Ewoks are not cute. If you went on a camping trip and a large group of small bears speaking another language armed with spears surrounded your campsite, I doubt anyone would be thinking how cute they are, especially when the cooking starts.
My problem with the ewoks isn’t the fact that they’re walking teddy bears, it’s the dumb slapstick they were given. If they had toned down the slapstick and given the ewoks a bit more of a threatening appearance, I.E. armor, sharp teeth, sharper weapons, I doubt you’d see people complaining about them much.