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 computer-animated feature that reshaped what mainstream family films could look and sound like. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it paired fairy tale subversion with pointed humor for adults, becoming a critical and commercial landmark. It won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and helped establish DreamWorks as a serious rival to Pixar and Disney, launching a franchise built on irreverence and star casting.
This cell centers on Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy, whose comic timing and rapid-fire delivery made the character one of the film's defining creations and a favorite among collectors of animation memorabilia. As a single reel segment from a 35mm print, it preserves a physical fragment of the character's presence on screen, a tangible link to the original theatrical run. For those who prize supporting players who outshine their billing, this piece stands as a marker of Donkey's outsized contribution to Shrek's identity and legacy.
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 no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, consistent with an analog stereo print; blue-tinted Dolby Digital data blocks appear to be present in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower strip edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote text reliably.
Base & colour
Base shows a warm amber-brown tint consistent with a color release print; dye image appears intact with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light longitudinal lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive color image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated content is consistent with the CGI animated film on record.
Era check
The combination of analog variable-area optical track, apparent Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and color positive base 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 000063203
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
