Fans take to social media to call out colorism in the casting of Lilo's older sister Nani in Disney's upcoming live-action Lilo & Stitch film.
The Lilo & Stitch live-action movie has just cast its Nani, and fans online are calling out the decision for colorism. The upcoming film is the latest in Disney's line of live-action updates, this time bringing to life their Hawaii-set 2002 film Lilo & Stitch, which follows an outcast young girl named Lilo who befriends a chaotic blue alien. One of the major characters in the film is Lilo's older sister Nani, who has become her guardian after the death of their parents.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Recently, it was announced that Sydney Elizebeth Agudong had been cast as Nani in Lilo & Stitch. In the wake of this decision, many fans took to social media to complain that the casting decision showed colorism, because the original design for Nani has much darker skin than the actor.
Many studios are starting to move away from controversial casting decisions of the past. Some of these missteps include the recent choices to include nearly all-white casts in films like 2014's Exodus: Gods and Kings or 2016's Gods of Egypt. In the wake of this, considering the fact that the lead characters in Lilo & Stitch are native Hawaiians, it is especially important to viewers for the casting to represent them properly.
The casting departments are making something of an effort with their upcoming Disney live-action remakes. This includes race-blind casting for iconic princesses Snow White and Ariel and casting Hawaiian actors for the lead roles in Lilo & Stitch. However, considering the fact that established characters like Nani have skin tones that are already well-known to fans, there are many more factors that need to be considered in this process.
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