Underrated: Nani

In my recent Underrate post about Merida, someone commented about how Lilo and Stitch is really the first Disney film about familial love, and dear commenter is totally right. So I thought about not Lilo, but Nani, her older sister, and how she is an underrated lady herself.

nani-1

Nani ends up having to care for her younger sister Lilo after a fatal accident of their parents. Not only is she a sister, but she is a guardian which is already a different look for Disney and a family dynamic.

Also, Nani does not look like a typical Disney princess. She has curves and muscles, since she is a surfer, and it’s not the look of the Disney ladies before her. Also, she has to be the responsible adult figure. She can’t afford to dream for a prince or a ball, she has to be in reality.

Lilo and Stitch not only focuses on the family relationship but also gives a look into life in poverty and a struggling family, not one of royalty. Nani has to fight to keep her sister with her and also to keep her happy, while Lilo struggles to find a place where she belongs. We all as people are more likely to be Nani or Lilo, than we are to be Cinderella or Aurora. And it shows that Hawaii is both beautiful, but difficult for some to survive in.