Nani’s Controversial Modifications In Disney’s Lilo & Sew Remake Addressed By Star

After the backlash in opposition to Lilo & Sew (2025)’s ending, one star is coming to the movie’s protection. Disney’s newest live-action remake follows Lilo Pelekai (Maia Kealoha), Nani (Sydney Agudong), and Sew (Chris Sanders), as they face off in opposition to the mad scientist Jumba (Zach Galifianakis). It was launched on Could 23 and rapidly earned over $1 billion on the field workplace.

But, regardless of its preliminary success, it’s considerably controversial, given Lilo & Sew‘s divisive ending. Whereas the animated basic noticed Nani retaining custody over Lilo, the remake has Nani giving up custody utterly. Lilo is shipped to Tūtū (Amy Hill), whereas Nani research Marine Biology in California. The choice sparked appreciable backlash, because it seemingly ignored the “Ohana” message.

Although Agudong understands the backlash, she defended the film’s modifications whereas talking with Forbes. Emphasizing that “change is horrifying“, Agudong defined that these narrative choices have been made in an effort to show that Nani might have a lifetime of her personal exterior of being pressured to father or mother Lilo. Take a look at her quote under:

I felt like I understood the place Nani’s coronary heart was. I perceive sacrifices that manner, and I needed to pay homage and tribute to these sorts of people that have been in my life. Being an older sister and seeing that, I virtually felt like I needed to do that as a love letter to my sister.

Household is a big factor. It’s actually powerful to grasp one thing if you’re exterior and vice versa. It’s continuously altering. What is hard is that there are usually not lots of people who get the chance to [leave the island]. I completely perceive Lilo and Nani had a really lucky sequence of occasions on the very finish. Does that all the time occur? No. However, on the identical time, I feel it’s extraordinarily essential to see how they made it via all these sacrifices. They created their very own hānai household inside all of this damaged mess after dropping their dad and mom, pondering that the whole lot is over and that Nani by no means had a future.

Sure, it means ‘no one will get forgotten or left behind,’ and that’s nonetheless true to this present day. That additionally means blood or not. We’ve bought your again. That’s the purpose. That’s what they bought proper. Your loved ones is what you make of it, and they are going to be there for you, blood or not. The neighborhood is your loved ones.

What This Means For Nani’s Character

Lilo & Sew 2 Will Doubtless Retain This Change

The modifications didn’t essentially make Nani a weaker character, however they did considerably shift her narrative targets. Whereas the unique film noticed Nani as a annoyed older sister, the remake gave her targets of her personal. Nani is not setting apart her personal pursuits for Lilo’s sake, however she is as a substitute in a position to discover her private desires.

The concept reportedly got here from Sanders, in response to director Dean Fleischer Camp, who argued that “Neighbors, church teams, aunties and uncles, all these individuals would step in” to assist help the sisters. The shift was largely to showcase the communal nature of life in Hawaii, as “ohana” wouldn’t merely be restricted to Nani’s blood kin.

Associated

How Lilo & Sew’s Remake Updates The Which means Of Ohana

Lilo & Sew’s live-action remake has utterly up to date the that means of Ohana, even when the general sentiment continues to be comparatively the identical.

By permitting Nani to go away residence to pursue her desires, the film leaves Lilo in a secure residence, whereas additionally letting Nani show that everybody has the correct to observe their pursuits. She not must put her life on maintain till Lilo is older, which might assist struggle the resentment that Nani felt early within the unique film.

Our Take On Nani’s Controversial Modifications

They Weren’t Actually Vital

Nani (Sydney Agudong) playing ukulele for Lilo (Maia Kealoha) in a hammock in Lilo & Stitch (2025) — Picture through Disney

Each live-action remake is left within the unenviable place of being pressured to make some modifications to the supply materials. These might be minor strikes made to make characters extra expressive in a live-action atmosphere, however they may be nice narrative shifts. On condition that these motion pictures are classics, any modifications in any respect will inevitably enrage some viewers.

The subsequent Disney live-action remake is Moana, which shall be launched on July 10, 2026.

Anybody hoping to see a live-action reimagining of the very same script shall be upset, however the “Ohana” modifications have been an unforced error. Nani’s story was tragic, however her love for Lilo resounded via the many years, and the remake is dropping one thing by having her merely depart Lilo behind.

Even when Nani and Lilo are nonetheless in common contact, it means leaving her sister to maneuver in an effort to California to pursue a program that’s readily supplied in Hawaii. Lilo & Sew‘s Nani story merely looks like abandonment, relatively than a self-actualizing alternative. The Nani modifications are actually defensible, however they’re not essentially the proper choice.

Supply: Forbes