Omitted villain. Lost dresses. Changed ending. All the live-action ‘Lilo & Stitch’ controversies, explained

written by TheFeedWired

May 29, 2025

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Generate Key Takeaways Last week, Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch defied all expectations by leaving Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning in the dust with a record-setting Memorial Day weekend opening of $182.6 million, and $392.6 million worldwide to date. Not accounting for inflation, that’s well above the box-office total of the original Lilo & Stitch animated film from 2002. Director Dean Fleischer Camp retained Chris Sanders as the voice of Stitch, while Tia Carrere and Jason Scott Lee — the original voices of Nani and David — were cast in new roles for the live-action reboot.

There was clearly an attempt to honor the past of the franchise, but that hasn’t stopped some Lilo & Stitch fans from venting on social media about Camp's creative choices. More from GoldDerby Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All of Disney’s previous live-action titles made some adjustments for live-action. However, in making those changes, it feels like Camp and his collaborators lost some of the touches that made Lilo & Stitch so meaningful and memorable.

WARNING: There are spoilers ahead for the Lilo & Stitch live-action film! SEE: Lilo & Stitch: Instant Oscar predictions Agent Pleakley loses the dress In the original animated feature, Agent Pleakley didn’t have a holographic disguise to hide his alien body like Billy Magnussen’s incarnation does in the live-action film. Pleakley also believed that he was an expert on Earth culture and he routinely wore men and womens’ clothing in the original film, the subsequent sequels, and the Lilo & Stitch TV series.

Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That effete aspect of Pleakley’s character is missing in the new version. And while Pleakley was never overtly gay in the cartoons, these changes have been met with backlash from those who have seen the toon as a "genderfluid icon." Disney has been frequently targeted in the culture wars and with CEO Bob Iger attempting to "quiet the noise," there has been some speculation online that the Pleakley change was made to avoid blowback from conservative media pundits.

In a TikTok post, Fleischer Camp responds to multiple fan questions asking why Pleakley is dress-less by sharing unused concept art of the character. “I just want to say, I tried,” he said. "I tried."

Dean Fleischer Camp displays unused Pleakley design (TikTok.com@marceltheshellwshoeson) – Credit: Dean Fleischer Camp/@marceltheshellwshoeson Dean Fleischer Camp/@marceltheshellwshoeson Captain Gantu didn’t make the cut Captain Gantu, a humanoid whale-like alien, was one of the characters who wasn’t included in the new film. "Gantu was one of those things that just didn't work so well in live action." Camp told Cinemablend.

"We explored it a bit, but ultimately we had to make the decision. And also I do stand by the decision," he said, adding that by leaving him out there could be more of a focus on Lilo (Maia Kealoha) and her sister, Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong). The problem with the deletion is that Gantu was the closest thing to a real villain in the original.

Without Gantu, Camp had to pick another character to be the bad guy, and that caused other problems (see below). Plus, the idea that this character couldn’t work in live-action four years after The Suicide Squad brought King Shark to the big screen as a CGI creation didn't ring true to fans of the original, who launched #JusticeForGantu on social media. SEE: Original Lilo & Stitch director Chris Sanders shares his first sketches of iconic characters Jumba loses his redemption Lilo & Stitch wasn’t just about Stitch learning about the concept of family and reforming, it was also about the redemption of Stitch’s creator, Dr. Jumba Jookiba.

After initially trying to capture Stitch, Jumba accepts his creation’s pleas to help rescue Lilo. Jumba winds up as an extended member of the family with his new best friend, Agent Pleakley. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As portrayed in the new film, Jumba (Zack Galifianakis) doesn’t have any of those redeeming qualities.

Instead, with Gantu gone, Jumba becomes the villain of the story and tries to wipe Stitch’s memories away. It’s a shockingly cruel turn for a character who had a lot of heart in his prior incarnation. And yes, there are calls for #JusticeForJumba.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Nani gives up her guardianship of Lilo This is the change that die-hard fans felt most betrayed by. Lilo & Stitch’s primary theme is built around the idea of “'ohana” or family. In the animated film, Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley find 'ohana so compelling that they become part of Lilo and Nani’s family.

'Ohana is also why cartoon Nani took it upon herself to raise Lilo following the death of their parents, giving up the idea of becoming a marine biologist. Nani clearly struggled with being Lilo’s guardian, but she made it work by the end of the film. However, live-action Nani accepts an offer to give up guardianship of Lilo to her neighbors, David Kawena (Kaipo Dudoit) and Tūtū (Amy Hill) to go back to college and pursue her dreams.

Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The film spins this as a happy ending that allows Nani to reclaim her old life while still visiting Lilo and Stitch on the island. But it does feel like she broke the 'ohana to make that happen and undermined the message of the original story in the process. Passionate fans find this to be the most egregious change to the narrative.

Because “'ohana means family,” and “family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” Maybe they're saving that for the sequel. https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Best of GoldDerby Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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