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 computer-animated feature that reworked fairy-tale convention into comedy built around an ogre, rather than a prince, as its hero. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, the film became a defining release for the studio, winning the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and helping establish a new commercial lane for adult-friendly, pop-culture-savvy animation aimed at family audiences.
This 35mm cell pairs Shrek and Donkey, the film's central duo and the engine of its comic chemistry. Shrek is the reluctant ogre protagonist who redefined animated leads, while Donkey is his talkative companion, a character prized by collectors for his enduring popularity and quotability. A cell featuring the pair together marks a moment from their ongoing exchanges, the throughline that carries much of the film's humor and heart. As physical film artifacts, cells like this preserve a tangible frame of that partnership from the original theatrical print.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm 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 each edge, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip in the inter-perforation zone beside it, and a DTS timecode line also discernible, consistent with a tri-format release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters.
Base & colour
Base shows a slight blue-cyan tint typical of modern safety stock; dye image appears neutral with no visible fading or red shift.
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 the film on record.
Era check
The tri-format soundtrack configuration (variable-area optical, Dolby Digital data blocks, DTS timecode) and cyan-tinted polyester base are consistent with a major studio 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 000063131
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
