The upcoming live-action adaptation of Lilo and Stitch has announced its latest casting! This means the film has pretty much locked in the main human cast. We have our David! Newcomer Kahiau Machado will play the Hawaiian surfer and love interest of Lilo’s older sister Nani.
Disney’s recent campaign of animated classics turned live-action films are making headlines day after day for casting choices. The Little Mermaid reboot started it all when Halle Bailey was announced as the new Ariel in 2018. Disney+’s Peter Pan and Wendy got similar hate for casting people of color as Peter Pan and Tinker Bell.
The Lilo and Stich live-action transformation is barely off the ground and faces similar criticism. As soon as castings are announced, actors are immediately scrutinized. Will Kahiau Machado’s David survive whatever the backlash brings?
Right now, it seems that Machado is getting similar criticism as Sydney Agudong when it was announced that she would play Nani. People think Disney is whitewashing again. The internet also dug up some racially charged Spotify playlists under Machado’s account.
READ MORE This Iconic ‘Lilo and Stitch’ Character Was Just Kicked Out of the Live-Action Ohana
Actors and the Walt Disney Company alike should know by now that the internet is lightning fast. If there’s something to find, they’ll find it. Some people on the internet argue that the new cast doesn’t look “Pacific Islander enough” even though Agudong specifically has native Hawaiian ancestry and Machado is from Hawaii.
See what Twitter had to say:
the only good casting decision so far is the five year old
the only good casting decision so far is the 5 year old
— emily ☃️❄️ (@colbridgey) April 17, 2023
y’all gotta stop acting like they’re gonna cast someone who looks identical to the cartoon character. it’s a live action REMAKE
y’all gotta stop acting like they’re gonna cast someone who looks identical to the cartoon character. it’s a live action REMAKE
— xǝlɐ (@alexneuhedel) April 17, 2023
….dude is from Hawaii, where Lilo and Stitch is located and is athletic just like David(buddy was a volleyball player for U of Hawaii)…so what exactly is the problem here…?
….dude is from Hawaii, where Lilo and Stitch is located and is athletic just like David(buddy was a volleyball player for U of Hawaii)…so what exactly is the problem here…?
— tzatoky.bsky.social 🏳️🌈 (@tzatoky) April 17, 2023
what is going on with this casting
https://twitter.com/eeugeo/status/1648034014949769221
This casting is missing a lot. I don’t get the eurocentricism they’re going with.
This casting is missing a lot. I don’t get the eurocentricism they’re going with.
— Gilluis Pérez (@GilluisPerez_) April 17, 2023
I think they should cancel this movie
I think they should cancel this movie 😭
— 🛵 (@sadofilms) April 17, 2023
I’m sure Disney will doing nothing of the sort, but casting changes aren’t totally unheard of. Let’s wait and see how the production teams and The Walt Disney Company respond.
As far as the other Lilo and Stitch casting: newcomer Maia Kealoha will play 6-year-old live-action Lilo, and Zach Galifianakis is also signed on. The live-action remake will stream on Disney Plus at a future unknown date.
