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 studio still proving that computer animation could carry irreverence and heart in equal measure alongside Pixar's rise. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it upended fairy-tale convention with pop culture wit, earning the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and cementing itself as a cultural touchstone for a generation raised on ogres who talked back to princesses and studios alike.
This cell centers on Donkey, the endlessly talkative sidekick voiced by Eddie Murphy, whose motormouth energy became one of the film's defining comic engines. As a solo frame from the reel, it isolates the character apart from Shrek or Fiona, offering collectors a piece tied purely to his presence in the story. For those who prize character-specific 35mm cells, Donkey represents the film's comic heartbeat, a companion figure whose devotion and chatter helped make the ogre's journey resonate far beyond the swamp.
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 appear clean with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, with what appears to be a blue Dolby Digital data stripe running alongside it between the picture and the lower perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base carries a slight cyan-blue tint consistent with modern polyester stock; the dye image appears neutral with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are apparent.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and the animated imagery is consistent with Shrek (2001).
Era check
The combination of polyester base, Dolby Digital optical data stripe alongside a 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 000063195
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
