**Since this article’s release an actor has been announced for the role of Cobra Bubbles. Thank goodness! Most of us agree he can not be replaced!**
The upcoming Live-Action Remake of the 2002 Disney animated film Lilo & Stitch has had some recent controversy surrounding its casting. Hawaiian actress Sydney Agudong was cast as Lilo’s older sister Nani. But despite being Hawaiian, people online (mostly on Twitter) complained that she was “too white” for the role. 
Now one of the film’s fan-favorite side characters, former CIA agent turned Child Protective Services agent Cobra Bubbles (originally voiced by Ling Rhames) is going through a major casting change. The once gentle giant who not only appeared in the first film but also in numerous spin-offs including Lilo & Stitch: The Series is now being replaced by a gender-swapped equivalent named Mrs. Kekoa.
Mrs. Kekoa will be played by actress Jolene Purdy, who is perhaps best known for her roles as Stephanie Hapakuka in Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black and as Isabel Matsueida aka Beverly in Marvel’s WandaVision series.
This is just the latest controversy surrounding Disney’s recent slate of Live-Action Remakes. The upcoming remake of The Little Mermaid has seen massive backlash online with the first trailer being the most down voted Hollywood film trailer of all time on YouTube. Not to mention the backlash for the upcoming Peter Pan & Wendy, also surrounding casting.
With the amount of recent pushback against these Live-Action Remakes, some are wondering if this phase of the company’s history may be coming to an end. Similar to how Disney released direct-to-video sequels of their classic animated films from the 1990s up to the late 2000s perhaps we may be coming to an end of this phase as well.
However, we still have a number of other announced remakes coming down the pipeline such as Bambi, Snow White, Hercules etc. The one generating the most confusion is the announcement of a Live-Action Moana, a film that isn’t even 10 years old.
What do you think of this latest casting choice? Are you still planning on watching the Live-Action Lilo & Stitch?
Source: Knight Edge Media
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