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The New Lilo & Stitch Explores A Longtime Theory Fans Had About Nani, And Both The Actress And I Are Fired Up About Learning More

The New Lilo & Stitch Explores A Longtime Theory Fans Had About Nani, And Both The Actress And I Are Fired Up About Learning More

Yahoo2 days ago

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SPOILERS lie ahead for Lilo & Stitch.
There's been a lot of internet chatter lately about live-action Disney movie remakes, especially regarding how they differ from their OG counterparts. That's certainly been the case for Lilo & Stitch. As I noted in my Lilo & Stitch review, given I'm someone who grew up at the exact right time when the 2002 animated original came out, I knew the remake had a high bar to clear. And, while I think some fans have a good point about how Nani's arc differs from the original, I also want to talk about how the new movie explored a long-running fan theory about her.
In the original Lilo & Stitch, 18-year-old Nani is doing the best she can, working service jobs and trying to support Lilo however possible following the deaths of their parents. It's heavily suggested that there's a history involving social workers that have given the sisters a bad rep, and Lilo is very close to being turned over to the state. Over the years, eagle-eyed fans also noticed that in Nani's room, there are a ton of surfing trophies on her dresser. You can see them in the image above.
Throughout the two decades leading up to the live-action movie, fans have been discussing how perhaps Nani was a really good surfer who competed and perhaps even had a promising career in the sport before the death of their parents. When CinemaBlend spoke to the original Nani voice actress Tia Carerre about the theory in 2022, she said it was 'never discussed.' However, she talked about how the character having a 'difficult time' is evident in her relationship with Lilo throughout the movie because 'she's a mother figure' but 'still just a young girl herself.'
We've never known for sure if Nani did give up her dreams for Lilo before, but the live-action Lilo & Stitch does delve into this for the first time. In the 2025 movie release, viewers are clued into more of Nani's perspective, who like many girls her age, aspires to go to college and has her own dreams. Of course, she didn't plan to be Lilo's surrogate mother, but she's suddenly thrust into the role.
Also, we also learn that she's so good at surfing that she can teach it! It doesn't fully make the theory canon, (especially the career part), but it definitely leans into Nani's ability to surf more than the original. Plus, in one notable change, she, rather than David, saves Stitch from drowning. And, when I asked Agudong about building upon the character she said this:
I think to be able to like just in general kind of create more of that nuance and dive deeper into Nani's arc and backstory and like our struggle and stuff. And, we got to do a lot of the water training before production and I got to do a lot of the stunts and it was really cool to kind of build more of Nani's life in real time too, as far as that goes, which was incredible. She's such a strong, independent girl, and she really is like doing her best to try to keep the family together.
I think it's a little odd that she decides to go to UC San Diego for a marine biology degree when she already lives in beautiful Hawaii. However, the new Lilo & Stitch film does allow room for Nani to have her own aspirations for herself outside of caring for Lilo. And, thanks to alien technology, it seems like she's hanging out with Lilo literally all the time with the portal ray gun.
Disney+: from $9.99 a month w/ ad-supported planStream the original Lilo & Stitch movie now using a Disney+ subscription. The ad-supported plan starts at $9.99 a month. You can also go ad-free and pay $15.99 a month. There's also the ability to save 16% by pre-paying $159.99 for a year.View Deal
All the while, Lilo is officially being taken care of Tutu, who one producer told us was added to the film on account of Hawaii screenwriter Chris Bright feeling like Nani and Lilo wouldn't really be so alone in a real-life Hawaiian community.
I totally see where some people are disappointed with Nani changing her path for the live-action movie because by the end the sister's are basically torn apart after all. Yet, at the same time, both Sydney Agudong and I are pleased that Nani's backstory was strengthened for the 2025 version more than before. On that note, check out Lilo & Stitch in theaters now!

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‘Upin & Ipin Universe': Iconic animated twins enter gaming world with open-world adventure (VIDEO)
‘Upin & Ipin Universe': Iconic animated twins enter gaming world with open-world adventure (VIDEO)

Yahoo

time31 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

‘Upin & Ipin Universe': Iconic animated twins enter gaming world with open-world adventure (VIDEO)

KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — Malaysia's beloved animated twins, Upin & Ipin, are set to star in their own open-world video game, with the first trailer for Upin & Ipin Universe recently revealed. The trailer, launched during the Summer Games Fest 2025, confirmed that the game will take place in the iconic fictional village of Kampung Durian Runtuh, the home of Upin & Ipin. Upin & Ipin Universe is a collaborative effort between Les' Copaque (the creators of Upin & Ipin), Streamline Studios, and Streamline Media Group. Streamline Studios, a renowned game developer, has contributed to several AAA titles, including Street Fighter V (2016) and Stellar Blade (2024), which gained significant attention upon its release in April last year. The studio has also developed original games such as Bake 'n Switch, Axon Runners, and Hoopworld. What to expect from Upin & Ipin Universe According to its official website, Upin & Ipin Universe is a vibrant open-world adventure that invites players to explore the liveliness of Kampung Durian Runtuh. From bustling markets to serene rice fields, players will embark on journeys uncovering local legends and helping familiar faces from Kampung Durian Runtuh's community, all while immersing themselves in Malaysia's rich cultural heritage. The game also features a variety of mini-games, including: • Fishing: A detailed fishing system where players choose bait, cast lines, and reel in various types of fish. • Farming: Plant, grow, and harvest crops with unique gameplay twists. • Critter Catching: Capture critters such as ladybugs and butterflies in a fun, competitive challenge. • Racing: Race, drift, and compete to see who has the best skills on the track. • Cooking: Prepare dishes using a rhythm-based mini-game involving chopping, boiling, and frying. • Spinning Top: Compete in the traditional Malaysian game gasing, where players battle to spin their tops the longest in an arena. Although a release date has yet to be announced, Upin & Ipin Universe is set to launch on consoles, PC, and Nintendo Switch. The legacy of Upin & Ipin Upin & Ipin is a celebrated Malaysian animated children's show that debuted in 2007 and has since been broadcast in over 100 countries, gaining a significant fanbase in Indonesia. The 2019 feature film Upin & Ipin: Keris Siamang Tunggal made waves upon release, earning the Best Film Story award at the 2019 International Animation Film Festival (Animaze) in Montreal, Canada. The film was also among 23 titles shortlisted for nomination at the 2019 Oscars in the Animated Feature Film category.

STAR TREK: The Trans Trill, Explained
STAR TREK: The Trans Trill, Explained

Geek Girl Authority

time32 minutes ago

  • Geek Girl Authority

STAR TREK: The Trans Trill, Explained

For decades, many Trekkies have considered the Trill alien species on Star Trek to be a trans allegory. How long has this interpretation been popular? And how has the Franchise leaned into this trans representation? For this week's second Pride Month Trek Tuesday, we're examining the read that connects the trill with trans representation. Star Trek: The Next Generation The Trill were originally introduced on Star Trek: The Next Generation. In The Next Generation Season 4's 'The Host,' a Trill ambassador visits the U.S.S. Enterprise-D in order to take part in some sensitive negotiations on Peliar Zel II. This Trill symbiont, 'Odan,' was originally joined to a male host (Franc Luz). The Trill species is comprised of two kinds of life forms. There is the symbiont, a worm-like entity. These long-lived symbionts can inhabit a humanoid 'host' body. Once this has transpired, the 'joined Trill' will possess a new personality. This is the synthesis of the personalities of the symbiont and the host. RELATED: Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: Beverly Crusher In 'The Host,' Odan's male host and Doctor Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) became romantically entangled. However, Odan's earlier host was subsequently killed. In order to preserve the life of the symbiont, Dr. Crusher performed a procedure that transferred Odan from the original host into the body of William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes). This complicated the romantic relationship between Odan and Crusher. This was because she considered Riker to be akin to a brother to her. At the conclusion of the episode, the Odan symbiont is transferred to a new host: a woman, Kareel (Nicole Orth-Pallavicini). There is a taboo among the Trill regarding continuing a romantic relationship across different hosts. Nevertheless, Odan was willing to disregard this and continue the romance with Crusher. However, Crusher felt that the repeated changes in hosts were too much, and declined to continue the relationship. This parallels the way that a relationship will sometimes conclude when one partner transitions. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine After being introduced in The Next Generation's 'The Host,' the Trill played a major part in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This was thanks to the fact that one of the command crew members was a Trill: Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell). Sporting a new design (for both the host and the Trill), Jadzia introduced viewers to many facets of the Trill that were not explored in 'The Host.' Among other details, this included the fact that unjoined Trill symbionts swim in cave pools on the planet Trill. However, one aspect of the Trill that was introduced in The Next Generation was obviously and immediately continued in Deep Space Nine. This was the idea of a Trill symbiont moving from a male host to a female host. This was because Jadzia was a new host for the Dax symbiont. However, the previous host for the Dax symbiont was the late Curzon, a male who was the friend of Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks). RELATED: Star Trek: Tracing the Holodeck's History In an early Season 1 episode of Deep Space Nine, 'A Man Alone,' Sisko and Jadzia discuss Dax's 'transition.' In that scene, Jadzia notes that sometimes Trill friendships with other species 'don't survive the change.' Sisko says that it will be different for them, but that things are 'uncomfortable' at the moment. Jadzia suggests to Sisko that he learn to 'comfortable with his discomfort.' She continues that 'Time will do the rest.' Ultimately, Sisko's friendship with Jadzia does survive 'the change.' However, Sisko does continue to use the nickname 'Old Man' when speaking to Jadzia. While misgendering a trans person is not recommended, it's clear that this nickname is a sign of Sisko's affection for Jadzia. A Trans Allegory? There are many other scenes featuring Jadzia that are held in high regard by those Trekkies who perceive the character as a trans allegory. To cite just one more out of many examples, we can turn to the Deep Space Nine Season 2 episode 'Blood Oath.' In that episode, Jadzia reunites with a friend, Kor the Klingon (John Colicos), whom she knew decades earlier as Curzon. Initially, Kor refers to Jadzia as 'Curzon, [his] beloved old friend.' However, she corrects him by stating, 'I'm Jadzia now.' Kor immediately amends his statement: 'Jadzia, [his] beloved old friend.' For the rest of the episode, Kor refers to her as 'Jadzia' and uses her correct pronouns. These days, the scene has become something of a popular meme. It is frequently posted as evidence that even Klingons can adapt to a trans person's changing names and pronouns. RELATED: Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: T'Pol Furthermore, interpreting Jadzia as trans is not something that is a recent development. For proof, check out the Summer 1997 issue of Transgender Tapestry magazine. Jadzia is the featured model for the cover of Transgender Tapestry #76. The cover states: 'Star Trek, Transgender & the Final Frontier: Gene Roddenberry's Bold Journey Where No Trans Had Gone Before.' While the issue was released 28 years ago, the discussion around Jadzia remains unchanged. Sadly, and in one of the most controversial plot beats of the series, Jadzia is killed in the penultimate season of Deep Space Nine. The Dax symbiont is subsequently transferred to a new host, Ezri (Nicole de Boer). However, it is easy to speculate how any aspect of this transition might have been handled differently, especially if the series were released today. Trans Like Me Photo Cr: Paramount+ © 2021 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved. When it comes to the Trill on The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, we have a trans allegory. While certain elements of the Trill stories align with the contemporary trans experience, other elements do not. However, the Franchise eventually bridged this gap thanks to Star Trek: Discovery. In the Discovery Season 3 episode 'Forget Me Not,' we're introduced to Gray Tal (Ian Alexander). Like the other joined Trill in this article, Gray has both a host and a symbiont. However, his story is somewhat complicated. When we first meet Gray, his host body is dead. The Tal symbiont has been transferred to a human, Gray's partner, human Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio). Because Adira is human, they do not join with the symbiont in the same way a Trill host would. However, Adira does continue to see visions of Gray. RELATED: 5 Star Trek Meme Source Episodes Eventually, the problem is solved by removing the Tal symbiont from Adira and transferring it to a synthetic 'golem' using the Soong method. This can easily be seen as an allegory for contemporary gender affirming procedures. However, unlike previous Trill, Gray is also textually trans. This is thanks to the fact that the humanoid Trill host is a trans man. Before joining with the Tal symbiont (and before his death), Gray had already transitioned. While trans allegory is good, making Gray textually trans (while maintaining allegorical elements) allows us to have our replicated cake and eat it too. We Get to the Future Together Hopefully, the Star Trek Franchise will continue to offer textual trans representation moving forward. As Great Bird of the Galaxy Gene Roddenberry said: 'Star Trek was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in life forms.' RELATED: Star Trek Episode Trilogy: Revisiting 'Unification' Roddenberry continued, 'If we cannot learn to actually enjoy those small differences, to take a positive delight in those small differences between our own kind, here on this planet, then we do not deserve to go out into space and meet the diversity that is almost certainly out there.' These episodes of Star Trek are currently available for streaming on Paramount+. The Premise and How STAR TREK Fans Created Fanfic as We Know It Avery Kaplan is the author of several books and the Features Editor at Comics Beat. She was honored to serve as a judge for the 2021 Cartoonist Studio Prize Award and the 2021 Prism Awards. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her partner and a pile of cats, and her favorite place to visit is the cemetery. You can also find her writing on Comics Bookcase, NeoText, Shelfdust, the Mary Sue, in many issues of PanelxPanel, and in the margins of the books in her personal library.

Delaware beams up Stacey Abrams, 'Star Trek' fan & author, for book tour. What to know
Delaware beams up Stacey Abrams, 'Star Trek' fan & author, for book tour. What to know

Yahoo

time35 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Delaware beams up Stacey Abrams, 'Star Trek' fan & author, for book tour. What to know

In under two hours, tickets to Stacey Abrams' book talk at Wilmington Public Library — featuring the renowned public figure, author and devoted 'Star Trek' fan — were sold out. Abrams will discuss her new thriller, 'Coded Justice,' when she tours to Wilmington on July 17. The event will be moderated by Jamar Rahming, library executive director. Abrams will join a long list of big names who have stopped by the library since 2020, such as Michael Vick, Common, Keke Palmer, Dennis Rodman and more. Here's what to know about Abrams, who is credited with helping Joe Biden win the 2020 presidential election, plus some high-profile guests that the Wilmington Library wanted to bring in over the years, including controversial political commentator, author and social media juggernaut Candace Owens. Abrams has many titles including lawyer, New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur and producer. But most people know Abrams for being a political leader in Georgia. The Democrat served 11 years in the Georgia House of Representatives, seven as minority leader, and was the first Black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in United States history, per her bio. In 2022, Abrams lost a high-profile gubernatorial race to Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. It marked her second defeat by Kemp in a gubernatorial election. Despite falling short of reaching the governor's seat, Abrams is credited for playing a big role in helping to turn Georgia blue in 2020, which helped Joe Biden win the presidential election over Donald Trump that year. Also in 2020, Abrams launched her production company, Sage Works Productions, Inc. She has been nominated for an Emmy Award, and her projects have received the NAACP Image Awards in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Her documentary, "All In: The Fight for Democracy," which focused on voter suppression, was shortlisted for the Academy Awards in 2020, according to her bio. Abrams' website lists her as the Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics at Howard University. The internet was buzzing in 2022 after Abrams made a surprise guest appearance in the season 4 finale of the sci-fi series "Star Trek: Discovery." Her role? She was "President of United Earth." "One of the reasons I love 'Star Trek' is that it is not one thing. It is so many different shows, and its so many different vantage points," Abrams, who is a Trekkie, said in a video interview uploaded to the Paramount+ YouTube channel. She added, "And what has been so remarkable about every iteration of the show is that they take that same construct, but they do it so differently and so well that you never get bored with the journey." One notable guest the Wilmington Library was unable to host in a debate last year was Candace Owens, the Wilmington Public Library director told The News Journal / Delaware Online in April. Owens is a leading conservative political commentator famous for speaking her mind. That includes her 2021 appearance on Fox News' 'The Ingraham Angle,' where she criticized Stacey Abrams, then a Georgia gubernatorial candidate. Fighting for libraries: He turned one Delaware library into celebrity hot spot. Now he's fighting for their future 'I can't imagine why any person, any sane individual, would want her leading their state,' Owens said about Abrams. Owens' self-titled podcast on YouTube has over 4.3 million subscribers, and she commands an even larger following across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and has 6.9 million followers on X alone. The podcaster has earned praise from fans and strong opposition from critics for her critiques of LGBTQ issues and Black Lives Matter, her support for Donald Trump, and her involvement in heated debates. Owens also has upset members of the Jewish community upset and been banned from YouTube. Last September, during election season, Wilmington Library welcomed social justice advocates Angela Rye and Tamika Mallory. Mallory, co-founder of Until Freedom, is known for activism in cases like the killing of Breonna Taylor and Michael Brown. Rahming hoped for a debate among Owens, Rye, and Mallory, but it never materialized because the library director couldn't meet Owens' special request. 'She requires private jet travel because she's been accosted in airports and ... she was pregnant at the time, and she just was afraid because she felt unsafe in mainstream airports,' Rahming said. Other guests Rahming wanted to bring to the Wilmington Library, over the years, include former NFL star turned-activist Colin Kaepernick and NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Rahming wanted to host Kaepernick because he's a children's author and could discuss why he chose to become a social activist while he played in the NFL. 'Some of these people ... they'd don't fly commercial anymore. They require private jets,' Rahming told The News Journal in 2023. Abdul-Jabbar falls into that category. Fun in June: These are the best events at the Delaware beaches this summer 'I think he has an incredible story that would resonate with our community,' Rahming said about the NBA legend this past April. 'But he commands $100,000 honorarium and a private jet. So, there's no way that we could meet those terms.' It's important to bring in notable, diverse people from all different walks of life, whether Republican and Democrat, because Rahming wants to give the Wilmington community, which is over 50% Black, a chance to learn from world-class people, and ask them questions. Rahming said most of the library's high-profile events with celebrities have been free to the public, and many of their guests have charged either a small fee or nothing at all. The library, which has funded these events using only private money and not taxpayer dollars, has landed many of the guests they've reached out to, the director said. The new thriller "Coded Justice" from Abrams follows a former Supreme Court clerk who landed a job at a high-end law firm in D.C. where she gets make big money. She's now a corporate internal investigator. Her new client is a mega-tech firm that's on the forefront of developing a new integrated AI system that might revolutionize the medical industry. But strange things start to happen during the testing of this new tech, including the death of an engineer. Readers will dive down this deep, winding rabbit hole with the corporate investigator in 'Coded Justice.' The book releases on major platforms like Amazon on July 15. If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@ Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Stacey Abrams is coming to Delaware with new thriller. What to know

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