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, landing between the fading dominance of hand-drawn Disney fare and the rise of CGI as the industry standard. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it took the fairy tale template and turned it inside out, pairing an irascible ogre with a princess who defied genre expectations. The film's success, both critical and commercial, helped cement DreamWorks as a serious rival to Pixar and Disney, and its blend of pop culture references with genuine sentiment set a tone that animated features would chase for years afterward.
This cell brings together Fiona and Shrek, the film's central pairing and the emotional core around which the entire story turns. Fiona subverts the passive princess archetype, while Shrek redefines the reluctant hero, and collectors seek frames featuring the two together precisely because their dynamic is what audiences remember most. A cell pairing these characters by name alone signals a moment of shared screen time between them, a piece of film history preserved from the reel that captures their scenes as they unfolded in sequence during the original theatrical run.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour 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, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no visible torn or deformed holes
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single-track format
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight warm-neutral tint; dye image shows saturated colour with no visible fading or red shift
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are apparent
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be from the same continuous shot and match character and setting consistent with Shrek (2001)
Era check
A single variable-area optical track alongside a colour positive 35mm frame is 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 000063119
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
