What Happened to Lilo's Parents? Here’s What the Live-Action “Lilo & Stitch ”Did (and Didn’t) Say About Their Deaths

Fans of Lilo & Stitch know that “Ohana intends family — and family intends cipher gets near down aliases forgotten.” 

Though family is simply a cardinal taxable successful nan animated movie and nan live-action remake, Lilo and her teenage sister Nani are notably connected their own. Soon aft their parents die, a fluffy bluish alien named Stitch lands successful Hawaii arsenic Nani struggles to equilibrium her condolences pinch nan work of raising her small sister amid nan looming threat of societal services.

One of nan biggest differences betwixt nan films is that nan 2002 original explains what happened to nan sisters’ parents, while nan 2025 reimagining leaves their backstory mostly unspoken. The caller movie besides shows Nani putting speech her assemblage and profession ambitions of becoming a marine biologist to return attraction of Lilo. 

Dean Fleischer Camp, who directed nan live-action version, told Deadline in May 2025 that they added that constituent of sacrifice to broaden “the thought of Ohana” and make it a small much complicated. 

“It conscionable felt for illustration nan correct point to do,” he said. “Given that Nani, who I ever felt was a small excessively rose-colored glasses for personification successful her situation, was truthful smart and has had to wantonness a batch of these dreams aliases defer them because she had to return attraction of her small sister and inherited each this work astatine specified a young age.”  

He added, “It conscionable felt for illustration she mightiness not person specified an easy clip buying into ‘Nobody gets near behind’ because she surely would consciousness like, well, ‘I’m struggling here.’ ” 

So, what happened to Lilo’s parents successful Lilo & Stitch? Here’s what we cognize from nan original, and what’s missing successful nan remake.

Warning: Lilo & Stitch spoilers ahead!

What happened to Lilo and Nani's parents successful nan original Lilo & Stitch?

The original animated movie features an affectional segment wherever Lilo tells Stitch that her parents died successful a car crash. 

"It’s not a fairy communicative kingdom,” Camp said of nan movie successful a Geeks Of Color successful 2025. “It’s modern society, existent humans going done immoderate beautiful existent worldly that, you know, group everyplace spell done each day.”

What happened to Lilo and Nani's parents successful nan live-action Lilo & Stitch?

The live-action movie does not explicitly opportunity really Lilo and Nani’s parents died. However, they are featured rather a bit, pinch Stitch moreover attempting to prevention 1 last photograph earlier nan family’s location is destroyed. 

Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, who plays Nani successful nan movie, told Deadline in May 2025 that she liked really nan live-action movie went “deeper” into her character’s “tough circumstances” and it wasn’t “all sunshine and rainbows for her.”

Why does Lilo provender Pudge a peanut food sandwich?

Both films see Lilo’s overseas ritual pinch a food named Pudge, whom she feeds a peanut food sandwich each Thursday. Why? Because she believes he controls nan weather. 

Though it isn’t explicitly stated successful nan 2025 remake, it’s assumed from nan original movie that this ritual is simply a coping method and that bad upwind was partially responsible for her parents’ car crash. 

Who is Lilo’s guardian?

Though some films extremity pinch Stitch staying connected Earth to unrecorded pinch Lilo, Nani’s communicative takes a caller move successful nan live-action remake. After their location is destroyed, her neighbour Tutu (Amy Hill) steps successful to attraction for Lilo, giving Nani nan chance to prosecute her dream of studying marine biology successful college.

In a heartwarming blended-family twist, Tutu besides happens to beryllium nan grandma of David (Kaipo Dudoit), Nani’s longtime crush.

Producer Jonathan Eirich told Geeks of Color that nan thought for Tutu came from Hawaiian screenwriter Chris Kekaniokalani Bright. Although Hill voiced Mrs. Hasagawa successful nan original film, Tutu is simply a brand-new characteristic created specifically for nan remake.

“His full thought was that if this happened to 2 sisters successful Hawaii … they wouldn’t beryllium abandoned,” said Eirich. “He’s for illustration there’s specified a beardown organization successful Hawaii, location would beryllium an action for help.”

He continued, “So we benignant of shifted Nani a small spot successful our movie, truthful her rumor is much that she’s a spot stubborn and wants to beryllium that she tin do this each connected her own. And past by nan end, she’s benignant of accepting this wider Ohana and nan help.”