MOVIELilo & Stitch - 'The Little Mermaid' Promotional Movie Trailer
SCENEStitch and Ariel
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2002
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001624
FILM NOTES
Disney released Lilo & Stitch in the summer of 2002, a Stitch! An unusual entry in the studio's animated canon, it paired science fiction absurdity with a grounded Hawaiian setting, earning acclaim for its emotional sincerity and box office success. Its promotional materials often reached beyond the film itself, drawing on the wider Disney library to place Stitch alongside beloved characters from earlier eras, a marketing approach that helped introduce the new alien to audiences already devoted to the studio's animated legacy.
This piece comes from promotional material pairing Stitch with Ariel, joining a newcomer with one of Disney's most enduring princesses from The Little Mermaid. Such trailer cells were built to generate anticipation, using cross-character imagery to bridge generations of fans and signal Stitch's place within the broader Disney family. Collectors value these pairings for their rarity and crossover appeal, as they capture a specific marketing moment rather than a scene from the feature itself, making this a notable artifact of Stitch's earliest public introduction.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Lilo & Stitch promotional material (2002).
Gauge
35mm; the strip holds three frames, each with four perforations visible on both the top and bottom edges.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut with rounded corners consistent with KS-type perforations.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical soundtrack track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a narrow light-modulated stripe; Dolby Digital data blocks are also visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, indicating a hybrid optical/Dolby Digital soundtrack.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base appears with a slight blue-teal tint consistent with a dye-incorporated colour print stock; the dye image reads as saturated and not visibly faded or red-shifted.
Projection history
No visible splices, cue marks or heavy scratches are observed; the surface appears consistent with a lightly projected print.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot and the animated characters and setting are consistent with the Lilo and Stitch film on record.
Era check
The hybrid variable-area optical plus Dolby Digital soundtrack configuration, blue-tinted polyester base, and saturated dye image are all consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 2000s, matching the 2002 date on record.
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 000063468
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
