National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

DreamWorks Animation released Shrek in May 2001, marking a turning point in computer-animated filmmaking. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, the film challenged Disney's dominance in family animation and became the first winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Its irreverent humor and technical ambition made it a cultural landmark, and its theatrical 35mm prints circulated widely across North America and internationally.

This cell, titled Shrek, captures three sequential frames from an extreme close-up of Shrek himself, his wide eyes filling the frame and his green complexion rendered in striking detail. The tight framing and direct gaze give the sequence an unusual intimacy, preserving a brief, unguarded moment from the ogre at the center of the film.