Lilo & Stitch's Zach Galifianakis explains why live-action Jumba doesn't have an accent
25 May 2025, 17:39
Why doesn't Jumba have an accent in the live-action Lilo & Stitch movie?
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Live-action Lilo & Stitch might have an almost perfect audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes but that hasn't stopped fans from criticising the major changes from the original film on social media.
The animated OG is beloved by audiences all over the world thanks to its heartfelt message (Ohana means family!) and unforgettable and iconic characters. Dr. Jumba Jookiba being one of them...
Zach Galifianakis voices Jumba in the live-action remake but there's one massive difference that fans are not happy with... Live-action Jumba does not speak with the same accent (voiced by David Ogden Stiers) that he has in the original.
Now, Zach has revealed why he didn't recreate Jumba's somewhat Russian sounding accent while recording his lines for the remake.
- Read more: Lilo & Stitch director explains why Pleakley is not in drag in live-action movie following backlash
Speaking to Cinema Blend, Zach revealed that he initially asked Disney how they wanted Jumba to sound, and ultimately ended up going for something that was a little deeper than his own speaking voice.
"Listen, I told them, 'Tell me what to do'. I think, these days, accents are tricky," he said with a laugh. "Maybe that's– I don't know what happens."
"I don't know how those decision are made. Like, 'No. No German, no Russian, no accents... but you still can kind of do a Russian one as the villain, let's be honest," he added, continuing to joke.
Zach went on: "So I think they, maybe they wanted to stay away from that kind of thing but, yeah, or maybe I did do a Russian accent and they were like, 'That sounds like he's Chinese'."
"I can't really do voices anyway so maybe that was what it was. But my voice is a little different maybe, I don't know. I think it's a little deeper in the animation thing."
Jumba's accent is not the only thing they've changed about the character in the film either.
In case you haven't heard, Captain Gantu does not appear in the live-action remake at all. Instead, Jumba fills Gantu's place and acts as the main antagonist.
That change hasn't gone down well with fans as they have pointed out that Jumba now no longer has the redemption arc that he does in the original, and that his dynamic with Pleakley is not the same.
Read more Disney news here:
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- Tangled live-action remake has been 'indefinitely postponed' at Disney
- Snow White slammed by little people for using CGI dwarfs instead of real actors
- Here's why Snow White cut major song from the live-action soundtrack
- Logan Lerman says he wants to cameo in Disney+'s Percy Jackson series
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