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 swamp-set fairy tale that upended the genre it borrowed from. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it paired computer animation with a knowingly modern script, poking fun at Disney conventions while still delivering a genuine romance and a hero worth rooting for. Its success, both critical and commercial, helped cement DreamWorks as a serious rival in animated features and launched a franchise that defined family entertainment for a generation.
This cell centers on Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy, the motormouthed companion whose chatter and loyalty became one of the film's defining pleasures. Collectors prize Donkey cells for the character's comic energy and cultural footprint, a performance that turned a supporting role into a marketable icon in his own right. A frame like this, drawn straight from the 35mm print, offers a tangible link to that voice work, a physical artifact from the reel that carried Donkey's lines into theaters and into the wider popular imagination.
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 along one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block strip and a blue DTS timecode line running parallel beside it.
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
Light horizontal lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has been projected.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, consistent with an animated feature matching the film on record.
Era check
The combination of Dolby Digital data blocks, DTS timecode stripe, and variable-area optical track on a cyan-base colour print stock is consistent with a major studio 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 000063223
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
