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 defining swerve in mainstream animation, trading fairy tale reverence for irreverence and pop culture wit. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it became a critical and commercial landmark, winning the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and reshaping how studios approached family entertainment, blending genuine sentiment with subversive humor aimed as much at adults as children.
This cell captures the interrogation of Gingerbread Man by Lord Farquaad, one of the film's sharpest comedic set pieces and a moment collectors return to for its collision of menace and absurdity. Farquaad, the diminutive antagonist obsessed with control and appearances, stands as a favorite among assemblers of villain-focused runs. The Gingerbread Man's presence marks him as one of the film's most quotable side characters. A 35mm cell from this scene preserves a beat where power and parody sit side by side, central to the movie's tonal identity.
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 look clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, showing two bilateral variable-area lines, with a blue DTS timecode stripe running alongside it.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base shows a light cyan-blue tint consistent with a colour print stock; the dye image appears warm and saturated with no visible fading.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks, or prominent scratches are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, consistent with an animated feature matching the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a dual bilateral variable-area optical track, a DTS timecode stripe, and cyan-tinted colour print 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 000063185
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
