Lilo & Stich should be the death of live action

Disney has been on a mission to get lazier with every live action they make. They've always been retelling stories, with a massive chunk of there catalogue filled with fairytales, but they always put their own spin on it. The little mermaid has a happy ending, unlike the book where she dies. Cinderella doesn't have a shred of body horror, despite what the original text contains.

These days it's the same stories told with less cartoons, it's even a stretch to say they're all live action.

These retellings would be nothing more than a lazy cash grab if they didn't also contend with the impending march of right wing ideologies. If they can't sell to the loudest voice they won't make it. This lack of commitment to the heart of the original story, paired with the unwillingness to write something new leaves a path of wrecked childhood classics stripped of everything that made us love them in the first place.

Lilo & Stich speaks to this more effectively than any other so far. For a marketer what seems to be the appeal of the movie is Stich, and to be fair they did nail his look. He is adorable. But to anyone who's actually seen the movie the draw is family. And not just blood relatives, although Lilo and Nani are the heart of the film, but the people who support us and lift us up.

This new film uses this premise in its description, "the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family." But the movie itself breaks up the family, ending with Nani giving Lilo away.

There are a million more problems with this movie, all small changes that take away from what people loved about the original, but I think simply breaking down the emphasis on family is the clearest indication of how little Disney cares about their brand anymore. They only care about mass appeal.