National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

DreamWorks Animation released Shrek in May 2001, positioning the studio as a genuine rival to Disney and Pixar in feature animation. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, the film earned the inaugural Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and demonstrated that computer-generated storytelling could carry genuine wit and emotional weight. Its irreverent approach to fairy-tale convention made it a cultural landmark of early-2000s cinema.

This cell, titled Lord Farquaad Interrogates Gingy, captures one of the film's most darkly comic sequences. Lord Farquaad looms over the restrained Gingerbread Man on his baking sheet, a diamond insignia visible in the foreground. The three consecutive frames hold nearly identical compositions, preserving the scene's tense, still quality — a rare 35mm artifact from a pivotal moment in animated film history.