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 as a defiant answer to the polished fairy-tale formula, pairing irreverent humor with genuine warmth. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it became a cultural phenomenon, winning the first-ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and reshaping how studios approached animated storytelling, blending pop culture references with sincere character work. Its success proved audiences wanted subversion alongside sentiment, launching a franchise that remains one of animation's most recognizable properties two decades later.
This cell centers on Shrek himself, the ogre whose gruff exterior and reluctant heroism redefined what an animated lead could be. Collectors seek him out as the anchor of the entire franchise, the character whose journey from isolation to acceptance gives the film its emotional core. A single-character cell like this represents the purest distillation of the property, free from supporting cast or spectacle, offering a direct connection to the figure who carried the story and became an enduring cultural icon in his own right.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical 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 holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible between the picture area and the lower perforation row, alongside what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge, and a DTS timecode line is also visible as a thin continuous stripe.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote any text.
Base & colour
The base shows a light cyan-blue tint consistent with a dyed safety base; the dye image reads warm amber-brown, with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible splices or cue marks; light surface marks 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 character visible is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The combination of cyan-tinted safety base, variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and DTS timecode stripe is 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 000063164
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
