, adjusting his glasses as if mimicking a college professor, and then… There was a large, conspicuous, classified file that he fetched from some hidden compartment, bearing my name. He tapped this file, met my gaze squarely, and posed the question, “Won’t you audit the auditors, Major Bambi?” he asked.
By the end of World War II, the studio faced significant financial struggles due to a series of flop movies and excessive spending. To take a risk, they invested $3 million into creating an elegant retelling of a fairy tale. The payoff? After accounting for inflation, this 1950 film has earned over half a billion dollars at the box office and continues to generate income through merchandise sales. And that’s a story with a truly happy ending.
11. Cinderelly is among Disney’s earliest princesses and she’s now 19 years old, which can be considered rather mature in the Disney world. On the other hand, Snow White is only 14. As for her shoe size, it’s quite petite at a little over four and a half.
12. In truth, what does a name matter? Disney chose not to give a name to the charming companion of their leading character. He is merely known as Prince Charming.
13. For Disney, the process of reimagining J.M. Barrie‘s work in 1953 held a deep personal connection. As a child, he had saved money to witness a live performance and later played the role of Peter in a school production after that.
14. As an ardent fan, I can’t help but be captivated by the striking resemblance between Kathryn Beaumont, who brought Wendy Darling to life, and the animated character herself in Peter Pan, not to mention Bobby Driscoll, the actor who played Peter. This likeness significantly impacted the animators’ designs for both characters. Heartbreakingly, Bobby struggled with addiction and passed away at just 31 due to heart failure.
15. Contrary to what one might think from her name, the distinctive sound of Tinker Bell was in fact produced by linking together segments of aluminum.
16. Blimey! Here’s an enchanting love story set among four-legged friends, originating from the heartfelt tale of writer Joe Grant’s Springer Spaniel named Lady. However, it was Disney who gave the high-society dog’s charming suitor an unusual name; they changed “Mutt” to “Tramp”.
17. While creating the 1955 film, Disney’s work environment became dog-friendly, as real dogs were present to motivate the animators.
18. Almost deleted from the final cut, the most memorable scene in this movie was considered too emotionally human for animals by Disney. However, fortunate intervention by director and animator Frank Thomas kept it intact.
19. The movie unexpectedly became a significant success: Despite poor initial box office performance, which caused a temporary disinterest in animated fairytales until “The Little Mermaid” three decades later, repeated releases in 1970, 1979, 1986, and 1995 transformed it into the second-highest grossing film of 1959.
20. Continuing with the sleep metaphor…it had a rather lengthy dormant phase. Originally conceived as early as 1951, the intricately designed sketches (to distinguish it from the other Disney princess film, Cinderella) and Disney’s emphasis on each frame being a piece of art took a considerable amount of time to transform the 17th-century Charles Perrault fairy tale into movies. Notably, Disney was also preoccupied with another minor undertaking: Disneyland during this period.
21. Mary Costa, a skilled opera singer, lent her voice to Sleeping Beauty in one of her notable roles. However, that wasn’t her only significant engagement. Following Jackie Kennedy Onassis being captivated by her performance of the national anthem at the Academy Awards, she was eventually invited to sing at John F. Kennedy’s funeral.
22. Bare essentials only: Shambolic Rocky the Rhino was left out in the 1967 adaptation of animal life, as his scene followed that of comedic Orangutan King Louis; Disney opted against consecutive humor sequences.
23. As a dedicated follower, I recall that Richard and Robert Sherman aimed to secure The Beatles for their song “That’s What Friends Are For,” but the legendary group declined the opportunity to collaborate on this project.
24. This 1989 masterpiece is often credited as the starting point of what we now call Disney’s Renaissance period. After the releases of Oliver & Company, The Black Cauldron, and several Herbie live-action films, the achievement of Ariel and her friends was followed by a series of critically acclaimed 1990s movies such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Toy Story, and more.
25. Take another look at the initial scene featuring King Triton: Keen-eyed spectators (or simply those who can use the pause button) will notice Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck among the underwater throng, a longstanding practice of the studio that pays tribute to its extensive collection of characters.
26. In the oceanic scene, color played a significant role. As stated on the official Walt Disney Company blog, Ariel’s red hair was selected to distinguish her from Daryl Hannah’s blonde mermaid in the 1984 film ‘Splash’, and to harmonize with the unique blue-green shade of her fin, a color concocted by the Disney paint lab and dubbed ‘Ariel’.
27. Regarding her facial characteristics, they were modeled after actress Alyssa Milano, who starred in “Who’s the Boss?” This detail was unknown to her during the process. However, when she was asked to host “The Making of The Little Mermaid” in 2013, she discovered that the design and resemblance of The Little Mermaid were based on photos of her from her younger years, which is incredibly fascinating!
28. Screenwriter Linda Woolverton drew inspiration for creating Belle, a woman powerful enough to tame the Beast, from Katharine Hepburn’s role in “Little Women.” As Jo was more tomboyish, both characters were strong and active women who loved to read and desired something beyond what life presented them. Woolverton explained this connection to the Los Angeles Times. In the initial scene, Belle wore a blue dress, symbolizing her desire for something beyond this small-town existence.
29. Simultaneously, Beast was created by blending various animal traits. Desiring him to be grounded in reality, animator Glen Keane explained, he sports the brow of a gorilla, the head of a buffalo, the mane of a lion, the tusks of a wild boar, the legs of a wolf, and the eyes of a once-proud, now caged prince.
30. The original name for Angela Lansbury’s character, Mrs. Potts in the movie, was Mrs. Chamomile because the producers aimed to find a soothing association. However, they found that no one could easily pronounce it. (Don Hahn explained this to Vanity Fair.)
31. Without cash or royal bloodline, no obstacle too great: The title character defied Disney’s traditional mold with his quick wit, bravery, and irresistible charm. As lead animator Keane put it, “I never could comprehend why Snow White and Sleeping Beauty fell for those princes.” He continued, expressing a desire to give Princess Jasmine a more authentic love interest: “Those guys were just symbols without depth, and their relationships felt predetermined. Our goal was to create a genuine reason for the princess to fall in love.
32′. In contrast to Danny DeVito and Joe Pesci, I was fortunate enough to land the role of the brash parrot Iago, as Gilbert Gottfried agreed to take it on. Interestingly, the character of Genie was specifically crafted for Robin Williams, with producers enthusiastically persuading him before the 1992 film’s release, knowing his exceptional comedic skills would bring the character to life.
Even though Robin only had a limited number of recording days, he offered the producers an abundance of options to work with. As Eric Goldberg, the supervising animator, explained to Entertainment Weekly, “Robin was given so much creative freedom, and improvisation was always encouraged. He would always give us a massive selection to pick from. He would deliver a line as written, but he would also do it in 20 different characters.
33. The stars playing Aladdin (Scott Weinger, famously Steve from Full House) and Jasmine (Linda Larkin) were less confident because they thought they might be replaced when they admitted they weren’t professional singers. However, filmmakers simply hired musicians for the major singing scenes instead.
34. The first Disney animated movie not adapted from a book or fairy tale, it began production simultaneously with the 1995 film Pocahontas. This movie took considerable liberties from the biography of the real Native American woman. Interestingly, many of Disney’s top animators opted to work on Pocahontas, believing it would be more successful. However, they were proven wrong when Simba and his pride’s story grossed an astonishingly high $900 million at the box office.
35. Perhaps give some credit to Pumba? The warthog was the first Disney character to fart onscreen.
36. It was predictable that there were numerous changes to the initial script. One of the most striking alterations, however, was transforming Scar from a random rebel into Mufasa’s brother as the villain. This change, implemented after the animated character had already been designed, explains the significant differences in their appearance.
37. Contrary to the well-known city tale suggesting a cloud of dust formed the adult term “sex”, it was actually revealed that the producers had spelled out SFX, in honor of their special effects crew. Oops!
38. Although Pocahontas’ story in the 1995 film was significantly altered by Disney, it was still a significant breakthrough for them as it was their first animated feature to portray an interracial couple. Moreover, Percy the pug was historically accurate, as Mike Gabriel, the research director, pointed out that British royalty often had small dogs like Percy accompanying them during that period.
39. Creating the lead character and every scene was a deeply passionate project, with no fewer than 55 animators involved. Each scene underwent at least 35 drafts before it reached its final form.
40. Ever wondered what a blue corn moon means? Even Judy Kuhn, the voice behind Pocahontas in the musical, was baffled by it. She confessed to Entertainment Weekly back in 2015 that she had always hoped someone would clarify it for her.
41. The 1995 blockbuster significantly altered our perspective on playthings by being the initial full-length computer animated movie, thrusting Pixar into the limelight. However, it could have turned out quite differently. In its early stages, Woody was depicted as a ventriloquist dummy rather than a cowboy and had an unlikable personality, frequently mistreating toys.
42. Before the creation of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ by Joss Whedon, he was invited to join the writing team and is credited for penning one of the most memorable lines: “You’re a pitiful, peculiar little fellow, and I offer you my compassion.”
43. Tom Hanks’ friend, brother Jim, voices all Woody merchandise when Tom is unavailable due to other commitments. As Tom put it on The Graham Norton Show, “There are countless computer games and video projects,” and Jim spends his entire year working on them.
44. The 2002 film, featuring a destructive alien that breaks free from its lunatic inventor in space and ends up stranded in Hawaii, was intended as a back-to-basics project following other movies that fell short of their high box office projections.
In 2022, Disney executive Thomas Schumacher shared that the concept was to create a modern-day equivalent of the classic movie ‘Dumbo.’ This would be a simpler production with a director-led approach, providing the animators with greater creative autonomy.
45. Initially, when Chris Sanders, both co-director and co-writer, presented his concept (originating from an old idea for a children’s book), he shared with Vulture that it was initially conceived as a story taking place within a forest populated by animals.
46. To ensure the authenticity of Lilo’s character, lead animator Andreas Deja visited Hawaii and was taken on a tour to a local school by a guide. He recalled, “We knocked on the door and a teacher appeared. She asked some questions, and I told her and the children she brought out that we were from Disney, working on a movie based on this island. A little girl who had just heard ‘Disney’ exclaimed, ‘Did you work on The Little Mermaid?’ I replied, ‘Yes, I drew her father,’ and she responded excitedly, ‘Yay!’ From then on, they welcomed us warmly.
47. Scattered throughout the screen are several Easter eggs: A toy of Dumbo can be spotted in Lilo’s room, a poster of Mulan adorns her sister Nani’s wall, and there are numerous hidden Mickeys to find as well.
48. For over seven years, the concept of a retired superhero family had been swirling in my mind like an endless whirlwind, until finally, I, as writer-director Brad Bird, shared it with Pixar. At first, I was told that this project would require a decade and a fortune beyond imagination, as I myself described it. However, the 2004 film not only surpassed its $92 million budget but also managed to bag two Oscars, proving that the journey of The Incredibles was indeed incredible!
49. Historian and writer Sarah Vowell landed the role of Violet, the daughter of Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, following her appearance on “This American Life”, which was noticed by Bird.
50. By the time Incredibles 2 was released in 2018, technology had progressed significantly. This advancement led to the creation of a sophisticated hair animation software for more lifelike movements, an entire team dedicated to ensuring the correct flow of hair in every shot, enhanced-looking super suits and costumes with intricate details like zippers and buttons. Isn’t it quite remarkable?
51. In 2009, Disney’s first Black princess could have been portrayed by a real-life monarch, but as per the book “Confessions of a Casting Director” by Jen Rudin, Beyoncé declined to audition for the role. Instead, actresses like Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, and Tyra Banks tried out. Eventually, the part was given to Anika Noni Rose, who had co-starred with Beyoncé in “Dreamgirls”. To make Tiana more relatable, animators gave her some of Anika’s traits, such as being left-handed and having dimples.
52. Directors Ron Clements and John Musker playfully proposed an idea (drawing inspiration from the novel “The Frog Princess” and a classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale) to media mogul Oprah Winfrey during a casual Disneyland outing. Surprisingly, she found it captivating and ended up providing the voice for Tiana’s mother, Eudora.
53. For over seven decades, a cherished vision has persisted within me – the transformation of Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Snow Queen’. Since 1937, this notion has been a steadfast dream that I, Disney, couldn’t shake off.
54. In order to perfectly portray the characters in the 2013 movie “Frozen”, animators undertook numerous engaging tasks, such as:
– A sister conference to delve deeper into the bond between Elsa and Anna
– Weather theory lessons to accurately depict the climate of Arendelle
– A trip to Norway for creative stimulation regarding the setting of Arendelle
– A two-day expedition to Jackson Hole for a comprehensive study on snowfall and winter landscapes.
55. Initially intended to become a wicked queen with a blue complexion, sharp hairdo, and a cloak adorned with weasels (quite imaginative!), Elsa’s villainous role was reconsidered following the composition of the delightful “Let It Go” by songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.
56. To create the 2016 movie portraying a headstrong daughter of a Polynesian village’s chief, filmmakers established the Oceanic Story Trust. Comprised of anthropologists, educators, linguists, skilled tattoo artists, choreographers, haka practitioners, master navigators, and other experts they encountered during their research trips to Pacific Islands, their purpose was to provide guidance on all aspects related to the region’s culture.
57. Pua and HeiHei, added due to the count of pigs and roosters seen during South Pacific expeditions, were given voice by real-life animals.
58. Indeed, Auli’i Cravalho shares a strong likeness with her screen persona, but this similarity occurred by chance. The character of Moana was designed prior to her casting. Sometimes, things simply align as they should.
Read More
- PI PREDICTION. PI cryptocurrency
- WCT PREDICTION. WCT cryptocurrency
- Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin Wisdom: A Tale of Uncertainty and Potential 🤷♂️📉🚀
- SOL PREDICTION. SOL cryptocurrency
- SUI’s price hits new ATH to flip LINK, TON, XLM, and SHIB – What next?
- The Bachelor’s Ben Higgins and Jessica Clarke Welcome Baby Girl with Heartfelt Instagram Post
- McDonald’s Japan Confirms Hatsune Miku Collab for “Miku Day”
- LINK’s $18 Showdown: Will It Break or Make?
- Michelle Trachtenberg’s Mysterious Death: The Unanswered Questions
- Has Unforgotten Season 6 Lost Sight of What Fans Loved Most?
2025-05-27 23:48