The version of Lilo & Stitch on Disney+ has been edited and fans aren’t too happy. This has come up a number of times on the streaming platform since it debuted in November 2019. Saludos Amigos was edited for the original DVD release to take out some smoking scenes. They were put back in for the Blu-ray release and then edited out again for Disney+, with some additional editing to go along with the no smoking. It appears that the version of Lilo and Stitch has been sourced from the second pressing of DVDs.
In the theatrical version of Lilo and Stitch, the scene after Ving Rhames’ Cobra Bubbles (ex-CIA agent-turned-social worker), stops by to check on Lilo and Nani’s house. He isn’t exactly pleased with the abode, which is mainly due to Lilo’s behavior. After he leaves, Nani gets angry with Lilo and chases her around the house until they get into the laundry room. In the original version of the movie, Lilo hops into a dryer to hide.
In the Disney+ version of Lilo and Stitch, Lilo does not hide in a dryer. Instead, the footage has been edited and she’s inside some kind of furniture, obscured by a pizza box. This was pointed out on social media and fans were not happy to see the change. However, it was done for good reason as it did not want children following in Lilo’s footsteps and trying to hide in a dryer, which could be potentially dangerous. Plus, this change was made when Disney did a second pressing of the hit 2002 movie, although a lot of Disney fans on Tik Tok thought they were experiencing the Mandela Effect. It just looks weird that they don’t have a dryer in their laundry room any more.
Lilo and Stitch was made in 2001 and had to make some changes after the 9/11 attacks during production. Originally, Stitch, Nani, Jumba and Pleakley hijacked a jet and flew it through downtown Honolulu, but it was later changed into an alien spacecraft and instead of a downtown area with buildings, the background was changed to mountains. While fans are mad about the recent changes to one of its classic movies, this one seems to be pretty harmless and not a huge change to the finished product. It’s far less intrusive than what was going to be shown pre-9/11.
Disney+ also will not be showing Song of the South, though that is understandable. Some fans wonder why questionable scenes in Dumbo and Pinocchio can remain with caution notes at the beginning, but projects like Saludos Amigos or Goofy smoking a cigarette cannot. In the end, Disney runs a pretty tight ship and they don’t want anything on the streaming platform that one might easily find to be controversial. As for Lilo and Stich, this isn’t a change that a whole lot of fans would have noticed had it not been pointed out. You can see the side by side images below, thanks to the Inside the Magic Twitter account.
It’s Not the Mandela Effect! Disney Actually Altered a Scene in “Lilo & Stitch” #disneyplus#liloandstitchhttps://t.co/pOJI8e8Ltrpic.twitter.com/nmXEBQhNLX
— Inside the Magic (@InsideTheMagic) March 26, 2020
