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 full-length computer-animated feature that reworked fairy-tale convention with a sly, self-aware sense of humor. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it won the first Academy Award given for Best Animated Feature and helped establish DreamWorks as a genuine rival to Pixar and Disney in the animation marketplace. Its success rested on a blend of pop culture references, memorable voice work, and a willingness to poke fun at the genre it inherited, making it a defining animated comedy of its decade.
This cell centers on Lord Farquaad, the diminutive, status-obsessed ruler of Duloc, whose petty tyranny and comic self-importance make him one of the film's most quoted antagonists. Collectors seek out frames built around him for the character's outsized presence in the film's marketing and cultural footprint, disproportionate to his stature. A single-character cell like this typically comes from promotional material, a title card, or an isolated frame used to spotlight a key figure, offering a compact piece of the film's visual identity centered entirely on Farquaad himself.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Shrek (2001).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame visible on the top edge; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on the top edge; bottom edge perforations are partially obscured by the soundtrack area but appear present; spacing looks even and punching appears clean.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the bottom edge beside the perforations, appearing as two bilateral variable-area tracks consistent with a Dolby Stereo or SR optical format; a row of blue dots above the optical area suggests a Dolby Digital data block strip between the perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cyan-blue tint consistent with modern polyester stock; dye image reads as warm with strong reds and ambers, no visible fading.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks or prominent scratches are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be the same or near-identical shot, consistent with a consecutive sequence; subject matter and production design are consistent with the animated feature on record.
Era check
The combination of polyester base, bilateral variable-area optical track, and Dolby Digital data blocks between perforations 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 000063170
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
