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 fairy-tale convention with irreverence and heart. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it became a cultural landmark, winning the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and launching a franchise that reshaped family entertainment for a generation. Its blend of pop-culture wit and genuine sentiment set a new template for the genre, distinguishing it from the traditional studio output of its era and cementing its place in animation history.
This cell preserves a frame of Shrek and Princess Fiona together, two figures whose pairing anchors the entire saga. Shrek, the ogre protagonist who upended expectations of heroism, and Fiona, the princess whose own transformation redefined the fairy-tale archetype, are among the most sought-after subjects for collectors of this film. A joint appearance on 35mm captures the film's central relationship, the emotional core around which the story turns, making this a meaningful artifact for anyone tracing the franchise's origins.
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; spacing appears even and the punched edges look clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip in the inter-perforation zone on the lower edge, and a blue DTS timecode line is also visible running along that lower edge.
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 warm and well-saturated with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has been run through a projector.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be from the same continuous shot and the animated character content is consistent with the DreamWorks animated feature on record.
Era check
The combination of Dolby Digital data blocks, DTS timecode stripe, and variable-area optical track is consistent with a theatrical release print from 2001, when tri-format sound was standard.
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 000063228
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
