Following news that Lilo Stitch would be the latest Disney classic to receive the live-action treatment, fans of the 2002 animated movie were abuzz with predictions and desires for who would take on the iconic Native Hawaiian roles. Many were disappointed on Friday when Disney announced the casting of a biracial, light-skinned actor in the role of Nani, Lilo's older sister, who in the original movie was drawn with darker skin, black hair and ethnic features.
It may not be easy to see a problem with this casting, but within our communities this is a big issue, he said. This cast is blatant in colorism, with Nani being an indigenous Hawaiian with strong features and dark skin. Disney has not responded to a request for comment.
Nani will be played by Sydney Elizabeth Agudong, a 22-year-old who is multiracial with Hawaiian ancestry in the 2024 adaptation of Lilo Stitch. Newcomer Maia Kealoha will play 6-year-old Lilo, and Zach Galifianakis has joined the cast in an unspecified role.
While some celebrated the casting, many tribal Hawaiian fans said they were hoping for an actor who wasn t white-passing and whose features reflected those of the island's indigenous population.
Listen, she s probably a lovely woman but I can t help but feel disappointed, another person said. Some say this is a pattern with Disney projects.
Nani reimagining parallels the controversy surrounding the casting of Princess Jasmine in Disney's 2019 animated remake of Aladdin, fans said. The sultan s daughter in the fictional Agrabah the setting and language of which some critics said was an indecisive mix between South Asia and the Middle East was played by Naomi Scott, a biracial British actor of Indian ancestry.
Audiences had criticized her performance as whitewashing of the original character, who was the only Disney princess with darker skin at the time of the movie's release in 1992.
In 2018, Disney also caught heat for changing Tiana, the studio's first Black princess from The Princess and the Frog, by depicting her with lighter skin and looser curls in an unreleased version of Ralph Breaks the Internet. After images of this new depiction surfaced online, Disney reanimated the scene, facing backlash from fans and feedback from the voice actor who played Tiana. The Princess and the Frog eventually reverted the character's looks closer to her depiction in The Princess and the Frog. Stop glorifying eurocentric beauty standards in the name of erasing characteristics and features, a fan said. The visible visibility we deserve from the darker skinned pacific islanders.