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 (2001) arrived from DreamWorks Animation as a rebuttal to the fairy-tale gloss that Disney had long perfected, and it changed the trajectory of animated features almost overnight. Built on William Steig's book and powered by a script full of pop-culture asides, it paired computer animation with a raucous, self-aware sense of humor. Its success at the box office and its Best Animated Feature Oscar win at the inaugural ceremony for that category cemented its place as a genre landmark, launching a franchise and proving that animated films could aim squarely at adult wit without losing family appeal.
This piece pairs Shrek and Donkey, the film's central duo and the engine of its comedy. Shrek, the reluctant ogre hero, and Donkey, his relentlessly talkative companion, anchor nearly every scene they share, making frames of the two together especially sought after by collectors building around the film's core relationship. A cell showing this pairing speaks to the buddy dynamic that defines the story's tone and momentum, a shorthand for the film's blend of banter and heart that made it resonate far beyond typical animated fare.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Shrek (2001)
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges, three frames visible on the strip
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, spacing appears even, corners appear rounded and cleanly punched with no visible torn edges
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block pattern visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, consistent with a dual-format optical track
Edge print
Not clearly legible in this capture; no key numbers or manufacturer text can be read with confidence
Base & colour
Base shows a light blue-cyan tint consistent with a dyed safety base stock; dye image appears warm and well-saturated with no visible fading
Projection history
No splices, cue marks or prominent scratches are visible in this capture
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and the animated characters visible are consistent with Shrek (2001)
Era check
The cyan-tinted safety base, variable-area optical track combined with Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and four-perforation 35mm format are all consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 2000s
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 000063128
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
