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Lilo & Stitch Was Hawaiian Actor's First Appearance in a Feature Film
The Straits Times
|June 20, 2025
In Disney’s latest live-action remake Lilo & Stitch (2025), David Hekili Kenui Bell has a short but memorable role in which he is so bewildered to see aliens that he lets his shaved ice plop to the ground.
NEW YORK — The appearance was the Hawaiian actor’s first in a feature film.
Bell, who had played minor roles in a few productions, died on June 12. He was 46.
His sister, Ms. Jalene Bell, confirmed his death on social media on June 15 and in a family statement that did not provide a cause of death.
He was credited simply as Big Hawaiian Dude on his IMDb page, but on TikTok, he referred to himself as the Shave Ice Guy.
Lilo & Stitch, which is based on the 2002 animated film of the same name, opened in cinemas in May and became one of the most profitable recent films as it earned more than US$800 million (S$1 billion) in box-office sales.
This story is from the June 20, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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