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 in 2001 as DreamWorks Animation's first major bid to rival Pixar and Disney, blending fairy-tale tropes with irreverent humor and pop culture winks. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it became a cultural touchstone, winning the inaugural Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and launching a franchise that reshaped family entertainment. Its success proved that animated films could subvert genre expectations while still appealing broadly, cementing DreamWorks as a serious studio rival in the medium.
This cell captures the DreamWorks title card, the studio's own signature moment placed at the front of the picture, marking the beginning of the story before a single character appears onscreen. For collectors, studio identifiers like this hold value as artifacts of branding history, tying a specific print run to the era when DreamWorks was establishing its visual identity apart from competitors. It represents the film's opening gesture, the studio's declaration of authorship, and a piece of physical media history from the moment Shrek introduced itself to audiences worldwide.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby SR·D theatrical release print of Shrek (2001).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges look clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along the lower edge, appearing as a dual bilateral (two-track) white waveform band; a Dolby Digital data-block strip is also visible between the lower perforations and the picture area, consistent with a Dolby SR·D release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base shows a light cyan-blue tint consistent with Estar or acetate safety stock; the dye image reads as a rich, saturated positive with no visible fading or colour shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks or cue marks are apparent in this capture.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot and display the DreamWorks SKG title card logo, consistent with the opening title sequence of the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a Dolby Digital data block between perforations and a dual bilateral variable-area optical track is consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1990s through early 2000s, matching the 2001 release date 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 000063264
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
