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 in 2001 from DreamWorks Animation as a sly rebuttal to fairy tale convention, pairing computer animation with a script that winked at Disney tropes even as it built its own earnest romance underneath. It won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and helped define DreamWorks' irreverent house style, launching a franchise that reshaped family entertainment for a generation. Its soundtrack, humor, and box office success made it a cultural touchstone of early 2000s cinema.
This cell isolates Shrek within his own swamp, the setting that establishes him before the story sends him traveling. It is the character in his baseline domain, the place he is introduced defending and later forced to leave, making it a foundational image for anyone tracing his arc through the film. Collectors prize Shrek material for his status as an animation icon and a rare protagonist defined by rejecting princely norms. A swamp-set frame speaks to origin and ownership of place, the quiet start before the quest begins.
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, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with rounded corners, no torn or deformed holes visible
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical soundtrack track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single variable-area track
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers clearly
Base & colour
Base shows a light blue-cyan tint consistent with a colour print stock; dye image appears warm with no obvious fading or red shift
Projection history
Horizontal scratches and abrasion lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with a projected print that has passed through a gate
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the subject matter is consistent with an animated feature matching the film on record
Era check
The single variable-area optical track, cyan-tinted colour print base, and perforation style are all consistent with a theatrical 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 000063157
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
