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 as a defiant fairy tale, upending Disney convention with irreverence, pop soundtrack cues, and a swamp-dwelling antihero. It won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and reshaped what mainstream animation could look and sound like, proving audiences would embrace ogres over princes. Its success launched a franchise and cemented DreamWorks as a genuine rival to Pixar and Disney in the animated feature space, changing industry expectations for family films for years afterward.
This 35mm cell preserves the Dragon, the fire-breathing guardian of the tower where Fiona is kept, a character whose surprise turn and romantic subplot with Donkey became one of the film's most memorable comic twists. Collectors seek Dragon material for its rarity relative to the leads and for the character's outsized personality within a small amount of screen time. A single-character cell like this one offers a direct, unembellished artifact tied to that figure, valued for its connection to a pivotal, beloved supporting role in the film's story.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital theatrical release print of Shrek (2001).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing or deformation.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, appearing as two bilateral variable-area lines; a blue Dolby Digital data-block strip is also visible between the perforations on the same edge, consistent with a Dolby Digital SR print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base carries a light cyan-blue tint consistent with modern safety stock; dye image appears rich with no visible fading or colour shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be from the same continuous shot, and the animated character and colour palette are consistent with the CGI animated feature on record.
Era check
The combination of Dolby Digital data blocks alongside a bilateral variable-area optical track is consistent with a theatrical release print from 2001, when that dual-format encoding was standard.
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 000063181
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
