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 fairy tale turned inside out that helped redefine what computer animated features could be. It won the first ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and became a cultural touchstone, prizing wit over polish and skewering Disney era conventions with irreverent humor. Its success cemented DreamWorks as a rival powerhouse in animation and launched a franchise that reshaped family entertainment for a generation.
This cell brings together Donkey and the Dragon, two figures whose pairing forms one of the film's most quotable and beloved detours. Donkey remains the film's chattering heart, a character collectors seek for his comic timing and warmth, while the Dragon represents the story's flip on the classic monster guarding the tower. Their shared scene marks a turning point where danger and comedy intertwine, a moment fans return to again and again. As a physical artifact from the original 35mm release, this piece preserves a fragment of animation history tied directly to that exchange.
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, evenly spaced; punched edges appear 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 pattern in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge, consistent with a dual-format optical track.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cyan-blue tint consistent with modern safety stock; dye image reads as neutral with no visible red shift or fading.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks, or prominent scratches are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, consistent with a release print of Shrek (2001).
Era check
The Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks combined with variable-area optical track and cyan-tinted polyester base are 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 000063239
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
