Live-action Lilo & Stitch trailer divides fans over Pleakley side-by-side comparison

14 March 2025, 17:41 | Updated: 14 March 2025, 17:42

By Sam Prance

In particular, fans are disappointed that Agent Pleakley doesn't wear drag in the new Lilo & Stitch trailer.

Ohana means family! The first official live-action Lilo & Stitch trailer is here and fans are divided over how some of the characters look in comparison to their beloved animated versions. In particular, people are upset about Agent Pleakley.

Ever since Disney first announced that they were making a live-action Lilo & Stitch, fans have been desperate to see how it compares to the 2002 animated film. The original has long been considered a classic. From its instantly recognisable animation design to its heartwarming themes, it's easy to understand why so many people love Lilo & Stitch.

Yesterday (March 13), Disney unveiled a new Lilo & Stitch trailer and it quickly went viral with people split on how it looks.

• Read more: Disney face backlash after removing trans storyline from new Pixar show Win or Lose

Watch the live-action Lilo & Stitch trailer

For the most part, people have praised Lilo & Stitch for its casting. Newcomer Maia Kealoha looks brilliant as Lilo and rising stars Sydney Elizebeth Agudon and Kaipo Dudoit are both receiving praise for their takes on Nani and David respectively. Chris Sanders is also back voicing Stitch and his live-action animation is adorable.

Reacting to Stitch specifically, one fan tweeted: "gonna be seated for the new lilo & stitch day 1 like look at this diva".

Check out a side-by-side of all the main characters below.

However, the new live-action version is now facing criticism over Agent Pleakley. In the original film, a lot of the humour revolves around Agent Pleakley and Dr. Jumba Jookie's poor disguises when they try to blend in with mankind. Not only that but Pleakley is lowkey a drag icon. Throughout the film, they dress in women's clothing and wear makeup.

By contrast, the live-action film appears to completely erase Pleakley's love of drag. Instead of simply trying to hide in human clothes, Agent Pleakey and Dr. Jumba Jookie use technology to make them appear human. Pleakley is depicted as male in the original film.

Reacting one fan tweeted: "Erasing Pleakley's drag and substituting it for human suits is bad because Disney wants to appease transphobes. But it's also bad because it completely misses the joke! I get it's probably a budget thing, but the whole point is that Jumba and Pleakley's disguises are terrible!"

Another lamented: "Look what they’ve done to our diva."

As it stands, the team behind the live-action film are yet to respond to the complaints. We'll update this article if they do.

Read more Capital Buzz news here:

• Disney recast David in live-action Lilo & Stitch after racist posts resurface
• Logan Lerman says he wants to cameo in Disney+'s Percy Jackson series
• Inside Out 2 team were reportedly told to make Riley "less gay"
• Moana 2's songwriters defend soundtrack after backlash to new songs
• Live-action Tangled is officially in the works at Disney

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