What do you think of Disney's choice for the role of Nani in the 'Lilo & Stitch' live-action remake? | via philstarlife
live-adaptation. Although the American actress is of Hawaiian ancestry with British-Irish and Filipino roots, fans of the classic animation accused the entertainment company of ‘whitewashing’ the character, saying that Sydney's looks are far from the original character.
The casting sparked controversy as some fans looked back to the 2002 animation and expected Nani to have ethnic features, darker skin, and black hair as depicted in the original version.: “Nothing against the actor but I always loved Nani for the way she looked like my mom and my aunts and me. Every other Disney princess movie felt like some far [away] unachievable fantasy but Lilo & Stitch felt real despite being arguably more outlandish than a princess movie.
Another one wrote: “This Lilo & Stitch is exactly why everyone needs to realize [that] Disney doesn’t care about representing PoC community and diversifying its legacy. It’s all about $$$ [money] and they have no interest in representing native Hawaiians.”One tweet from a critic also gained attention as she wrote: “When digging a little deeper, as a Native Hawaiian, I found this casting to be even more offensive. Her true ethnic background is Caucasian & Filipino .