- Lilo and Stitch Fans rage about the changes made at the end of the story
- Live-Action-Remake’s last scene is completely different from the animated classic
- Viewers are on their way to Disney+ to watch the original movie and its successors in the middle of the controversy
Disney’s live-action re-recording of Lilo and Stitch It is perhaps to break records at the global ticket office, but it also breaks the hearts of long -lasting fans over the unnecessary change in the end of the story.
After the release last Friday (May 23), one of 2025’s most expected new films set a new record for the biggest four-day Memorial Day weekend in the United States. In fact, according to an official press release from Walt Disney Company, Lilo and Stitch‘s Reimagining earned over $ 182 million and $ 361 million worldwide across its opening weekend.
However, not all good news for the Rambunctious, but lovable blue strangers and his Hawaii counterpart. Despite also earning a 93% audience score at Rotten Tomatoes, some viewers have turned out on Disney to change the film’s last scene – a creative decision that is annoyed some who loved the animated original in 2002.
Full spoilers immediately follow For the 2002 and 2025s Lilo and Stitch.
In the original, the movie with Stitch ends back on earth with Lilo and her older sister Nani. That’s because, according to an adoption form that the couple signed on a shelter that was the house Lilo (was thought to be a dog at the time), Nani and Lilo own him legally.
However, Live-Action re-records the heart-heating ending. Instead of staying with Stitch and her younger siblings and rebuilding their family homes, Nani goes out to the University of California to study marine biology. Meanwhile, Lilo and Stitch are taken in by David and Tutu, where the latter duo becomes the former couple’s guardians.
Why has this change furious fans? Because in some viewers eyes, Lilo and Stitch‘s most recognizable dialogue line – “Ohana means family” – and by proxy, the film’s primary theme is completely destroyed by the fact that Nani leaves his sister and sewing backwards to study on the other side of North America.
In fact, several annoyed fans have taken to Reddit to express their frustration and passion on the unwelcome change. “I’m glad Nani made her quit,” wrote parmesan_pirate119, “but it felt forced and untrue to the original spirit of the film.”
Comment from R/Disney
“This wasn’t a Lilo & Stitch story, this was a Nani story,” said an annoyed Towniot25. “And as a nani story, I don’t like how they completely changed the end when it comes to the situation with guardian-of-lilo.”
“In the end, they actually have Nani give Lilo up to the neighbors (… even though Nani gives Lilo up to the state first) and goes to college instead, which feels completely wrong and out of character,” Spider-Man2401 added. However, the most frustrated reaction I have seen comes from Noakai, who wrote: “Nani, who agreed to give custody of Lilo to the state, and then Lilo had to live with other people so Nani could go to California in college is so incredibly stupid that I can’t believe they went with it.”
This quartet is a pure snapshot of fans annoyed by the change, but there are some who have defended Remake’s last sequence. For example, Mrchiquitabananarn said, “The ending will be the big gorge – Ohana is family, but Ohana is also family (ie Stitch).
No matter what people think of Lilo and StitchModified ending there is an unmistakably positive influence that the remake has had: It has caused a uptick in the number of people looking at the original and its successors on Disney+.
In the UK, viewers have actually flowed to one of the world’s best streaming services to watch the animated film in 2002 and its sibling films. At the time of publication, Lilo and Stitch is the first movie on Disney+ UK, with Lilo and Stitch 2: Stitch has an error Location on number two. Stitch! The movie and Leroy and Stitch Find yourself at number five and six respectively.
It’s a similar story in the US with Lilo and Stitch Sitting on top of the list of most streamed movies and Stitch! The movie ranked as number two. Leroy and Stitch is also in the fifth position.
Will these flicks have residence power on Disney+? Probably not. They have probably seen an increase in viewership at the back of Remake’s release and the controversy around its ending. Nevertheless, it is interesting to see how well these animated films work on Disney’s primary streamer. Maybe the 2002s Lilo and Stitch Deserves a place on our best Disney+ movie list!
