Lilo & Stitch’s Most Controversial Change Ruined The Original’s Best Jokes

The 2025 live-action animated remake of Lilo & Stitch made many changes to the original 2002 movie, but one change has caused some controversy for ruining a brilliant joke. 23 years after the original animated movie released, it makes sense that director David Fleischer Camp chose to change some parts of Lilo & Stitch. Many of these changes didn’t detract from the enjoyment of Disney’s latest live-action reimagining, but one has many audience members in a rut.

Some of the most widespread changes made to Lilo & Stitch for the 2025 remake include the removal of Captain Gantu, Jumba Jookiba’s (Zach Galifianakis) transformation into a bona fide villain, Nani’s (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong) acceptance of social services taking Lilo (Maia Kealoha), and Stitch’s (Chris Sanders) own sacrifice to save Lilo. Some of these changes have caused controversy, especially among nostalgic fans of the original movie. However, there’s one character change that actually ruins one of the movie’s best jokes – one that was even repeated in Lilo & Stitch’s remake.

Lilo & Stitch’s Remake Completely Changes Cobra Bubbles

Courtney B. Vance appeared as Cobra Bubbles in 2025’s Lilo & Stitch, taking over the role from Ving Rhames, who voiced the intimidating character in the original movie. Back in 2002, Rhames’ Cobra Bubbles was the social worker dealing with Nani and Lilo’s case following their parents’ deaths, while he was revealed to also be a former CIA agent who met the extraterrestrial Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham in the remake) in 1973. This backstory was seriously altered in 2025’s remake, as Vance’s Bubbles is currently a CIA agent, who masquerades as a social worker to get closer to Stitch.

During a conversation with USA Today, Dean Fleischer Camp addressed why these changes were made to Cobra Bubbles. “In order to buy these two girls getting separated,” Camp explained, “you couldn’t really have the representative of that antagonistic force be a comically huge guy with tattoos on his knuckles, who for some reason is also a social worker.” While this explanation makes sense for the transition from animation to live-action, altering this aspect of Bubbles’ character ruins one of Lilo & Stitch’s best jokes.

In the original Lilo & Stitch, a suspicious Lilo comments that Bubbles doesn’t “look like a social worker,” as he has been designed that way specifically, and given a secret past as an alien-allied spy. The fact that he’s huge, sounds (and looks) like Ving Rhames, and has knuckle tattoos was supposed to be a joke (as well as a meta commentary on government power). However, in the new version of the movie, this same moment doesn’t have the same impact, as Cobra Bubbles is clearly not a social worker. This moment plays more like Lilo sussing Bubbles out in the 2025 movie, rather than as a joke, and the character’s new backstory also makes little sense.

In the original, it turns out Bubbles convinced visiting aliens that mosquitoes were endangered and Earth should be considered a protected nature preserve for them. That twist comes as Bubbles’ past is revealed, but in the remake, it’s revealed that mosquitoes actually were endangered, which is a little difficult to believe.

What Fans Make Of Cobra Bubbles’ Changes In 2025’s Lilo & Stitch

In the original Lilo & Stitch, it made sense that Cobra Bubbles was a former CIA agent who had previously had dealings with the United Galactic Federation, and this explained why he was given responsibility of Lilo and Stitch at the end of the movie. Bubbles’ identity as a CIA agent in 2025’s Lilo & Stitch didn’t make sense, especially since he refused to report the existence of the extraterrestrial Stitch, despite having no prior knowledge of the United Galactic Federation. Bubbles’ forming a bond with the Grand Councilwoman was rushed and unexplained, and these changes have caused a stir among fans.

RELATED: Lilo & Stitch May Have Already Broken a Disney Record at the Box Office

“Cobra Bubbles not being a social worker in the Live action movie was such a bizarre choice,” states @TheCartoonLoon, “yeah he doesn’t because he isn’t.” Others argue that all the finesse and nuance of the character has been removed, “The team behind the live-action Lilo and Stitch watched Cobra Bubbles in the original and said, “Complexity? What’s that?”,” argues @HyzenthlayRose. @Stormandreas_ argues that “Bubbles isn’t even Bubbles now,” which proves not everyone is happy with this huge change to such an iconic animated movie character.

The new Lilo & Stitch movie making these changes to Cobra Bubbles isn’t all bad. Removing Bubbles as the social worker allowed Tia Cerrere, the original voice of Nani, to portray social worker Mrs. Kekoa, who formed a closer, more sympathetic, and more realistic connection to both Nani and Lilo. More could have been done to fully determine Cobra Bubbles’ intention and motivation, however. At one time, he’s hunting down Stitch, and at another, he’s protecting him and forming secret alliances with alien species’. Possible sequels to Lilo & Stitch could address these discrepancies.

Lilo & Stitch premiered on May 23, 2025, and is currently playing in theaters.

What did you make of Lilo & Stitch’s changes to Cobra Bubbles and the general storyline? Let us know in the comments!