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 reworked classic fairy tale conventions with irreverent humor and pop culture references. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it became a defining release for the studio, earning the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and establishing a franchise that reshaped how animated films could speak to adult and child audiences alike. Its blend of subversive comedy and genuine sentiment made it a touchstone of early 2000s animation.
This cell brings together the film's three central figures: Shrek, voiced by Mike Myers, Princess Fiona, voiced by Cameron Diaz, and Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy. Their shared presence marks the core trio whose dynamic drives the story, from reluctant alliance to genuine friendship and romance. Collectors seek this grouping because it represents the emotional heart of the film, the ensemble that carried its wit and warmth. A 35mm cell preserves an authentic frame from the actual theatrical print, a physical artifact of animation history rather than a reproduction.
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; punched edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block pattern visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge; a blue-tinted stripe consistent with a DTS timecode track is also visible along the opposite edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters reliably.
Base & colour
Base appears with a light cyan-blue tint consistent with a colour print stock; dye image appears neutral with no obvious red shift or fading.
Projection history
Light horizontal scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be from the same continuous shot and the animated characters visible are consistent with the DreamWorks animated feature Shrek (2001).
Era check
The combination of variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, DTS edge stripe, and cyan-base colour print stock 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 000063218
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
