Shrek (film)

Shrek
; Original DVD Cover;
General information
Title	Shrek
Length	90 minutes
Release Date	May 18, 2001
Release on DVD	November 2, 2001
Genre	Fantasy/adventure/comedy
Production information
Directed by	Andrew Adamson; Vicky Jenson
Produced by	Jeffrey Katzenberg; Aron Warner; John H. Williams; Steven Spielberg (uncredited executive producer)
Starring	Mike Myers; Eddie Murphy; Cameron Diaz; John Lithgow
—

“	The Greatest Fairy Tale Never Told	”
—Tagline

You may be looking for Shrek (character) or Shrek (franchise).

Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film produced and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures. It is the first feature film in the Shrek franchise.

Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow star in the film, along with a special cameo by Vincent Cassel. The film premiered on April 22, 2001 before making its worldwide debut on May 18, 2001.

Plot

Shrek (Mike Myers) leads a solitary life in his swamp. A group of peasants gathers in front of his house with the goal of hunting down the ogre in return for bounty. He scares them away, however, and as they leave, he notices they dropped a wanted poster offering a reward for capturing fairytale creatures. The next day he goes out into the nearby woods and meets Donkey (Eddie Murphy) who, having escaped from the guards of a fairytale creatures market, bumps into him. The soldiers, terrified of Shrek, run away, and Donkey tags along with his newfound friend. Since Donkey has nowhere to stay, Shrek agrees to let him sleep in his swamp for one night. That same night, Shrek's swamp becomes overrun by a host of fairytale creatures who have been displaced by Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow). Shrek decides to visit Farquaad at his palace to negotiate regaining his privacy with Donkey as a companion who knows the way to Duloc. The two make it to Duloc and come across a knight tournament which aims to select a man who will rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from a castle surrounded by lava and guarded by a fire-breathing dragon so that Farquaad may marry her and finally become a king. Shrek and Donkey easily best all the contestants, and Farquaad agrees to nullify his order and grant him rights to his land if Shrek brings Fiona, a deal that Shrek agrees to.

Shrek and Donkey travel to the Dragon's Keep and split up to find Fiona. Donkey manages to encounter the dragon (Frank Welker; uncredited), sweet-talking the beast to save himself when he finds out the dragon is a female, and she takes a liking to Donkey, taking him back to her chambers. Disguised as a knight, Shrek rescues Fiona from her tower, though she is appalled at his lack of romanticism. As they're leaving, Shrek manages to save Donkey, caught in the dragon's tender love, which makes the dragon angry. Subsequently, Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey, are being chased by the dragon; however, Shrek traps it in chains and the trio safely escapes the castle. Now the dragon becomes sad, because she's going to miss Donkey.

At first, Fiona is thrilled to be rescued but quickly becomes disgusted to learn that Shrek is an ogre. The three make their return journey to Farquaad's castle, with Shrek and Fiona finding they have more in common with each other along the way, and falling in love. However, at night, Fiona doesn't want to camp with Shrek and Donkey, taking shelter in a nearby cave until the next morning. Then, Monsieur Hood and his Merry men ambush them and think they're rescuing Fiona from Shrek. But she beats them to a pulp, and they continue on. The next night, Fiona takes shelter in a nearby windmill. When Donkey hears strange noises coming from the windmill, he finds that Fiona has turned into an ogress. Fiona explains that she was cursed as a kid and turns into an ogress every night, which is why she was locked away in the castle, and that only a kiss from her true love will return her to her proper form. Shrek overhears them talking, and, thinking that they're talking about him being ugly, walks off angry and heartbroken, believing that she can't accept his appearance. Fiona promises Donkey to not tell Shrek, vowing to do it herself, but when the next morning comes, Lord Farquaad has arrived, led by a still angry Shrek, and he returns with her to the castle, while Shrek abandons Donkey, and returns to the now-vacated swamp.

Shrek soon realizes that despite his privacy, he's miserable and misses Fiona. Donkey shows up to tell him that Fiona will be getting married shortly, urging Shrek into action to gain Fiona's true love. The duo travel to the fortress quickly, thanks to Dragon, who escaped her confines and followed Donkey. They interrupt the wedding before Farquaad can kiss Fiona, but not before the sun sets, making Fiona turn into an ogress in front of everyone. Angry over the change, Lord Farquaad orders his guards to kill Shrek and Fiona, but Shrek calls Dragon and she gobbles up Farquaad whole, making the guards run away in terror while the crowd cheers for the death of their tyrannical lord. Shrek and Fiona admit their love for each other and share a kiss; Fiona is bathed in light as her curse is broken, but making her a real ogre, the form that she wasn't expecting, but that Shrek still finds her beautiful. The two get married and depart on their honeymoon, living "ugly ever after" and ending the film.

Cast

Additional Voices

Peter Dennis and Clive Pearse as Ogre Hunters
Jim Cummings as Captain of Guards
Bobby Block as Baby Bear
Chris Miller as Geppetto/Magic Mirror
Cody Cameron as Pinocchio/Three Pigs
Kathleen Freeman as Old Woman
Michael Galasso as Peter Pan
Christopher Knights, Mike Myers, and Simon J. Smith as Blind Mice
Christopher Knights as Thelonious
Conrad Vernon as Gingerbread Man
Jacquie Barnbrook as Wrestling Fan
Guillaume Aretos, John Bisom, Matthew Gonder, Calvin Remsberg, and Jean-Paul Vignon as Merry Men
Val Bettin as Bishop

Uncredited Cast

Andrew Adamson as Duloc Mascot/Ogre Hunter
Jill Bogard and Hope Levy as Clockwork Chorus
Sally Dworsky as Princess Fiona (singing voice)
Sim Evan-Jones as Ogre Hunter
Elisa Gabrielli as Additional Voices
Richard Steven Horvitz as Additional Voices
Aron Warner as Big Bad Wolf
Frank Welker as Dragon/Animal Vocals

Production

The idea for a film based off the original Shrek! book was first thought of by Steven Spielberg, whom before the founding of DreamWorks bought the rights to the film in 1991. The film would be traditionally animated and cast Bill Murray as Shrek, Steve Martin as Donkey, and Robin Williams in an undisclosed role. Due to the closure of Spielberg's animation studio, Amblimation, the project was shelved and the rights expired. When DreamWorks was founded in 1994, producer John H. Williams brought the book to the company, with a personal pitch after seeing his kids reenact the story. Then-animation head Jeffery Katzenberg was impressed and greenlit the project, with the promise of being co-producer. DreamWorks would purchase the rights in 1994, and the film was put into active development.

Artist Barry E. Jackson was hired as the film's production designer, who handled much of the visual development. Various sketches were done using Photoshop, featuring various set pieces and a once finalized design of Shrek himself. An animation test would then be commissioned to challenge Jackson and his artists to properly work with a 3-D environment. Around this time, the film was planned to be a "low budget motion-capture film," which was to star Chris Farley as the titular ogre. Other actors attached to lend their voices to the film were Eddie Murphy, who would voice Donkey, and Janeane Garofalo, who would voice Princess Fiona.

An animation test would be completed with unsatisfactory results in 1996. Katzenberg was quoted saying, "It looked terrible, it didn't work, it wasn't funny, and we didn't like it." The company later made a visit to PDI in 1997 to help Shrek get its final computer animated look and the film was pushed back from its initial 1999 release schedule.

To round out the crew, DreamWorks employees who were ousted for poor work on The Prince of Egypt would be forced to work on Shrek. Allegedly, this was around the time when there was little to no faith in the project. Members would call this, "getting Shreked." Despite initial pushback, many of the creative leads, including first time directors Andrew Adamson and Kelly Asbury, pursued in completing the film. However, Asbury would exit a year into production and was replaced by story artist, Vicky Jenson. She was promoted by Katzenberg due to her intense care for the quality of the film (more than most). The new duo would work in halves, answering questions and directing crew during different parts of the day.

Farley was still attached as the voice of Shrek, being able to record 80% to 90% of the character's dialogue (or what his brother Tom believes 95%). Tragically, he would die from a drug overdose in December of 1997, causing the film to be heavily retooled. DreamWorks later recast Mike Myers to voice Shrek, who initially recorded his lines with his traditional Canadian accent. During a rough screening of the film, Myers was reportedly blown away by his fellow actors, and hated his portrayal amongst them. He would then re-record his lines with a Scottish accent similar to the one used in So I Married an Axe Murderer and Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me. This would be done entirely for free, and Myers would receive a personal letter from Steven Spielberg thanking him for his dedication to the role.

Reception

Despite a troubled production, with many considering it a failure in the making, the film was critically acclaimed upon release and was a box office success. It was cited as an animated film worthy of adult interest, with many adult-oriented jokes and themes, but a simple enough plot and humor to appeal to children. Along with its success, it helped establish DreamWorks as a prime competitor to Disney and Pixar in the field of feature film animation- particularly in computer animation. Furthermore, Shrek was made the mascot for the company's animation productions.

It was the fourth highest grossing movie of the year behind Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and Monsters, Inc. It was also the second highest grossing animated movie of that year behind the more acclaimed, Monsters Inc.

In 2020, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", making it the first DreamWorks Animation film to earn that honor and the first ever non-Disney animated feature to be inducted as well. It was also the first work of animation from the 21st century to be inducted.

Critical Reviews

Roger Ebert praised the film, giving it four stars out of a possible four and describing it as "jolly and wicked, filled with sly in-jokes and yet somehow possessing a heart".
USA Today's Susan Wloszczyna praised Eddie Murphy's performance, stating it "gives the comic performance of his career, aided by sensational digital artistry, as he brays for the slightly neurotic motormouth".
Richard Schickel of Time also enjoyed Murphy's role, stating "No one has ever made a funnier jackass of himself than Murphy."
Peter Rainer of New York magazine liked the script, also stating "The animation, directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, is often on the same wriggly, giggly level as the script, although the more "human" characters, such as Princess Fiona and Lord Farquaad, are less interesting than the animals and creatures—a common pitfall in animated films of all types."
Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote "Shrek is a world-class charmer that could even seduce the Academy when it hands out the first official animation Oscar next year."
James Berardinelli of ReelViewsgave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying "Shrek is not a guilty pleasure for sophisticated movie-goers; it is, purely and simply, a pleasure."
Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote "The witty, fractured fairy tale Shrek has a solid base of clever writing."
Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave the film an A-, saying "A kind of palace coup, a shout of defiance, and a coming of age for DreamWorks."
Jay Boyar of the Orlando Sentinel wrote "It's a pleasure to be able to report that the movie both captures and expands upon the book's playful spirit of deconstruction."

Sequels and Spin-Offs

During the film's post-production, the filmmakers allegedly outlined four sequels to follow. However, only a second installment was seriously considered at the time. Interestingly, a Shrek sequel was going to happen regardless of the film's box office success. If Shrek was profitable, the follow-up would receive a theatrical release, but if it bombed, it was to be released straight-to-video. Due to the immense box office returns, Shrek 2 was immediately greenlit and slated for a theatrical release in the summer of 2004. Upon release, the sequel film saw greater box office success, becoming the highest grossing film of 2004 and for six years was the highest grossing animated film of all time. Critical reception was also highly positive, but was not as acclaimed as the original. This helped solidify Shrek as a pop culture icon, seeing more appearances on merchandise and other endeavors through the years.

Two remaining sequels would be released in May 2007 and May 2010- those being Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After respectively. Unlike the first two films, both received mixed reviews from critics, with the former being negatively received by audiences and Shrek fans. They would also see diminishing box office returns, but were still considered blockbuster hits. A fifth film was planned for May 2013, and would serve as a prequel leading up to the events of the first installment. This would ultimately be scrapped after it was decided that Shrek Forever After was the best way to end the series. However, plans were reportedly still underway for a fifth installment in 2014. A script was completed in 2016, with Eddie Murphy confirming a potential 2019 or 2020 release. Due to Comcast's purchase of DreamWorks that same year and management shifts at the studio, the plans remained in development hell. The fifth film would not be officially confirmed until 2024 for a July 2026 release.

While not introduced until Shrek 2, the Puss in Boots character became the subject of his own spin-off franchise. This expands the world of Shrek, and features two theatrical films, one short film, and a 74-episode TV series. Another spin-off film, centered on Donkey, was hinted in 2023 and was confirmed a year later. Beyond the movies, many spin-off video games were released during the original run of the Shrek film franchise. These included tie-in games based on the films, which featured creative liberties such as new characters and locations. Unique titles such as Shrek Super Slam and Shrek Smash n' Crash Racing further enhanced the world building established in both the films and tie-in games.

Soundtrack

Stay Home - Self - the first song in the end credits
I'm a Believer — Smash Mouth - the end of the film when Shrek and Fiona get married and go on their honeymoon in the next movie.
Like Wow!— Leslie Carter - the third song in the end credits
It Is You (I Have Loved)- Dana Glover - the fourth and last song in the end credits, as well as Fiona's theme song
Best Years of Our Lives — Baha Men - the second song in the end credits
Bad Reputation — Halfcocked (soundtrack)/Joan Jett (film) - Shrek battles the guards at Duloc
My Beloved Monster — Eels - Shrek and Fiona spend quality time together
You Belong to Me — Jason Wade - Shrek and Fiona eat dinner at sunset
All Star — Smash Mouth - the beginning of the film when Shrek is enjoying his wonderful life in the beautiful swamp
Hallelujah — Rufus Wainwright (soundtrack)/John Cale (film) - near the end when Shrek is in his swamp depressed, Donkey is all alone, and Fiona is preparing for her wedding with Lord Farquaad.
I'm On My Way — The Proclaimers - during Shrek and Donkey's quest for Fiona
I'm a Believer (reprise)— Eddie Murphy - Donkey's version
True Love's First Kiss - Harry Gregson-Williams & John Powell

Songs Not Featured in the Soundtrack

Whipped Cream - Herb Alpert - the theme for Magic Mirror's game show presentation
Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes - the fanfare when Lord Farquaad chooses Fiona to be his queen
Meditation - Antonio Carlos Jobim - the music playing from the speakers in Duloc

Trivia

In 2001, Shrek, Monsters Inc., and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius were the first films nominated at the Academy Awards for "Best Animated Feature."
- Shrek won, making it the first animated film to win that Oscar.
- It is also the only DreamWorks Animation film so far to win an Oscar.
Eddie Murphy become the first person nominated for "Best Supporting Actor" at the BAFTA for a voice performance.
During production, John Lithgow was the only main actor to explore the inner workings of the studio- seeing the many departments in person and being awestruck at the process.
This is the only Shrek film where Mike Myers plays more than one role. In addition to Shrek himself, Myers voiced one of the Three Blind Mice.
When Fiona is in the cave, she can slightly be seen in her ogre form- with the fire's light obscuring her green skin.
Over 1,000 fairy tale and nursery rhyme creatures invade Shrek's swamp.
In the beginning of the film, all three bears from "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" are present. However, the second time one sees them, the boy is crying, the father is holding him, and the mother is nowhere to be seen. Later in the film, when the camera pans into Lord Farquaad's room, the mother's skin can be seen as a rug, implying that the mother was taken from the family by Farquaad and killed.
- Mama Bear can be seen alive and well in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party, despite being made into a rug by Lord Farquaad.
The film has been featured in the 2007 Warner Bros. film, I Am Legend. The main character (played by Will Smith) mentions that the film was his favorite when he was a kid.
In the swamp party after the movie, Lord Farquaad was shown to be still alive in the dragon (although he possibly got digested shortly after and perished).
This is the only film of the series not to be released the same year as another DreamWorks Animation film outside of the franchise.
This is the only Shrek film to not have any scenes set in Far Far Away, as it wasn't introduced until the next movie.
This is also the only film to not have Shrek with different clothes. In future installments, he is seen with unique outfits, including his human form where he has a different ensemble.
Shrek was one of the five CGI Animated Films to be released in 2001, the other 4 being Monsters Inc., Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, and The Living Forest.
In other dubs, "I'm a Believer" is left in English, as a result, Donkey's voice is left in English as well except for his last line of dialogue.
Despite having major involvement as executive producer, Steven Spielberg was left uncredited in the final film and its subsequent sequels.
During the production of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, most of the filmmakers took inspiration from this first installment to help rekindle much of the original spirit for returning fans.
This is the 5th theatrical film from DreamWorks Animation.
It was originally going to be the studio's third computer-animated film, following the scrapped film, Tusker.

Accolades

The film has since received many awards and nominations following its release.

The following are just the most notable ones.

2002 Academy Awards

Best Animated Feature (WON)
Best Adapted Screenplay (Nominated)

2002 Golden Globes

Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical (Nominated)

2002 British Academy Film Awards

Best Adapted Screenplay (WON)
Best Film (Nominated)
Best Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy (Nominated)
Best Sound (Nominated)
Best visual effects (Nominated)

2002 Annie Awards

Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature (WON)
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production (WON)
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music Score an Animated Feature Production (WON)
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production (WON)

Outstanding Individual Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production (WON)
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production (WON)
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production: Eddie Murphy (WON)
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Character Animation (Nominated)

American film institute

Winner of AFI's Top 10 films of 2001 list
Ranked Number 8 on American film institutes to ten greatest American animated films of all time.
Nominee for AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains list
Nominee for AFI's 100 Years...100 for the song I'm a Believer
Nominee for AFI's top 100 Greatest American films of all time list

National Film Preservation Board, USA

2020 - National Film Registry inductee

Gallery

Shrek (film)/Gallery