National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

DreamWorks Animation released Shrek in May 2001, marking a turning point for computer-animated feature films and for the studio itself. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, the film drew on William Steig's picture book while building something distinctly irreverent, poking at fairy-tale conventions with genuine wit. Its commercial and critical success helped establish DreamWorks as a serious rival in the animation landscape and launched one of the most recognized franchises of the following decade.

This cell captures Shrek and the Big Bad Wolf together in a dimly lit stone interior, the warm glow of a nearby lantern casting the scene in amber shadow. Three consecutive frames from the same shot offer a rare sense of continuity, preserving a quiet, atmospheric moment between two of the film's fairy-tale refugees in close, almost conspiratorial proximity.