Lilo & Stitch Fans Furious Over One Big Change in the Remake (& They’re Right)

Disney’s live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch has finally landed in theaters, bringing much of what made the original animated film special back to the big screen. Despite this effort, Disney fans are crying foul over a few changes made in the movie. One change in particular has some fans claiming a major character has been “bastardized” in live-action, so much so that the ending of Lilo & Stitch is altered completely in some opinions. For many, the fault lies with Disney and the company’s continued focus on live-action remakes.

Spoilers for Lilo & Stitch

The relationship between Lilo and Nani remains unchanged in the film, with the siblings relying on each other in the wake of their parents’ deaths. Nani is a 19-year-old with her eyes on college, but she remains dedicated to her sister, Lilo, and butts heads with social services after they attempt to split them apart.

This could be a description for either movie, with both sticking close together plot-wise. But then the finale of Lilo & Stitch arrives with a jarring change many fans didn’t expect. Lilo isn’t with social services, but she is separated from Nani at the movie’s end. The teen heads to college in San Diego to study marine biology, while her sister remains with their neighbors.

The next-door neighbors are an addition to the live-action adaptation, with The Wrap noting they check in and are present throughout the film. But they are not the big sore spot for fans. A few who got vocal on social media weighed in, noting that Nani’s desire to keep Lilo is a major part of the original’s plot.

[RELATED – Why Don’t Live-Action Disney Remake Sequels Make Money?]

“Nani not giving up custody of Lilo and fighting for her WAS the point,” user inkfycreates wrote on social media. “Nani and Lilo [bonding] due to Stitch WAS the point.”

Other fans pointed out how this ending betrays the character’s original ambitions, noting that keeping custody of Lilo was one of the key motivations in the original animated film.

“This feels like an attempt to girlboss Nani by giving her more ambitions, but they so easily could have just expanded on what the original implied,” user JemStarGold writes. “Show that she was an aspiring professional surfer before she had to take care of Lilo, then have her pursue it again at the end.”

Despite these complaints and concerns, Lilo & Stitch is already breaking some box office records for Disney over the Memorial Day weekend. We’ll have to wait to see how the entire weekend shakes out, but the preview’s success is a great sign.

The live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch is currently in theaters. Be sure to get in early to get your hands on the special popcorn buckets and combos offered with the movie. Have you seen the movie yet? Have a take on the changes Disney made? Let us know in the comments.