Disney sticks foot in bucket of racist stew through lazy casting
Disney’s obsession with mediocre live-action remakes rather than prioritizing original content has unfortunately sewn its way into Lilo & Stitch. Alongside the classic remake drama vibes, the film has not been set free from the obligatory hate comments following casting announcements. Race has already been a hot topic for Disney, especially with Halle Bailey as Ariel in the upcoming The Little Mermaid live-action remake.
Sydney Agudong (On My Block) is playing Nani, the beloved older sister and guardian of Lilo. Despite being Hawaiian, in contrast to the original movie, Agudong isn’t native. Fans of the original movie have been particularly upset with the fact that Nani is originally darker-skinned and Agudong is not. The statement “colorism strikes again” has echoed throughout Twitter and fans everywhere since the casting has been released.
Although the skin tone of the actress, and even her ethnicity to a certain extent, seems arbitrary in casting, the culture of the story and where it is set is important in selecting who will play a certain role. Since Lilo and Stitch is set in Hawaii and Lilo and Nani are both native Hawaiians, the erasure of their culture with a non-native Hawaiian actress rids the movie of any sort of representation. A white person would never be cast as Tiana from The Princess and the Frog, and a non-Chinese person would never be cast as Mulan in Mulan. This is also applied to Nani, who is a native Hawaiian and should be played by one.
Wait, you say, what about the remake of The Little Mermaid? Does this only apply to white people? Well yes, it does, but that’s not the issue with The Little Mermaid. It’s not important to the story that Ariel endures her journey in the seas of Denmark. Most people don’t even know that the movie is set in Denmark. The fact that Ariel is now being played by Hallie Bailey takes away no significance from the story. Representation is important for people of color in those other Disney movies for that exact reason, they are people of color. Their cultures and people that look like them are not always represented in those films. Taking away the indigenous features of Nani to switch it out for a whitewashed version rips away the already minimal representation that native Hawaiians have.
That’s not the end of this problematic tale. The controversies continue with Kahiau Machado, who was hired to play David, Nani’s love interest. Mere hours after the news of his casting, @ctrlcentered on Twitter dug up a Spotify account sharing a similar username to the actor’s Instagram handle. Within the description of a playlist under the account was the n-word. After the Twitter post was released regarding the incident, the account was promptly deleted. Soon after, Machado was fired from the movie and Kaipo Dudoit (Magnum PI) will now be taking over the role.
With the use of social media and access to public accounts through the unforgiving Internet, Twitter users are now running tighter background checks than Hollywood executives and casting agencies. When Disney, a major player in the film industry, is casting racist actors, what example does that set?
This only further perpetuates the idea that someone’s place in society could allow them to get away with things they shouldn’t be doing. But in terms of bringing this information to light, who should carry it out? How much responsibility should be on the shoulders of people in Hollywood rather than people online?
People now are told from a very young age to be mindful of their digital footprint and the effects of their posts, which could come back to haunt them down the line. Social media users just want to make sure that everybody is held accountable and set to the same standards as everybody else.
Status shouldn’t exempt people from being called out on their actions, and they shouldn’t be surprised when problematic things from their past reach the surface once more. If something’s out there, it’s only a matter of time before it’s found.
By Addi Isely and Anika flores
Publshed on May 22, 2023
Oshkosh West index Volume 119 Issue VIII