National Film RegistryLibrary of Congress · Inducted 2018
“The concept of people somehow existing in the age of dinosaurs (or dinosaurs somehow existing in the age of people) has been explored in film and on television numerous times. No treatment, however, has ever been done with more skill, flair or popcorn-chomping excitement than this 1993 blockbuster.”
Selected for preservation as culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.
Directed by
Steven Spielberg
Studio
Amblin Entertainment · 127 min
Box office
$1.03B worldwide on a $63M budget
Honors
Academy Awards — 3 wins, 3 nominationsSaturn Award — 2 winsHugo Award — 1 winKids' Choice Award — 1 winAll 7 wins · 3 nominations on record
Academy Awards: Best Sound Editing
Academy Awards: Best Visual Effects
Academy Awards: Best Sound
Saturn Award: Best Science Fiction Film
Saturn Award: Best Director
Hugo Award: Best Dramatic Presentation
Kids' Choice Award: Favorite Movie
Scholarship
Named in the title of 12 peer-reviewed works
Examples
The Making of Jurassic Park — Medical Entomology and Zoology, 1993
Jurassic Park — Liverpool University Press eBooks, 2020
Jurassic Park (franchise) — Alphascript Publishing eBooks, 2011
Sources: Wikidata · Library of Congress · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Jurassic Park arrived from Universal Pictures in the summer of 1993, directed by Steven Spielberg and adapted from Michael Crichton's novel. It redefined what visual effects could achieve, blending groundbreaking CGI with practical animatronics to bring dinosaurs to life with unprecedented realism. The film became a cultural touchstone, a box office phenomenon, and a benchmark against which blockbuster filmmaking would be measured for decades. Its influence on the genre and on cinema technology cannot be overstated, and it remains one of the defining releases of its era.
This cell bears the name of Tim Murphy, the young dinosaur enthusiast whose curiosity and technical know-how make him a memorable presence throughout the story. Appearing here alongside Dr. Ellie Sattler and Lex Murphy, the cell places him within the film's core survival narrative, where the children and Sattler navigate the park's escalating dangers together. Collectors seek Tim for his role as audience surrogate, a boy whose wonder mirrors the film's own sense of discovery. A 35mm cell from this pairing captures a moment of shared presence among these three central figures.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour release print of Jurassic Park (1993)
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three complete frames
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge between the perforations and the frame line, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area track
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Base shows a warm to slightly amber tint consistent with a colour dye-coupler image; dye layers appear intact with no obvious fading
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, 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 continuous shot, consistent with a release print of Jurassic Park (1993)
Era check
The dual bilateral variable-area optical soundtrack, colour positive base, and perforation pitch are all consistent with a 1990s theatrical release print of the period when Jurassic Park was distributed
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 000063417
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
