Just my opinion (and I'm not short), but... Being short and stocky was an actual "thing" insofar as Wolverine's personality in the '80s and '90s. He'd often "square off" with an opponent and they'd literally be looking down on him, as if to be under-estimating him. His fearlessness despite his stature is what helped to MAKE him who he was. It was constantly reinforced that, like a real Wolverine, he was small, but wasn't to be messed with. His height/build was literally part of his character. For us older guys to see him be portrayed by someone taller/thinner than the illustrations/stories we grew up on takes some of the familiarity we had for the character. My younger siblings complain about the change in aesthetics of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from one movie to another, so I think it's a fair thing to have a minor gripe about.