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 in 2001 from DreamWorks Animation, a swaggering, fairy-tale-skewering answer to the polished sentimentality of the era's animated features. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it paired big-name voice talent, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow, with a script that poked fun at Disney conventions while still delivering genuine heart. It became the first winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, cementing DreamWorks as a serious rival in the animation landscape and proving that irreverence and box-office success could coexist.
This cell preserves one of the film's most quoted exchanges, Lord Farquaad's interrogation of the Gingerbread Man. Farquaad, the diminutive, power-hungry ruler of Duloc, is a favorite among collectors for his exaggerated villainy and comic menace. The Gingerbread Man, a fairy-tale creature turned reluctant witness, delivers some of the movie's sharpest comic timing. Frames capturing this scene hold particular value for those who prize the film's dialogue-driven humor over its action sequences, a moment where character and comedy intersect.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print of Shrek (2001).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both visible edges; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut with no torn edges visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area on one edge, accompanied by what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block strip and a DTS timecode line running parallel, consistent with a multi-format release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base shows a light blue-cyan tint typical of modern polyester safety stock; the dye image appears neutral with no visible red shift or fading.
Projection history
No visible splices, cue marks, or heavy scratching are apparent; the surface appears consistent with a projected print showing light use.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the content is consistent with an animated feature matching the film on record.
Era check
The polyester blue-tinted base, multi-format soundtrack configuration combining Dolby Digital, DTS timecode, and variable-area optical tracks is consistent with a major studio release print from the early 2000s, matching the 2001 release date of the film 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 000063188
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
