The cartoon classic “Lilo and Stitch” from 2002 already delighted numerous cinema viewers. The film was even nominated for an Orscar and spawned two sequels, a series and an anime show. It remains to be seen whether the live-action film that is now planned can continue the success. The planned strip is already making waves. After Disney announced the cast, “whitewashing” accusations hailed on Twitter.
The focus of the story is the Hawaiian girl Lilo, who grows up with her big sister Nani after the death of her parents. Lilo adopts a blue dog from the animal shelter, which she names Stitch – and who turns out to be an alien a little later. An alien born from an experiment designed to make him an invincible and destructive being. This always gets the two sisters into trouble, especially Nani, who is raising her little sister and is under the constant observation of a social worker.
It is also Nani that bothers the fans in the real film. 22-year-old Sydney Agudong plays the role of the older sister. The actress is of Hawaiian descent, born and raised on the island of Kauai. However, according to the criticism, she does not look like the original character. And many find that extremely problematic. Disney adheres to Eurocentric standards of beauty and has missed an opportunity to present an appropriate representation of black Pacific Islanders. “Nani is an indigenous Hawaiian woman with strong features and dark skin. This casting is an obvious form of colorism,” writes a Twitter user.
“The conflict in Lilo and Stitch, which revolves around the colonialist state’s attempt to tear apart the small ‘broken’ Hawaiian family, is made even clearer by the fact that both girls are dark-skinned. The casting of Nani by a light-skinned Hawaiian woman stands in the way of it,” says another post. “I can’t help but be disappointed. I wanted Nani to look like me,” an Indigenous Hawaiian commented on the cast.
Disney has always been criticized for the choice of actors in live-action adaptations. In 2019, British actress Naomi Scott played Jasmine, a princess of Indian descent and the first darker-skinned Disney princess. Neither Disney nor Sydney Agudong themselves have commented on the current allegations.
Sources: “Insider”, n-tv, “Syk News”
