Disney hit with a wave of whitewashing accusations after controversial ‘Lilo & Stitch’ live-action casting

Earlier today, the news broke that Sydney Elizabeth Agudong would be stepping up as Lilo’s reliable older sister, and folks were quick to comment on a particular detail. Despite having been born and raised in Hawaii, Agudong’s skin tone is several shades lighter than Nani’s, which has led to accusations that Disney is trying to get away with whitewashing the character. A lot of folks are now rhetorically questioning if Disney really couldn’t find a darker-skinned Hawaiian actress to play the role.

Meanwhile, others are drawing attention to the fact that Agudong has no physical resemblance to the animated character, as her features are far more Eurocentric than Nani’s. Some are also taking the opportunity to comment on the importance of giving actresses and actors with a darker complexion the chance to play characters that look like them, instead of taking the easy route of trying to appease everyone by continuously casting POC with lighter skin tones.

This is not even remotely the first time Disney faces whitewashing allegations in recent memory. The company was accused of such when the release of a vinyl figures of Tiana and Naveen were presented to fans.

A lot of fans are now calling for Disney to re-cast Nani, but so far, there’s no information on whether or not that will actually happen. There’s a chance the Lilo & Stitch remake might suffer at the box office for this.