Why Juno Skinner From True Lies Looks So Familiar

By the end of the '90s, Carrere had exceled at comedy and she'd crushed it in crime dramas, but if there's one thing that every Disney kid knows Carrere for, it's her role as the voice of Nani in the absolute classic 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch.

The "Renaissance" era of Disney that comprised The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King was long over by the early 2000s. While the studio was still finding success through its partnership with Pixar, its own animation house was flagging with financially middling entries like Tarzan, Dinosaur, and Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

Enter the comparatively lower-budget, more personal story about found family at the heart of Lilo & Stitch. Lilo (Daveigh Chase) is a lonely Hawaiian girl grieving the death of her parents. Stitch (Chris Sanders) is an alien created through genetic manipulation to be mischievous and destructive. Together they form a bond that makes them both better.

Nani is Lilo's older sister, a young woman struggling to care for a troubled child in the wake of their parents' death. As Nani tries to juggle Lilo's emotional needs with the challenges of holding down a job, there's a real risk that the sisters will be separated from one another. The story of how Nani, Lilo, and Stitch all come together despite their circumstances is incredibly beautiful, and a large part of that comes from Carrere herself — not only did she bring Nani to life, but she also served as a consultant in bringing authenticity to the film's depiction of Hawaiian culture.