Shrek
(2001)
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Set in a strange, colourful land populated by fairy tale characters, SHREK is a hilarious comedy that will win over audiences of children and adults alike. Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) is a fearsome green ogre living in isolation in his own cosy little swamp. He is not receptive to visitors, and fends off the occasional party of torch-wielding villagers with ease. But when the power-hungry Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) turns Shrek's swamp into a relocation camp for dozens of banished fairy-tale characters (including some pesky dwarves, wolves, and fairies) Shrek's quiet, introverted life is ruined. Joined by the talkative Donkey (Eddie Murphy), Shrek makes his way to Farquaad's realm of Duloc, where the Lord promises to make Shrek an offer: He will rid Shrek's land of the unwanted visitors if Shrek will go on a simple quest to free Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from her remote, dragon-guarded castle and convince her to marry Farquaad. On their quest, Shrek and Donkey run into a number of bizarre situations, and Shrek finds himself realising that he isn't quite the fearsome monster he has always made himself out to be. Reinventing the traditional fairy tale adventure, SHREK features gorgeous computer animation, a unique sense of humour, and compelling characters--especially Murphy's lovable Donkey. |
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This animated fantasy from DreamWorks is an irreverent, occasionally scatological fairy tale with state-of-the-art computer-generated images that almost steal a march on Toy Story. Shrek is an ugly, antisocial green ogre (voiced in a variable Scottish accent by Mike Myers) who must rescue a human princess (Cameron Diaz) in order to appease evil Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) and rid his swamp of an infestation of traditional fairy-tale characters: three little pigs, a Pinocchio-style character and so on (the disrespectful treatment they receive suggests a sly dig at Disney orthodoxy). The animators achieve a startling level of reality (grass, leaves, dirt and fur are particularly lifelike), but it's the characters that carry what is an incredibly slight beauty-and-the-beast story. The only problem, and it's very minor, is the degree to which Eddie Murphy's Donkey — a partly-improvised vocal turn to match Robin Williams's in Aladdin — steals the film. Children will love it, while adults can enjoy the action-movie homages and Disney-mocking.