MOVIELilo & Stitch - 'The Little Mermaid' Promotional Movie Trailer
SCENEAriel
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2002
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001631
FILM NOTES
Lilo & Stitch arrived from Walt Disney Feature Animation in 2002, a modest, hand-painted production released amid the studio's push toward computer animation. Its charm lay in restraint: a small Hawaiian town, a misfit alien, and a story about family that didn't rely on spectacle. Disney supported the release with cross-promotional material tied to its animated library, including nods to earlier classics like The Little Mermaid, reminding audiences of the studio's continuity even as its methods shifted.
This cell comes from a promotional trailer pairing Ariel with Stitch, a crossover moment built for marketing rather than the film's own narrative. Such cells appeal to collectors precisely because they capture Disney bridging generations of characters, using one property to reflect on another. Ariel represents the studio's earlier era of hand-drawn heroines, while Stitch stands for its newer, stranger direction. Owning this piece means holding a fragment of that transitional promotional strategy, a single frame where two distinct eras of Disney animation were made to share the same reel.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of the Lilo & Stitch Little Mermaid Promotional Trailer (2002).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean throughout the visible strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along the bottom edge, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area pattern; Dolby Digital data blocks are also visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the bottom edge.
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 warm-neutral tint; dye saturation looks full with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible splices, cue marks or significant scratching are apparent in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames run consecutively as a single continuous shot and depict animation consistent with The Little Mermaid, matching the promotional trailer context on record.
Era check
The combination of dual bilateral variable-area optical track and Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a 35mm 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 000063475
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
