Shrek (2001)

Shrek (2001)

7/10

Starring the voices of

Mike Myers

Eddie Murphy

Cameron Diaz

Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson

I just saw Shrek again for the first time in like ever, and seeing it again in 2020 I can safely say that it still holds up and is funny.

The character Donkey is still as hilarious as hell and it is hard to imagine how Shrek would have played out without his presence. The dynamic between his character and that of Shrek is what makes this animation so cool to see. I am not taking away the beauty of the love relationship and the turn it took when Fiona finally warmed up to Shrek. The whole romance was touchy and in its own way unexpected, but the dynamic duo is what makes Shrek memorable.

I say hats off to the people responsible for the voice casting because it sounded like Eddie Murphy was born to play the voice of Donkey.

This was the animation that put Dreamworks on the map as a contender for Disney’s place in the world as the best animater and this movie spawned three sequels and a hilarious spin off.

The movie starts with a lone ogre named Shrek (Mike Myers), who lives in a swamp and we see the way he lives his life alone. Elsewhere in the land where he lives, there is a rounding up of magical creatures by Lord Farquaad, and we witness a talking Donkey making a mess of things. He escapes from the rounding up and It was his running away from the soldiers that led to him running into Shrek who scared the army away. Donkey almost talked Shrek’s ear off and he finally agreed to let him stay.

That night Shrek’s sleep was disturbed by magical creatures showing up at his home asking to stay in his swamp. Shrek angry about this intrusion found out who drove out the magical creatures from their home and decided to go visit Lord Farquaad.

Farquaad on the other hand was looking for a champion to go and rescue the princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from a tower guarded by a dragon. He wants to marry her so he can be a king. Being unable to do this brave thing himself and seeing that his army were not capable, he chose the dynamic duo. Shrek and donkey had stormed in angry and Shrek’s build gave Farquaad an idea. He strikes a deal with Shrek go rescue the princess and bring her to him, in return he will get what he wants. Shrek wanted the solace of his swamp back.

Shrek agrees and since Donkey has been tagging along from the day they met, they went together to go rescue Fiona.

The rescue was not so great and we have a confused Fiona who is expecting a prince charming and gets an ogre. We also learn that she needs true love first kiss for a reason best left for those who have not seen this animation to discover themselves. Their expected rescue and their journey back to Farquaad is where all the funny moments happen. How this expected magical tale turned to an unexpected ending is what makes this screenplay worth respecting.

This animation set a milestone as it won the first ever Best Animated Feature in the Academy Awards. It was a critical and commercial success, making over $480 million on a $60 million budget. I can safely say that seeing Shrek again now still delivers the needed laughter during this lockdown Covid-19 period.

A second part was done three years (2004) later, Shrek 2.