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 with a wink at the genre it borrowed from. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it paired computer animation with a script that let ogres, princesses and talking donkeys speak in modern voices. Its success at the box office and at the Academy Awards, where it won the first Oscar for Best Animated Feature, helped establish DreamWorks as a rival to Disney and reshaped what family animation could sound like, irreverent, self-aware and unafraid of poking fun at its own inspirations.
This cell brings together Dragon, Shrek and Donkey, three figures whose scenes together mark some of the film's most memorable interplay. Dragon's presence alone draws collector interest, since her appearances are fewer than the central trio's. Having her share a frame with Shrek and Donkey points to a moment where the film's tangled alliances and comic tension are on full display, a scene collectors prize for capturing the push and pull between fear, humor and unlikely camaraderie that defines much of Shrek's earlier stretch.
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 torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A dual variable-area optical track is visible immediately beside the picture gate, with a Dolby Digital inter-perforation data block row and a DTS timecode line also present on the lower edge strip.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base shows a light cyan-blue tint consistent with a colour print stock; the dye image appears neutral with no obvious red shift or fading.
Projection history
No visible splices, cue marks or heavy scratches 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 subject matter is consistent with an animated feature matching the film on record.
Era check
The combination of dual variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation blocks, and DTS timecode stripe 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 000063199
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
