Lilo & Stitch Remake Director Addresses Backlash Over The New Film's Changed Ending

The Lilo & Stitch remake's changed ending has sparked a lot of debate on social mediaThe director of the recent live-action Lilo & Stitch remake has responded to the controversy surrounding the new film’s changed ending.Disney’s animated classic centres around a pair of quarrelling sisters, the elder of whom, Nani, becomes a carer for the younger, Lilo.Over the course of the original film, the pair’s bond grows when they take in an alien named Stitch, and it ends with them.The new retelling of the story, however, ends with Nani making the decision to leave her sister in Hawaii to pursue her studies in California, with Lilo being taken in by a new character added into the live-action version, named Tutu.This decision has split opinion right down the middle, which filmmaker Dean Fleischer Camp spoke about during a recent interview with Variety.Beginning by saying that a “fair amount” of the new ending’s critics “have not actually seen the movie”, based on them sending me “stuff that is clearly wrong”. Dean Fleischer Camp in 2023Dean explained: “We wanted to expand the meaning of ohana, and ground it in traditional Hawaiian values of collectivism, extended family and community.”He recalled that screenwriter Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, who is Hawaiian, said he “didn’t buy” that Lilo and Nani would be “left to fend for themselves” in the original film, as it would go against the idea of community that’s prominent in the location the movie is set.“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,” Dean noted.“It isn’t about blood or paperwork, but love and responsibility for the greater good and for one’s community. A lot of Hawaiians who’ve seen the film have picked up on that reference to hanai, and they love that.”Lilo, Stitch and Nani as depicted in the new version of the Disney classicDean added: “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.“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.”In the lead-up to the remake’s release, Dean also had a two-word response to critics of another of the film’s biggest changes – this time relating to the character of Pleakley.Lilo & Stitch is still in select cinemas now.READ MORE:Lilo & Stitch Director Has 2-Word Response To Fans' Outcry Over 1 Aspect Of The RemakeSnow White Remake Faces Yet More Criticism Over CGI Characters'Sobbing, Screaming, Traumatised': Frozen's Josh Gad Opens Up About Olaf's Axed Death Scene

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