Much like some other fans observing the 2025 movie schedule, I’m skeptical when it comes to the roster of upcoming Disney live-action remakes ahead. Those sorts of reservations are not a problem when it comes to the reimagined version of 2002’s Lilo & Stitch, as I remain excited for that flick. However, there has been one thing worrying me about this revamp of an emotional classic, and it involves Earth expert/drag icon Agent Pleakley.
There's been a lot of talk regarding whether Pleakley will wear dresses in the live-action film much like his animated counterpart did in the original movie. Now, director Dean Fleischer Camp has addressed that subject directly, and the answer is a bit heartbreaking.
Lilo & Stitch Addresses The Chances Of Seeing Pleakley Cross Dress
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but my suspicions from the Lilo & Stitch trailer have been confirmed. In a TikTok video that sees Camp highlighting comments and questions from fans, the filmmaker broached the subject of Pleakley’s human disguise and offered up the following response:
I have had people message me [asking,] ‘Why is Pleakley not wearing a dress?’ And I just want to say I tried.
There you have it, folks. Billy Magnussen’s new iteration of this Plorgonarian enforcer for the Galactic Federation is not going to be comically skating by on a barely human disguise. Although, one could have guessed as much when watching that trailer, as the brief introduction to Pleakley and Dr. Jumba Jookiba (Zack Galifianakis) showed these partners looking like two regular human buddies on a business retreat.
Now, I’m sure we’ll still get the bickering and squabbling from Dr. Jookiba and Agent Pleakley that movie fans and Disney+ subscription holders have always enjoyed. It’s a core piece of their characters, especially when they first visit Earth as an odd couple randomly paired off in Lilo & Stitch.
That being said, I can see why fans, and even the Marcel, the Shell with Shoes On director/co-writer, are disappointed over the changes made. And, to really discuss that, we need to jump into some long-standing fan canon that now appears to have been discarded.
Lilo & Stitch’s Big Change To Pleakley Means More To Fans Than You’d Think
What’s perhaps the most disappointing development when it comes to Jumba and Pleakley’s Lilo & Stitch performance is the fact that for quite some time fans have read this pair as being in a same-sex relationship. Admittedly, it’s never outright discussed in either of the sequels or Lilo & Stitch: The Series. However, the implication amounted to what was widely regarded as a piece of positive queer representation.
Respectively voiced by the late David Ogden Stiers and Kids in the Hall alum Kevin McDonald in the 2002 original, Jumba and Pleakley eventually put aside their differences and become part of the same ohana as the Lilo & Stitch cast’s main characters. Some have even called them “Lilo’s two dads.”
Yet, if you thought that answer was heartbreaking, wait until you see Dean Fleischer Camp’s delivery in his TikTok video, which is shared below:
@marceltheshellwshoeson ♬ original sound - Marcel the Shell
I don’t think this switch will ruin the story of this live-action enhanced iteration. At the same time, it’s hard not to feel something when seeing Camp's reaction as well as the unused character concept art. I'm still excited for this intergalactic fairy tale to hit theaters on May 23rd though. However, considering Lilo & Stitch's shot-for-shot accurate nature, it's still going to feel a bit weird to see Pleakley and Jumba looking very different.
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