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 springboard release that redefined what computer animated features could be. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it took the fairy tale template and inverted it, pairing sly humor with genuine warmth, and went on to win the first Academy Award given for Best Animated Feature. Its success established DreamWorks as a genuine rival to Pixar and Disney, and gave the studio a signature franchise that would run for decades. The film's blend of pop culture references and unconventional heroes made it a cultural touchstone for a generation raised on irony and heart in equal measure.
This cell preserves the Dragon, guardian of the tower where Fiona awaits rescue, one of the film's most memorable supporting creations. Fierce on introduction yet given surprising dimension as the story unfolds, the Dragon occupies a pivotal turn in Shrek's journey, standing between the ogre and his quest. Collectors prize this figure for the way it embodies the film's habit of subverting expectation, turning a stock fairy tale obstacle into something with real personality and consequence. A 35mm cell bearing this character offers a physical link to that transformation, a single frame carrying the weight of one of animation's more inventive supporting turns.
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 edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, with what appears to be a blue-tinted Dolby Digital data block strip also present between the perforation rows on the lower edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base carries a slight blue-cyan tint consistent with a dye-based colour print stock; the dye image reads as warm red-shifted, which is normal for a projected colour release print.
Projection history
Faint longitudinal lines are visible running through the frame area, consistent with projection wear; no splices or cue marks are visible.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated character and colour palette are consistent with the CGI animated film on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track, apparent Dolby Digital data blocks, and colour dye-based 35mm stock 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 000063178
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
