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 and reshaped what audiences expected from a family cartoon. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it paired lush computer animation with a script that mocked fairy tale convention even as it embraced it. The film won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and helped establish DreamWorks as a genuine rival to Disney and Pixar, proving that a green ogre with a donkey sidekick and a pop soundtrack could carry a box office juggernaut and launch a lasting franchise.
This cell centers on Shrek himself, the ogre protagonist whose gruff exterior and reluctant heroism became the emotional spine of the entire series. As a solo frame of the character, it represents the kind of holding that collectors prize most, a clean piece of the film's central figure rather than a supporting player or background element. Owning Shrek alone speaks to the character's stature as the franchise's namesake and its most recognizable creation, a single strip of celluloid tied directly to the film that redefined animated storytelling for a generation.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Shrek (2001).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame visible 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 running along the lower edge beside the picture area, appearing as two thin parallel lines consistent with a stereo variable-area format; Dolby Digital pixel blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base shows a light cyan-blue tint consistent with a dyed safety base stock; the dye image reads as a colour positive with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light longitudinal lines are visible running the length of the strip, consistent with projection wear; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated character visible is consistent with the DreamWorks animated feature on record.
Era check
The combination of cyan-tinted safety base, dual variable-area optical track, and Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks 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 000063232
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
