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Forbes
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
How The Ending Of Disney's ‘Lilo & Stitch' Honors The Meaning Of Ohana
(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.
Time Out
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Lilo & Stitch
Photograph: © 2025 Disney Enterprises, Inc. Millennials are already gathering for a live-action redo of a movie that occupies a special place in the hearts of anyone who grew up in or around 2002. For the uninitiated, Lilo is an orphaned Hawaiian girl who bonds with Stitch, an extra-terrestrial agent of chaos. Director Dean Fleischer Camp, who made stop-motion gem Marcel the Shell With Shoes On , is charged with getting Disney's live-action mini-franchise back on the road after the disaster of Snow White . We're rooting for him. In cinemas May 21 Director: Dean Fleischer Camp Screenwriter: Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, Mike Van Waes Cast: Billy Magnussen Tia Carrere Chris Sanders Courtney B Vance Hannah Waddingham Sydney Agudong Maia Kealoha By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. 🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed! Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! Discover Time Out original video
Forbes
30-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Disney Spent $15 Million Developing A Kung Fu ‘Snow White' Movie
Could Rachel Zegler's 'Snow White' movie have been improved with the addition of kung fu? © 2024 ... More Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Disney's live action retelling of Snow White recently earned the ignominious accolade of becoming one of the lowest-rated big-budget movies on IMDB but it could have actually been a whole lot worse. That's because it originally started life as a kung fu film which is about as far removed from the classic fairytale as you can get. Although Disney has only become famous for its live action remakes in around the past decade, it reportedly began planning Snow White in the early 2000s. Known as Order of the Seven, in a nod to Snow White's companions, the picture was the brainchild of producer Andrew Gunn who was behind 2003's Freaky Friday and is returning for its reboot later this year. Order of the Seven was originally planned to be a kung fu take on Snow White with Natalie Portman in the lead role. It later evolved into a fantasy-action adventure film which retained an Asian flair as it centered on a young English woman in 19th century Hong Kong. She was set to flee the country to escape the clutches of an ancient evil empress who happened to be her wicked stepmother. This would have led to her seeking refuge with seven men belonging to a mystical order dedicated to fighting demons and dragons. It might sound like the plot of one of the many rip-off stories based on the Disney characters which have come into the public domain on expiry of the copyright on them. However, this one had Disney's seal of approval and although Order of the Seven hadn't been officially green-lit the studio got far down the line in the production process. By 2012, Saoirse Ronan, who shot to fame in Peter Jackson's 2009 supernatural thriller The Lovely Bones, was tipped to star as Snow White. The fantasy flick was due to be directed by Michael Gracey, who went on to helm The Greatest Showman and Better Man, last year's big screen biopic about the life of singer Robbie Williams. Saoirse Ronan and Natalie Portman were both tipped to star as Snow White (Photo by Gareth ...for BFI) In early 2012 several industry sources told Deadline that Disney was targeting a summer production start date and was in the process of finding an all-star cast of international martial arts sensations to play the team of warriors tasked with protecting the leading lady. By May 2012, work was continuing apace as Disney hired Oscar-nominated screenwriters Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby to polish the script fresh from their success co-writing the screenplay for Iron Man. It all came at a princely price. Like the latest incarnation of Snow White, Order of the Seven was set to be made in London and that shines a spotlight on the finances of the production. Studios filming in the United Kingdom get up to 25.5% of their costs reimbursed provided that they spend at least 10% of the total in the country. In order to demonstrate this to the government in the U.K., studios set up companies there for each production they make in the country. These companies have to file financial statements which lift the curtain on everything from the staff salaries and social security payments to the total cost of the production and the level of reimbursement. So although Disney did not comment for this report, the data in it comes directly from the studio. The financial statements are filed in stages starting before production begins. It takes a bit of detective work to get the information. The companies usually have code names so they don't raise attention with fans when filing permits to film on location. Tallying the company names with the productions they are responsible for requires deep industry knowledge which my colleague and I have built up over nearly 15 years reporting on the movie industry. We are the only reporters worldwide who specialize in covering the financial statements of U.K. film production companies for national media and we have reported on them for more than 10 leading titles including The Times of London, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent and the London Evening Standard. The financial statements have a public interest in the U.K. media as the reimbursement to the studios comes from taxpayers' money. Outside the U.K. the interest is in the bigger picture matter of the production costs. In July 2011 Disney set up a subsidiary called Jade Productions to make The Order of the Seven. The company was dissolved in October last year but this author retrieved its financial statements at the time they were filed. They show that no expense had been spared as the company spent a total of $14.7 million (£9.3 million) and banked a $0.7 million (£0.4 million) reimbursement bringing Disney's net outlay to $14 million. That's some spending on a picture which didn't even have a green light or a release date. It was all in vain. In March 2012 Disney's sci-fi fantasy film John Carter cast a dark spell at the box office when it grossed just $284.1 million worldwide against costs of $306.6 million according to this report. Disney got the jitters after the failure of 'John Carter' (Photo by) In contrast, two months after it was released, Disney's superhero team-up The Avengers hauled in $1.5 billion at the box office causing Disney to question whether its surreal Snow White film was a step too far. Having a first-time director at the helm reportedly contributed to the unease which was heightened by the recent departure of Rich Ross who resigned as Disney's studio chief in April 2012 after it announced it would suffer a $200 million write-down on John Carter. Perhaps for the best, the sometime kung fu Snow White flick bit the dust and the 2013 financial statements for Jade Productions reveal that "the company was involved in the production of the film 'The Order of the Seven'. The film was abandoned during the period." Given its performance at the box office, some may be wondering why the new remake didn't share the same fate.
Forbes
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Snow White' In Freefall With 68% Drop At Weekend Box Office; ‘Working Man' Eyes No. 1
Rachel Zegler in "Snow White." Disney Enterprises, Inc. Early projections for the second weekend of Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot's Snow White were apparently a bit too optimistic and Jason Statham's A Working Man is stepping up to take advantage of it. The $270 million live-action adaptation of Disney's 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs opened far below early tracking projections last weekend to the tune of $42.2 million. Now, following Deadline's projection of $20 million for its second Friday-Sunday frame — a 53% drop in business from its opening weekend — the trade publication is now estimating the film will take in only $13.7 million from 4,200 theaters in its second weekend for a No. 2 finish. The projected weekend tally marks a 68% drop in Snow White's opening weekend box office. With Snow White's box office freefall in its second weekend, Amazon MGM's action thriller A Working Man is projected to seize the box office crown from the live-action Disney princess movie. Following its $10 million to $12 million opening weekend projection on Wednesday, Deadline is now reporting that the Jason Statham film is projected to earn $15.6 million for the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office. Directed by David Ayers, who previously worked with Statham on The Beekeeper, A Working Man is playing in 3,262 North American theaters. Snow White, of course, has been hammered by controversies dating back three-plus years, with many of the troubles originating with Zegler, who among other things, called the original animated film dated and referred to its prince as a stalker in 2022. In August of 2024, Zegler posted on X, 'and always remember, free palestine' a minute after she thanked supporters on the platform for supporting the Snow White trailer. Despite a personal plea from the film's producer, Marc Platt — whom, Variety reported, flew to New York to ask the actor to take down the post — Zegler kept the comment online. Then, in November, Zegler went on a post-presidential election tirade on social media targeting President Donald Trump and his supporters. Fathom Events' faith-based feature The Chosen: The Last Supper is projected by Deadline to earn $12 million from 2,234 theaters domestically in its opening weekend for a third-place finish. Project by the finish fourth by the trade publication is Universal Pictures' horror thriller The Woman in the Yard, which is poised to take No. 4 with $8.5 million from 2,842 venues in its first Friday-Sunday frame. Meanwhile, A24's Death of a Unicorn — a dark horror comedy starring Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd — is projected by Deadline to take the No. 5 spot at the domestic box office with an opening weekend take of $5 million from 3,050 theaters. Note: This report will be updated throughout the weekend with the most current numbers as they become available. The final numbers for this weekend's box office will be released on Monday.
Forbes
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Snow White': The Biggest Changes Made From 1937 Animated Classic
Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot's controversial remake of the 1937 Disney animated classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is finally here with Snow White. How does the story differ from the original? While the first live-action adaptation of one of the studio's animated classics dates back to 101 Dalmatians starring Glenn Close in 1996, Disney really didn't start mining its animated library until 2010 with Alice in Wonderland. Since then, Disney has done either straight-up remakes, "re-imaginings,' prequels or sequels to nearly 20 films that originated in the animated realm. Among the most faithful to the original Disney animated films are The Jungle Book, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King — the latter of which is virtually a shot-by-shot remake of the 1994 hand-drawn classic. Some of the films were slightly altered in the plot — like Cinderella — while some more noticeable changes like Mulan, mainly because of the omission of the original animated film's music. Director Marc Webb's remake/re-imagining of Snow White seems to fall somewhere in between. The template of the original animated movie is still in place, as the orphaned Snow White (Zegler) is living under the rule of her stepmother the Evil Queen (Gadot), who is declared the 'fairest of them all' by her magic mirror … until she's not. Also, the Evil Queen's transformation into the beggar lady who gives Snow White a poisoned apple is still a part of the story, but the bookend to that subplotline differs from the animated film. Snow White is also freed in the forest by the Huntsman (Ansu Kabia) ordered to kill her by the Evil Queen, and she finds her way to a remote cottage, much in the way she meets the seven dwarfs from the original movie. From there, several noticeable changes were made to the remake from the original film. Here's a look at some of them. Note: Some spoilers from the new version of Snow White are discussed throughout the rest of the story. Rachel Zegler in "Snow White." Disney Enterprises, Inc. Being that Disney has dubbed the film a musical, it shouldn't come as a big surprise that new showtunes are part of the updated Snow White. Penned by La La Land Oscar-winning composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the new songs give Rachel Zegler (West Side Story) plenty of opportunity to exhibit her vocal range. Even Gal Gadot gets a dazzling, show-stopping tune — 'All is Fair' — to give her Evil Queen a little more pizzazz. While Pasek and Paul's music takes center stage in Snow White, Marc Webb still includes the Snow White and Seven Dwarfs classics 'Heigh-Ho' and 'Whistle While You Work.' There is one noticeable omission from the animated film's stable of tunes — Snow White's 'Someday My Prince Will Come'— which has been replaced by a more modern-thinking song 'Waiting on a Wish.' Andrew Burnap and Rachel Zegler in "Snow White." Disney Enterprises, Inc. There's a good reason 'Someday My Prince Will Come' is absent from the remake of Snow White: The prince doesn't exist. Instead, Snow White's love interest is a bandit named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who is a new character written for the remake. Burnap, a stage veteran, even shares a tune with Rachel Zegler and of course, Jonathan is destined to give Snow White her fateful 'true love's kiss.' Like the inclusion of the new music, the omission of the prince storyline shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has been paying even the slightest attention to the controversies plaguing the production of Snow White for the past few years. While the idea of not having a prince saving Snow White was conceived by screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson and obviouly given the green light by Disney, Zegler for some reason took it upon herself to break the news in a not-so-subtle manner in an interview with Extra TV in 2022. 'The original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so. There is a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her,' Zegler told Extra TV as she added, 'Weird! Weird! So, we didn't do that this time.' Rachel Zegler in "Snow White." Disney Enterprises, Inc. In the animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the prince breaks Snow White's death spell cast by the Evil Queen and the two ride off on horseback to the prince's castle after she bids farewell to the seven dwarfs. After the kiss in Snow White, the princess emerges from what was supposed to be her eternal slumber to enlist the seven dwarfs, as well as Jonathan and his fellow bandits to lead an uprising to take down the Evil Queen. Image from "Snow White." Disney Enterprises, Inc. In the original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Dopey is portrayed as a mute character who communicates through gestures. Dopey seems destined to do the same in Snow White, but thanks to the encouragement he receives from the princess, he eventually works up the courage to use his voice (which is supplied by Andrew Barth Feldman). Dopey uses his voice in another way in the film, which will not be revealed here for the sake of a surprise. One of the many controversies over the live-action Snow White originated with Peter Dinklage, who was born with a form of dwarfism. In an interview with podcaster Marc Maron, Dinklage surmised Disney was going to employ dwarf actors for the remake, which led to a highly publicized outburst. "Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White — but you're still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,' Dinklage told Maron. 'Take a step back and look at what you're doing there. It makes no sense to me. You're progressive in one way but then you're still making that f---ing backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the f--- are you doing, man?' According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney responded to the criticism by saying it was going to meet with the dwarfism community to arrive at a solution. Ultimately, the studio ended up rendering the characters as CGI creations. Now that the reviews are out for Snow White, some critics are suggesting going the computer-animated route to create the characters was the wrong move. 'Snow White flees into the forest and into the home of seven magical nightmares with CGI heads that look like sun-dried orange peels wearing too much foundation,' William Bibbiani writes in The Wrap. 'Their faces are caricatures straight out of a beachfront boardwalk sketch stand, exaggerated in ways that spit in the face of nature when rendered in three dimensions,' Bibbiani continued. 'They are Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Bashful, Grumpy, Dopey and Doc, and they are textbook examples of why some remakes are probably a bad idea.' Rated PG, Snow White opens in theaters nationwide on Friday.
