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, breaking from Disney's fairy tale conventions with a story that poked gentle fun at the genre while still delivering genuine warmth. It became a cultural touchstone, winning the first-ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and launching a franchise that reshaped how studios approached animated comedy for adults and children alike. Its irreverent humor, pop soundtrack, and unlikely romance between an ogre and a princess made it an instant classic, and its box office success proved that animation could carry sharp wit alongside heart.
This cell centers on Shrek and Donkey, the film's central duo whose mismatched partnership drives much of its comedy and emotional core. Shrek, the reluctant ogre hero, and Donkey, his relentlessly talkative companion, represent one of animation's most beloved friendships, prized by collectors for embodying the film's balance of humor and sincerity. A 35mm cell capturing these two together preserves a physical fragment of that dynamic, a tangible piece of the reel that carried their exchanges to audiences in theaters during the film's original run.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Shrek (2001).
Gauge
35mm, 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 appear clean throughout the strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible on one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block strip running in the inter-perforation area on the same edge; a DTS timecode line also appears present as a thin dashed line adjacent to the optical track.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters reliably.
Base & colour
The base shows a light cyan-blue tint consistent with a colour print stock; the dye image appears 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 and the animated characters and castle setting are consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The combination of cyan-tinted base stock, variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and DTS timecode line is consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 2000s, matching the 2001 release of the film 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 000063250
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
