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 reimagined the fairy tale with irreverent humor and a knowing wink at Disney convention. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it became a defining early example of the studio's identity, pairing pop culture wit with genuine warmth, and it went on to win the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, cementing its place as a turning point for family animation.
This cell brings together the film's three central figures, Fiona, Shrek, and Donkey, the trio whose dynamic carries the story from wary distrust to found family. Fiona represents the film's subversion of princess expectations, Shrek its reluctant, layered hero, and Donkey the constant comic energy binding them together. A cell naming all three points to a shared scene, a moment where their relationship is the focus rather than any single character alone. For collectors, that combination is prized precisely because these films rarely put all three leads together on one frame.
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 complete frames and one partial frame.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge; spacing appears even across the strip; perforation edges appear cleanly punched with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block pattern visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, and a DTS timecode line also appears present, consistent with a multi-format release print.
Edge print
Not fully legible in this capture; partial characters are visible along the lower edge but cannot be reliably quoted.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-cyan tint consistent with modern polyester stock; dye image appears neutral with no visible red shift or fading.
Projection history
No prominent scratches or splices are visible; the image appears consistent with a projected release print.
Picture
Positive colour image; the first two frames appear to be consecutive frames from one shot, the third frame is from a different scene; imagery is consistent with the animated feature Shrek (2001).
Era check
The combination of polyester base, multi-format soundtrack area (variable-area optical, Dolby Digital inter-perforation blocks, and DTS timecode) is consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 2000s.
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 000063214
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
