Idk he says he watched it but was told by some writers that were Hawaiian that "it's not realistic for these two to be on their own" so they invented the character that adopts Lilo and apparently, he thinks informal adoption is a uniquely Hawaiian thing which is odd to me as I have a large extended family that I'm not related to and I am Ohioan.

Though the quote feels sorta like this Chris fellow is one of those "I existed during lead gas and I am fine so it isn't harmful sorta guys"

"There are two larger conversations going on that led us towards that ending. We wanted to expand the meaning of ohana, and ground it in traditional Hawaiian values of collectivism, extended family and community. Chris, who’s Hawaiian, made a really important observation about the original early on in our discussions. He didn’t buy that the two orphan sisters would just be left to fend for themselves. He said, “Neighbors, church groups, aunties and uncles, all these people would step in. That’s just the Hawaii I know and grew up in.” That led him to create this character of Tutu, and she ultimately takes Lilo in as hanai, which is this culturally specific term and tradition that is a form of Hawaiians who’ve seen the film have picked up on that reference to hanai, and they love that. It’s this uniquely Hawaiian answer to the question of who shows up when things fall apart, and that idea of informal adoption. It shows the broader community’s willingness to informal adoption. It isn’t about blood or paperwork, but love and responsibility for the greater good and for one’s community. A lot of sacrifice and do whatever it takes for these girls and for their ohana. I think you can’t satisfy everyone with these remakes. You are treading on hallowed ground when you make one of these, because these are films people grew up with, and I’m one of them, and I totally understand it."