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 in 2001 as a fairy tale turned inside out, pairing computer animation with a script that mocked and celebrated the genre in the same breath. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it became a cultural touchstone, winning the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and reshaping how family films could speak to adults without winking too hard. Its success proved that animation could carry irreverence, pop music, and genuine sentiment together, launching a franchise and cementing DreamWorks as a serious rival in the space Pixar had claimed as its own.
This cell centers on Shrek himself, the ogre whose gruff exterior and reluctant heroism made him one of animation's most enduring anti heroes. Collectors seek him out because he is the emotional and comedic anchor of the entire franchise, the figure whose presence alone signals the film's blend of grumpy charm and unexpected warmth. A cell bearing only his name and nothing else reads as a pure character study, a fragment isolating the ogre in his own right, apart from any supporting cast or specific scene context.
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 visible tearing or distortion.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical soundtrack track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a narrow light-modulated stripe.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cyan-blue tint consistent with a colour print stock; dye image reads as neutral with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Fine longitudinal lines consistent with projection are visible across the frame area; no splices or cue marks seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated character visible is consistent with the CGI animated film on record.
Era check
The variable-area optical track, cyan-base colour print stock, and four-perforation 35mm format are all 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 000063237
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
