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 fairy tale structure with irreverent humor and pop culture nods, becoming a critical and commercial triumph. It won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and helped establish DreamWorks as a serious rival to Disney and Pixar. Its success spawned a franchise built on subverting fantasy tropes while retaining genuine warmth, and this original film remains the touchstone for that blend of satire and sincerity that defined a generation of animated storytelling.
This cell brings together Shrek and Princess Fiona, the central pairing whose relationship drives the entire narrative. Shrek is the ogre protagonist whose gruff exterior masks unexpected depth, while Fiona is the princess whose own story defies expectation. A cell naming both characters together points to a shared scene, one of the moments where their dynamic advances the film's core romance. Collectors seek these pairings because they capture the heart of the story rather than a single figure in isolation, preserving a piece of the central relationship on film.
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, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing or distortion.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible on one edge, alongside what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block strip in the inter-perforation area, and a DTS timecode line is also discernible, consistent with a multi-format release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote text accurately.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-cyan tint typical of modern safety stock; the dye image reads as warm with strong amber and deep shadow rendering, no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated character style is consistent with the CGI animated feature on record.
Era check
The combination of Dolby Digital data blocks, DTS timecode, and variable-area optical track on a blue-base safety stock is consistent with a major studio 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 000063172
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
