National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

Walt Disney Feature Animation released Lilo & Stitch in June 2002, a deliberately intimate production set apart from the studio's grander fantasy epics of the era. Made on a modest budget with a small Florida-based team, the film found enormous commercial and critical success, becoming one of Disney's most beloved properties of the decade. Its promotional campaign was equally inventive, placing Stitch into trailers for other Disney releases, including this 2002 spot attached to The Little Mermaid re-release.

This three-frame strip, titled Stitch Surfing, captures a consecutive sequence from that promotional trailer. Nani Pelekai rides a surfboard across a wave while Stitch cuts through the water below her, the deep blue ocean filling the background across all three frames. The slight progression between frames preserves the natural rhythm of the action, offering a rare glimpse into the fluid movement of hand-drawn animation from this period.