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 defiant answer to the fairy tale conventions Disney had long owned. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it paired computer animation with a script that mocked princess narratives while still delivering one, earning the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and reshaping what family films could sound and look like. Its success proved audiences wanted irony alongside heart, and it launched a franchise that defined DreamWorks for a decade.
This cell centers on Shrek's Swamp, the ogre's home ground and the film's opening territory, the place that establishes him before the story pulls him away from it. For collectors, swamp material carries weight as the anchor setting of the entire series, the domestic space that defines Shrek's isolation and, later, his return. A 35mm cell from this stretch of film represents the physical footage as it ran through projectors during the picture's theatrical run, a tactile artifact from the reels that introduced audiences to this character and his corner of the world.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital optical release print of Shrek (2001).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by 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 with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block stripe running alongside it, consistent with a dual-format optical release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base carries a light cyan-blue tint typical of modern polyester release stock; the dye image appears warm and well-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 lightly projected print.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the content is consistent with the animated feature listed on record.
Era check
The cyan polyester base, Dolby Digital data blocks alongside a variable-area optical track, and saturated dye image 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 000063135
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
