National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING

AUTHENTIC

CROWN CERTIFIED

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MOVIELilo & Stitch - 'The Little Mermaid' Promotional Movie Trailer

SCENEStitch Surfing

FILM FORMAT35mm

YEAR2002

CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001620

FILM NOTES

Lilo & Stitch arrived from Walt Disney Feature Animation in 2002, a departure from the studio's fairy-tale lineage in favor of a scrappy, watercolor-backed story set in Hawaii. Directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, it introduced Experiment 626, a genetically engineered alien fugitive who becomes the unlikely companion of a lonely young girl. The film earned an Academy Award nomination and helped redefine Disney's tone for the 2000s, blending science fiction with family drama. Promotional material from this era, including trailers built around other Disney properties, was used to position the film within the studio's broader legacy and draw audiences familiar with its animated classics.

This cell comes from a trailer built on 'The Little Mermaid' framework, repurposed to promote Lilo & Stitch, with Stitch as its sole figure. Trailer cells like this one carry particular value for collectors, capturing a character in a promotional context rather than a narrative scene, useful for tracing how a new property was marketed through an established one. Stitch remains among Disney's most collected characters, prized for his chaotic energy and crossover appeal. A moment titled Stitch Surfing situates him in an active, recreational pose, consistent with the character's established affinity for mischief and physical comedy.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Lilo & Stitch promotional material.

Gauge: 35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations: Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack: A variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block strip in the inter-perforation zone on the same edge, consistent with a dual-format optical release print.
Edge print: Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote any text or key numbers.
Base & colour: Base shows a light blue-cyan tint typical of dye-incorporated colour print stock; dye image appears saturated with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history: No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks seen in this capture.
Picture: Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a release print of the film on record.
Era check: The combination of a cyan-tinted colour print base, variable-area optical track, and Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 2000s.

Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.

This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.

Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.

CROWN SERIAL 000063464

Original Film Capture As received

The film strip as photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation

Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size