“Wanted to tell a story that’s honest”: Lilo & Stitch director breaks silence on the backlash received by the live-action remake

Lilo & Stitch director Dean Fleischer Camp recently opened up about the backlash his remake received for its ending. Fleischer Camp's film offers a live-action reimagining of the eponymous animated film, directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois. Much like any other remake, it makes a few changes to the original storyline. One of them was how it portrays the concept of "ohana," Hawaiian for family.

Both films revolve around Lilo, a young Hawaiian girl, who befriends Stitch, an alien who ends up on Earth. Lilo wants Stitch to be a part of their ohana, but her sister, Nani, is worried about something else. As Lilo's sole guardian, she doesn't want Lilo to be taken away by a social care worker. So, the original film is essentially about the idea of a family where no one gets left behind.

The ending of the 2002 film shows Nani winning against the social worker, but the Lilo & Stitch remake shows Nani giving away Lilo's guardianship while leaving the island to pursue higher education. So, many viewers took to social media to share their frustrations about this change. Still, Fleischer Camp defended it during his recent conversation with Variety. He said,

"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 did the Lilo & Stitch remake receive a backlash?

The fans of Lilo & Stitch were not pleased with the way the live-action remake handled Nani's arc. The main cause of their concern is Nani's departure from Hawaii, being antithetical to the film's central idea of ohana. In an X (formerly Twitter) post, a user shared a post, which referred to Nani's decision, by saying:

"Surrender your children to the state and pursue a shiny life in America."

Another user referred to the remake surpassing the original's box-office collection by saying:

"How the f**k did the “ohana means nothing” film outgross the “ohana means family” film that [they] were trying to adapt"

Another user criticized the film's idea of ohana by saying:

"Ohana means foster care system"

Some fans also found it odd that the makers showed Nani moving to America to be a marine biologist instead of studying at the local university, which is known for marine biology.

How did the Lilo & Stitch director respond to the backlash?

The Lilo & Stitch director defends the creative changes in his remake by referring to the Hawaiian idea of collectivism that broadens the scope of what family means, referring to his creative collaboration with writer Chris Sanders. Fleischer Camp says,

"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 informal adoption. It isn’t about blood or paperwork, but love and responsibility for the greater good and for one’s community."

He further adds,

"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 sacrifice and do whatever it takes for these girls and for their ohana."

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The Lilo & Stitch live-action remake is in theaters now.

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