National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

DreamWorks Animation released Shrek in May 2001, marking a turning point for the studio and for computer-animated features broadly. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, the film earned the inaugural Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and demonstrated that CGI storytelling could carry genuine wit and emotional weight alongside its technical ambition. Its irreverent approach to fairy-tale convention made it a cultural landmark of the early 2000s.

This cell, titled Fiona Fighting, captures the forest ambush sequence in which Princess Fiona confronts Robin Hood among the trees. Across the three frames, Fiona in her green dress stands her ground beside a large trunk while Robin Hood and his Merry Men surround her, sparkling foliage light filling the background. It is a defining moment of character for Fiona, preserved here on original 35mm.