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 computer-animated feature that reshaped what family films could be. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it paired big-name voice casting with a script that poked fun at fairy-tale convention itself, earning the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and setting the template for a franchise that would run for decades. Its blend of pop-culture wit and genuine sentiment made it a cultural touchstone of the early 2000s, one that still holds up as a defining work of that animation era.
This cell isolates Lord Farquaad, the diminutive antagonist whose obsession with order and appearances drives much of the film's plot. Collectors seek him out because he supplies the story's comic villainy, the small-statured ruler whose vanity and ambition set Shrek's journey in motion. A single-character cell like this works well as a standalone keepsake, a compact reminder of the character's role without needing surrounding context, letting the figure of Farquaad stand on his own as a piece of the film's visual history.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Shrek (2001).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, appearing cleanly punched with no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip in the inter-perforation zone on the same edge; a thin DTS timecode line also appears present adjacent to the optical track.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer text or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-cyan tint consistent with modern safety stock; dye image reads as warm with strong reds and neutral shadows, no visible fading.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks or significant scratches are visible; the image appears clean with no evidence of heavy projection wear.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be from the same continuous shot, and the character costume and interior set are consistent with the animated feature on record.
Era check
The combination of Dolby Digital data blocks between perforations, a variable-area optical track, and apparent DTS timecode line 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 000063171
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
