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, breaking from the polished fairy-tale template Disney had long owned. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it paired irreverent humor with genuine warmth, becoming the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Its success proved animated films could subvert genre conventions while still connecting emotionally with audiences, reshaping the landscape of family entertainment for the decade that followed.
This cell captures Fiona Helping Shrek, a moment defined by its title alone: an act of assistance between the film's central pair. Shrek, the ogre protagonist whose gruff exterior conceals loyalty and vulnerability, and Princess Fiona, whose own layered identity complicates the traditional damsel role, remain among the most collected characters from early 2000s animation. A 35mm cell from this scene preserves a fragment of their partnership as it was originally projected, a physical remnant of the film's theatrical run and a tangible link to the collaborative dynamic that anchors the story.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital 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, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with rounded rectangular shape, no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single bilateral variable-area track; Dolby Digital pixel blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, indicating a combined optical and Dolby Digital soundtrack.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers clearly.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-cyan tint consistent with a dyed safety base; dye image appears warm and saturated with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks, or significant scratches are visible; the surface appears consistent with a projected release print showing light use.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and the animated characters visible are consistent with the DreamWorks animated feature Shrek (2001).
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 2001 release period of the film 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 000063125
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
