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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000001635 Tap to enlarge
MOVIELilo & Stitch - 'The Little Mermaid' Promotional Movie Trailer
SCENEStitch Surfing
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2002
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001635

FILM NOTES

Disney's Lilo & Stitch arrived in 2002 as the studio's answer to a changing animation landscape, blending traditional hand-drawn artistry with a watercolor backdrop style that broke from the polished look of the Renaissance era. Released amid box-office dominance by computer animation, the film carved out its own space through emotional storytelling and a genuinely odd, lovable alien protagonist. It became a cultural touchstone, spawning sequels, series, and merchandise, while proving Disney could still find success outside the Broadway-musical formula that defined the prior decade.

This piece comes from promotional material tied to the studio's classic The Little Mermaid rerelease, a common practice pairing new releases with older catalog titles to drive theater traffic. Stitch appears here in a surfing context, tapping into his mischievous, chaotic energy that made him a merchandising phenomenon. Trailer cells like this one capture ephemeral marketing material, printed for limited theatrical runs and rarely preserved, making them a niche but meaningful category for collectors tracking character history.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

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

Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges, three frames visible on the strip.
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 one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block pattern visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, consistent with a dual-format optical track.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
Base shows a light cyan-blue tint consistent with a dyed safety base stock; dye image appears fully saturated with no visible fading or colour shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks observed on the strip.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the character and setting are consistent with the animated film on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track with Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 2000s, matching the 2002 record date.
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 000063479
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