Fans continue to be upset with Disney for casting actors who are either too black or too light skin for the characters they are portraying in their live-action adaptations. While not many people were happy with the casting choices for the live-action The Little Mermaid (2023) and Peter Pan and Wendy (2023) due to Ariel and Tinker Bell being played by black actresses, the latest news of Sydney Agudong being cast as Nani Pelekai in the new Lilo & Stitch has fans shouting “whitewash casting.”

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Although Agudong is multiracial with Hawaiian and Filipino ancestry, fans are more concerned about the lightness of her skin tone. The announcement triggered a widespread reaction from the fans, mostly having a bit of fun by Tweeting posters featuring white actors playing real-life icons who are definitely not white.
For example, there was a whole section dedicated to Ryan Gosling. Several tweets went out under the casting announcement featuring Gosling as different famous black men. There was Obama, Martin Luther King, and even Tupac Shakur.




Disney isn’t known for going back on their casting choices; they didn’t fire Halle Bailey after the internet blew up about it. So no matter how much fans shout and moan, there may be no going back on the announcement. However, Disney hasn’t confirmed any casting for the Lilo & Stitch live-action remake, but with the roster getting pretty full, we may be getting the official news soon.