National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

DreamWorks Animation released Shrek in May 2001, marking a turning point for the studio and for computer-animated features broadly. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, the film challenged the conventions of fairy-tale storytelling with irreverent humor and genuine emotional weight. Its success at the box office and at the Academy Awards, where it took home the first-ever Oscar for Best Animated Feature, cemented its place as a landmark of early digital cinema.

This 35mm cell captures Donkey in a rocky, firelit canyon or cave setting, sharing the frame with a large green figure positioned at his side. The warm practical lighting of the scene gives the frames an intimate quality, and the slight variations across the three images offer a rare glimpse into the natural rhythm of a single held moment from the film.