How The Ending Of Disney's ‘Lilo & Stitch' Honors The Meaning Of Ohana

Forbes

26-05-2025

(L-R) Maia Kealoha as Lilo and Sydney Agudong as Nani in Disney's live-action LILO & STITCH. Photo ... More by Matt Kennedy. © 2025 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This article contains spoilers for Disney's Lilo & Stitch (2025).
Disney's Lilo & Stitch live-action adaptation was released this past weekend. It won the Memorial Day Box Office with an estimated $183 million, the highest record for that weekend. But, there has been an ongoing discourse over the film's ending, and whether it dishonors the original 2002 animated version.
The original film ended with Nani, Lilo, and Stitch embracing their newfound family and living happily together. It's a straightforward ending for the movie, but that's not how the real world works. The live-adaptation understands that, you need a real job to survive, especially with Hawaii having the highest cost of living.
In the new film, Lilo (Maia Kealoha) and Nani (Sydney Agudong) become orphans after their parents passed in a car accident. Nani instantly becomes a mother and a sister. She gave up a university scholarship on the mainland to care for Lilo as it was her 'kuleana' (or responsibility) as Lilo's newfound guardian. Yet, Nani is barely an adult, struggling to balance working full time, taking care of the bills and insurance, and raising a feisty 6-year-old. Now, she's dealing with an alien dog, tearing up the home and any potential work opportunities. It's a lot for anybody in that situation. Things go wrong for Nani, and she is basically forced to give Lilo up to the state, because it was only a matter of time before the government took Lilo.
Though the history of the government taking away indigenous families cannot be ignored, Lilo & Stitch screenwriters Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes took creative liberty in adding the character of Tutu (Amy Hill), Lilo & Stitch's longtime neighbor and family friend, to ensure that didn't happen. In Hawaiian culture, ohana doesn't have to mean just blood family, but also includes community and found family. Director Dean Fleischer Camp told Cinemablend that Tutu has been there for them for many years, which brought authenticity to the story because the community of Hawaii would be there to support them.
(L-R) Stitch and Maia Kealoha as Lilo in Disney's live-action LILO & STITCH. Photo courtesy of ... More Disney. © 2025 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
While Nani had planned to relieve her guardianship of Lilo to the state, at the behest of the social worker, Mrs. Kekoa (Tia Carrere), Tutu offers to foster/adopt Lilo under her care. Nani is in disbelief, believing she'll be able to raise Lilo with help. She wasn't thinking about returning to school or anything else. It isn't until Tutu and Lilo pushes her to return to pursue a higher education. With Lilo now under the care of a family friend, Nani had the opportunity to use her 'akami' (smart brain) and get her degree. It took a lot of convincing from the family for Nani to finally accept.
While many feel it's disrespecting 'Ohana' and the idea that nobody gets left behind or forgotten, Lilo is not getting left behind or forgotten. She has her family with her, including Stitch, Tutu, and their newfound family in Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance) and Pleakley (Billy Magnussen). Nani is only a portal blast away from seeing her little sister, and plans on returning to be reunited physically as a family.
The ending is actually paying a service to the phrase, as Nani herself doesn't get left behind in her life and her dreams. Nani is a person, and those aspirations shouldn't be forgotten or abandoned. Before Lilo became her responsibility, Nani had dreams of studying Marine Biology at the University of California, San Diego (which she got into with a full ride before her parents died). She used to surf with friends, and her potential boyfriend, David (Kaipo Dudoit). She gave it all up to be her sister's keeper. People often forget about the caretakers and the burnout that they suffer, as well as the sacrifices they make.
The film also makes it a point that Nani never made Lilo feel small about it either. She never resented Lilo, or purposely made Lilo feel like a burden. They would scream at each other like siblings do, but make up in the end, with Nani telling Lilo that she loves her. Nani was an excellent sister, and doing the best she could as an unexpected mother. Nani isn't the villain in this story, and shouldn't be made to be one because she is given a chance to live her dream.
(L-R) Maia Kealoha as Lilo, Stitch and Sydney Agudong as Nani in Disney's live-action LILO & STITCH. ... More Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2025 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
As for Stitch, he was the needle and thread in bringing the community together for both Lilo and Nani. If there was no Stitch, Lilo would have remained a lonely girl, and Nani silently suffering from her massive responsibilities. With Stitch's arrival, he brought joy to Lilo (and vice versa), but became the catalyst of having the community come together to help Lilo and Nani from their predicament. Nani realizes she does need help, and finally accepts it.
Disney's live-action Lilo & Stitch may not be the childhood nostalgic ending that we remember, but it's a realistic (minus the aliens) portrayal of what 'Ohana' really means.