MOVIELilo & Stitch - 'The Little Mermaid' Promotional Movie Trailer
SCENEStitch Surfing
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2002
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001638
FILM NOTES
Lilo & Stitch arrived from Walt Disney Feature Animation in 2002, a hand-drawn feature that stood apart from the studio's fairy-tale lineage by setting its story in Hawaii and pairing a lonely girl with an alien fugitive. Directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, it earned praise for its watercolor backgrounds and emotional core, and became a rare early-2000s Disney hit that spawned a lasting franchise. Promotional material tied to the film, including trailers referencing other Disney properties like The Little Mermaid, helped position Stitch as a mainstream icon before the movie even opened.
This piece belongs to that promotional push, a trailer cell rather than a finished film frame, meaning it was built to sell the picture to audiences ahead of release. Stitch Surfing points to one of the character's playful signature activities, a bit of experience-292 mischief that made him marketable beyond the story itself. Voiced by Chris Sanders, Stitch collectibles are prized for representing the character's earliest public appearances, when Disney was still introducing him to the world through exactly this kind of teaser material.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Lilo & Stitch (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, cleanly punched with no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area on the lower edge, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area pattern; Dolby Digital data blocks are also visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cyan-blue tint consistent with modern safety polyester stock; dye image reads as neutral with strong, saturated colour.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks seen in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with the animated feature Lilo & Stitch.
Era check
The combination of dual bilateral variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and polyester base stock 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 000063482
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
