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 deliberate counterpoint to the fairy tale conventions Disney had long defined, pairing irreverent humor with genuine warmth. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it became a cultural touchstone, winning the first-ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and launching a franchise that reshaped what family animation could look like and sound like, right down to its needle drop soundtrack. Its success proved audiences wanted a hero who broke the mold rather than fit one.
This cell holds Shrek himself, the ogre whose gruff exterior and reluctant heroism made him animation's most unlikely leading man. As the character who anchors the entire film, he remains one of the most sought-after figures for collectors tracing DreamWorks' early identity. A cell simply marked with his name preserves the character in his own right, a single frame of the ogre who redefined the genre, standing apart from any single scene, gag, or costar.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Shrek (2001).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible on the upper edge; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on the upper edge; a lower row is also present; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the lower portion of the strip, appearing as a dual variable-area (SVA) format, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge.
Edge print
Upper edge reads (mirrored): '2 3 9 3 5 0 4 0 6 9 T 3 7 K O D 4 k . 2 8 2 8 S 0 0 1 U' — consistent with Kodak key-number and stock-identification formatting.
Base & colour
Base appears clear with a slight cool-neutral tint; the dye image shows warm yellow-green tones consistent with an intact colour dye set.
Projection history
No visible splices or cue marks; faint longitudinal lines are present on the base side, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and depict imagery consistent with the CGI animated feature Shrek (2001).
Era check
The combination of dual variable-area optical track, apparent Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, Kodak edge coding, and clear safety base is 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 000063255
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
