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 fairy tale that reworked the genre's conventions with humor aimed at both children and adults. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it became a cultural touchstone, winning the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and launching a franchise that reshaped the animation landscape, positioning DreamWorks as a genuine rival to Disney in the years that followed.
This cell bears the name of the film's central figure, the ogre Shrek, whose gruff exterior and reluctant heroism anchor the entire story. As a piece of 35mm film culture, a cell marked simply with the character's name often traces to early promotional materials, trailer stock, or title sequence elements produced ahead of general release. Collectors seek these pieces precisely because they represent the character in his most foundational, unadorned form, tied to the picture's original theatrical run rather than any later merchandising or home video reissue.
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 both edges; spacing appears even and the punched corners appear rounded and clean.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base shows a slight blue-cyan tint consistent with a colour print stock; the dye image appears neutral with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and the animated characters and canyon environment are consistent with Shrek (2001).
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, colour positive print stock, and blue-base polyester-type carrier 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 000063149
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
