MOVIELilo & Stitch - 'The Little Mermaid' Promotional Movie Trailer
SCENELilo & Stitch Title Card
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2002
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001622
FILM NOTES
Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" arrived in 2002 as a departure for the studio, trading fairy-tale European settings for Hawaii and a hand-drawn watercolor style at a time when computer animation was overtaking the medium. Its story of family, loss, and an alien fugitive found something that has aged remarkably well; the release helped restore confidence in traditional animation and gave Disney one of its more offbeat, enduring properties. As with many films of the era, Disney used cross-promotion in its marketing, pairing new releases with beloved classics like "The Little Mermaid" to draw audiences into theaters.
This piece comes from a promotional trailer pairing that highlighted the "Lilo & Stitch" title card itself, the kind of studio marketing material generated ahead of release to build anticipation across theatrical bookings. Title card cells hold particular interest for collectors because they mark a film's arrival, its first formal introduction to audiences, distinct from character or scene cells drawn during production. As a piece tied to "The Little Mermaid" promotion, it also documents a specific moment of Disney marketing strategy, bridging two distinct animated eras and two audiences.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Lilo & Stitch promotional trailer (2002).
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; punching appears clean with no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the lower edge beside the picture area, with what appears to be a DTS timecode line adjacent to it; Dolby Digital data blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters reliably.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-cyan tint consistent with modern safety stock; the dye image reads as a strong black field with saturated yellow-orange title graphics, showing no visible fading or colour shift.
Projection history
No scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive image; all three frames show the same title card, consistent with a title or leader section of a theatrical trailer print matching the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track, DTS timecode line, and Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a 2002-era theatrical release print, when all three formats were routinely printed together.
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 000063466
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
