National Film RegistryLibrary of Congress · Inducted 2020
“Even by DreamWorks standards, the charm and magic of "Shrek" seemed extraordinary upon its initial release almost 20 years ago — and its power has yet to diminish in the intervening years.”
Selected for preservation as culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.
Directed by
Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson
Studio
DreamWorks · DreamWorks Animation · Pacific Data Images · 90 min
Box office
$488.4M worldwide on a $60M budget
Honors
Academy Awards — 1 win, 2 nominationsAnnie Awards — 1 winBritish Academy Film Awards — 1 winCritics' Choice Movie Award — 1 winAll 4 wins · 3 nominations on record
Academy Awards: Best Animated Feature
Annie Awards: Best Animated Feature
British Academy Film Awards: BAFTA's Children & Young People Award - Feature Film
Critics' Choice Movie Award: Best Animated Feature
Scholarship
Named in the title of 17 peer-reviewed works
Examples
Sources: Wikidata · Library of Congress · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Shrek arrived from DreamWorks Animation in 2001, a fairy tale turned inside out that upended the Disney formula it gently mocked. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it became a cultural landmark, winning the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and proving that animation could carry irreverence, pop music, and adult wit alongside family appeal. Its success reshaped the genre and launched a franchise that still resonates today.
This cell centers on Shrek himself, the ogre whose reluctant heroism and dry humor made him one of animation's most beloved antiheroes. Paired here with Donkey in name only, the moment reflects the film's central friendship dynamic, one built on banter and unlikely loyalty. Collectors prize Shrek material for its role in animation history, and a 35mm cell from this era captures a physical piece of that early DreamWorks output, back when hand-selected frames still traveled from reel to archive.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby SR·D theatrical release print of Shrek (2001).
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 strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, consistent with an analogue stereo print; Dolby Digital pixel blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, indicating a Dolby Digital SR·D composite track.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters reliably.
Base & colour
The base carries a light cyan-blue tint typical of modern safety polyester stock; the dye image appears neutral with no visible colour shift or fading.
Projection history
Faint horizontal drag lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and the animated character visible is consistent with the DreamWorks animated feature on record.
Era check
The composite Dolby SR·D optical track, cyan-tinted polyester safety base, and positive colour print format are all consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 2000s, matching the 2001 release 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 000063114
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
