Lilo & Sтιтch director Dean Fleischer Camp is defending the changes to the remake’s ending. Disney recently presented their latest live-action remake, focusing on a Hawaiian girl, Lilo (Maia Kealoha), who befriends a rebellious experienced alien, Sтιтch (voiced by Chris Sanders). Several live-action changes face scrutiny from audiences, including the redesigns of Pleakley and Jumba, and the decision to cut Gantu as the main villain. However, one of the most divisive topics was Lilo & Sтιтch‘s ending, where Nani decides to give up the guardianship of Lilo to her neighbor so that she can go attend college and study marine biology.

While speaking with Variety, Camp finally addressed the changes to the Lilo & Sтιтch ending and the intense backlash from audiences. He started the argument by saying that he believes some dissenters did not actually watch the movie and are dunking on the changes for the wrong reason.

I’ve had some time to think about this. I do think that a fair amount of the people who are dunking on that premise have not actually seen the movie, and they write me stuff that is clearly wrong. They get the beats of the story wrong. But when you see it doesn’t feel that way at all, and you see the intent of the actual filmmaking.

Then, Camp elaborated on the reason why the changes to the ending were made in the first place. While wanting to expand on the concept of ohana, Sanders, who is Hawaiian, felt that the original ending didn’t seem accurate to the culture he grew up in, since he didn’t think the sisters would be fending for themselves. He believed neighbors and friends would chime in to help during difficult times. That conversation led to the creation of the original character, Tutu, who would eventually take in Lilo as a hanai, showcasing the culture’s idea of informal adoption. Camp acknowledged that the change wouldn’t satisfy everyone.

There are two larger conversations going on that led us towards that ending. We wanted to expand the meaning of ohana, and ground it in traditional Hawaiian values of collectivism, extended family and community. Chris, who’s Hawaiian, made a really important observation about the original early on in our discussions. He didn’t buy that the two orphan sisters would just be left to fend for themselves. He said, “Neighbors, church groups, aunties and uncles, all these people would step in. That’s just the Hawaii I know and grew up in.” That led him to create this character of Tutu, and she ultimately takes Lilo in as hanai, which is this culturally specific term and tradition that is a form of Hawaiians who’ve seen the film have picked up on that reference to hanai, and they love that. It’s this uniquely Hawaiian answer to the question of who shows up when things fall apart, and that idea of informal adoption. It shows the broader community’s willingness to informal adoption. It isn’t about blood or paperwork, but love and responsibility for the greater good and for one’s community. A lot of sacrifice and do whatever it takes for these girls and for their ohana. I think you can’t satisfy everyone with these remakes. You are treading on hallowed ground when you make one of these, because these are films people grew up with, and I’m one of them, and I totally understand it.

The director then iterated that the team didn’t want to recreate the exact beats of the original movie. He valued telling a more honest story, which meant losing everything and still moving forward. This even means people getting left behind, but it also means that a community will make sure their loved ones don’t get forgotten.

But we didn’t want to just restage the beats of the original film, as much as we both loved it. We wanted to tell a story that’s honest about what it means to lose everything and still find a way forward. People do get left behind, like what Nani says, this is, and it’s incumbent upon the community to make sure that they aren’t forgotten.

Why Lilo & Sтιтch’s Ending Remains A Very Divisive Topic For The Disney Remake

Some Hawaiians Have Defended The Changes To The Ending

The term “ohana” is a major theme in both the original and remake versions of Lilo & Sтιтch, but the execution does seem to differ. The original 2002 version illustrates Nani fighting vehemently to keep her guardianship of Lilo, and she ultimately succeeds in the end. During that journey, characters like Cobra Bubbles, Pleakley, and Jumba eventually join the Pelekai sisters to form their own expansive family. However, many of those details do change, particularly when Jumba replaces Gantu as the remake’s key villain and the meaning of ohana seems to alter.

As a result, many audiences expressed their discontent with the changes, believing that Nani’s decision was uncharacteristic. This led to intense conversations throughout social media, with many commentators believing that the remake ruined the whole message about Ohana and even accusing the change of being too Westernized. On the other hand, many Hawaiians have indeed defended the changes. Several natives similarly argued that the changes to the Lilo & Sтιтch ending were on point with their cultural values and even found it to be more nuanced.

Regardless of the divided opinions, it hasn’t harmed the movie in its pursuit of success. The remake is already breaking lots of box office milestones and is aiming to become the first Hollywood movie in 2025 to hit the one billion mark. The immense success also means that there is a strong chance of a sequel, which is seemingly already in discussion at Disney. Even with the intense backlash, audiences generally liked the remake based on the 93% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes and an A grade from CinemaScore.

Our Take On The Lilo & Sтιтch Ending

No Matter What, Not Everyone Will Be Satisfied

Remakes will always have some altered details, and not everyone will be happy with the final product. That is part of the baggage of making any kind of remake and the Lilo & Sтιтch remake is the latest to suffer this ordeal. But if it means anything, these kinds of conversations highlight the audiences’ love and pᴀssion for the franchise.

Sometimes, change can be hard to accept, but there is no denying that the live-action Lilo & Sтιтch remake couldn’t be a scene-by-scene recreation of the original. Some details in the animation may not work for the live-action treatment, which validates why several changes had to be made. The creative team also wanted the narrative to be more realistic and honest, which also influenced the changes. Ultimately, the remake’s ending was going to face changes, and it will take some time to fully grasp them.

Source: Variety