Director Chris Sanders frustrated Frozen received more sisterly praise than Lilo & Stitch

Disney’s animated hit Lilo & Stich celebrated its 20th anniversary recently, however, director Chris Sanders has a bit of a grievance to pick with critics.

For starters, Disney’s animated hit Lilo & Stitch was released worldwide in 2002, 11 years before Frozen debuted in 2013. Both movies explored the relationship between two sisters, prioritizing that bond over a romantic storyline. However, Chris Sanders feels like all the credit is given to Frozen as being the “first” Disney movie to emphasize a relationship between sisters.

“To be clear, I think ‘Frozen’s’ great,” Sanders recently told The New York Times while celebrating “Lilo & Stitch’s” 20th anniversary. “But it was a little bit frustrating for me because people were like, ‘Finally, a nonromantic relationship with these two girls,’ and I thought, ‘We did that! That has absolutely been done before.’”

Related: Stitch MagicBand+ Interactions from the Magic Kingdom

For Sanders, the focus on sisterhood as seen in Lilo and Nani’s relationship predates “Frozen” by over a decade. The co-director wishes the film would get its due for centralizing a non-romance at its center.

Directed by Sanders and Dean DeBlois, “Lilo & Stitch” centers on the friendship between a young Hawaiian girl and a blue extraterrestrial creature. The biggest relationship between two human characters belongs to Lilo and her older sister Nani. The movie showcases the bond that develops between two new friends and the love that exists between sisters.

Related: Idina Menzel & Kristen Bell would love to be in Frozen 3

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