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 told against the grain, swapping princes and castles for an ogre, a talking donkey, and a princess with her own secret. It became a defining release for the studio, winning the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and helping establish computer animation as a home for adult humor and genuine sentiment alongside slapstick. Its cultural footprint, from Smash Mouth needle drops to endless quotable lines, made it a touchstone of early 2000s cinema.
This cell brings together the film's core trio: Shrek, the reluctant hero redefining what a fairy tale lead could be; Donkey, the motormouthed companion beloved for comic timing; and Princess Fiona, whose arc upends every expectation of a storybook princess. A frame with all three together represents the emotional center of the story, the found family at its heart. For collectors, this grouping is a natural anchor piece, the moment the film's chemistry and its subversion of genre come fully into view.
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, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with rounded rectangular shape and no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along the bottom edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block pattern visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge, and a blue DTS timecode stripe is also visible running along the lower edge area.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer text or key numbers.
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 obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible splices, cue marks, or heavy scratching are apparent; minor surface marks consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, consistent with an animated feature matching Shrek (2001).
Era check
The combination of Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, DTS timecode stripe, and variable-area optical track is consistent with a major studio 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 000063193
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
