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 fairy tale turned inside out at a moment when computer animation was still finding its voice against Pixar's early dominance. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it paired irreverent humor with genuine warmth, becoming the first winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Its box office success and cultural staying power reshaped how animated films could speak to adults and children alike, proving that fractured fairy tales with pop culture bite could be both critical and commercial hits.
This cell captures a scene central to the film's comic tone, the interrogation of Gingerbread Man by Lord Farquaad. Farquaad, the diminutive and status obsessed ruler of Duloc, remains one of the film's most quoted villains, prized by collectors for his rigid formality and misplaced authority. Gingerbread Man, a beloved fairy tale creature reimagined with sharp wit, anchors one of the film's most memorable exchanges. For 35mm collectors, a frame from this exact confrontation preserves a defining piece of the film's blend of menace and absurdity.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital optical 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 visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block pattern visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge, consistent with a dual-format optical release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base shows a cyan-tinted surround typical of modern polyester safety stock; the dye image appears rich and not visibly faded or red-shifted.
Projection history
No visible splices, cue marks or heavy scratching are apparent; the surface appears consistent with a projected release print.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated character and visual style are consistent with the CGI animated film on record.
Era check
The combination of polyester cyan-base stock, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks alongside a variable-area optical track, and the positive colour image is consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 2000s.
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 000063187
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
