Director Dean Fleischer Camp and producer Jonathan Eirich tell EW that cutting the villainous Gantu deepened the storytelling.

"And also I do stand by the decision 'cause I feel like a lot of the things that in trying to ground these characters more and tell a story with a little more emotional depth, especially between the sisters, I feel like you have to free up real estate to allow that breathing room to do those things."

Disney fans are outraged that one key character from the original “Lilo & Stitch” film was cut from this year’s live-action remake. Captain Gantu, the villain of the 2002 animated flick, was noticeably absent from the new version that hit theaters on Friday, May 23.