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 and reshaped what audiences expected from computer animated features. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it took the fairy tale template and inverted it, pairing an irascible ogre with a talking donkey and a princess who defies convention. The film won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and became a cultural touchstone, spawning a franchise built on subverted tropes and pop culture asides aimed as much at parents as children.
This cell brings together Fiona, Shrek and Donkey, the three central figures whose dynamic carries the entire story. Their presence together marks a scene of shared company rather than solo character study, the kind of grouping collectors prize because it captures the ensemble chemistry that defined the film's appeal. Whether drawn from a trailer or a story sequence, a cell featuring all three speaks to the heart of Shrek: unlikely companions bound by circumstance, wit, and eventual loyalty, the very combination that made the film resonate beyond its genre.
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 holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, accompanied by what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block strip and a DTS timecode line running along the lower edge zone.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base shows a slight cyan-blue tint consistent with modern polyester safety stock; the dye image appears warm with strong colour saturation and no visible fading.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are apparent 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 polyester base, Dolby Digital data blocks, DTS timecode, and variable-area optical track 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 000063192
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
