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 as a genuine turning point for the studio and for animated features generally. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it upended fairy tale convention with irreverent humor and pop culture wit, becoming a critical and commercial success and the first winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Its box office run and cultural footprint helped establish DreamWorks as a serious rival to Disney and launched one of animation's most enduring franchises, spawning sequels, spinoffs, and a permanent place in early 2000s film history.
This cell centers on Lord Farquaad, the diminutive, status obsessed ruler of Duloc whose vanity and cruelty drive much of the film's plot. He remains one of the most quoted and recognizable antagonists in modern animation, prized by collectors for his sharp comic design and villainy that plays as both menace and parody. A frame carrying his name alone speaks to his outsized presence in the story despite his stature, a fitting keepsake for anyone drawn to the film's satirical heart.
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 holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs along one edge; a Dolby Digital data-block strip is visible between the perforations on that edge; a blue DTS timecode stripe is also present, consistent with a tri-format theatrical release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Light cyan-tinted base with a warm, fully saturated dye image; no visible fading or colour shift.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks or heavy surface scratches visible; minor surface texture consistent with a print that has seen projection.
Picture
Positive colour image; three consecutive frames from a single shot; animated CGI content consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The tri-format soundtrack combination of variable-area optical, Dolby Digital data blocks and DTS timecode is characteristic of major studio theatrical release prints from the late 1990s through early 2000s, consistent with a 2001 release.
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 000063246
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
