There have been many animated movie franchises that were able to grace the silver screen. Pixar has Toy Story, Blue Sky has Ice Age, and Illumination has Despicable Me, but there will probably never be a much more talked about and constantly quoted movie like The Shrek Franchise from Dreamworks Animation. The first movie alone has quite a reputation with it being the first-ever winner of the newly added oscar category best-animated feature. I have to admit however that Shrek’s longevity isn’t quite as strong when compared to most Pixar movies or even some of Dreamworks’s future films. Still, even despite it being a product of the times, this movie still has many aspects that still make it a really fun ride regardless.
Shrek is an ogre who lives alone in a swamp. He usually spends his time all by himself doing disgusting activities and scaring off intruders. One day a talking donkey literary called Donkey escapes from being sold off with other fairytale creatures and no matter how many times he tries, Shrek can’t seem to get rid of the annoying yet charmingly innocent Donkey. Sooner or later Shrek finds his swamp overridden with Fairytale creatures and he along with Donkey decides to get rid of them by going to the man responsible for all the chaos known as Lord Farquad. Shrek and Farquad make a deal that if Shrek can bring Princess Fionna from a tall tower guarded by a dragon, Farquad will in return clear up the fairytale creatures that have moved in his swamp. Shrek and Donkey save Fionna but Fionna is shocked when her rescuer is an ogre. Now the trio must make it back to Lord Farquad’s castle while they come across many inconveniences and an unintentional starts romance blooms between Shrek and Fionna.
The things that do work in the story are really really good. The characters for example are well defined and have loads of personality. The way Shrek, Fionna, and Donkey work off of each other is brilliant as their characteristics bring on the laughs but also bring in a good amount of seriousness when the movie needs it most without feeling manipulative. The side characters also get a bit of a laugh here and their the standouts for me being the gingerbread man and the evil Lord Farquad who steals the show with his subtle yet effective humor. Some people describe the story as being a giant middle finger to Disney tropes and cliche’s and the style of writing reflects that. There are many jokes and story threads that try to defy expectations from what we are used to seeing from Disney films and they treat those said jokes as subtle insults while also making it work in terms of the world the movie takes place in. even with all the jokes and insults to Disney in tow, the film never forgets to have an actual story with good character development and important themes. If I did have to criticize one thing, I’d say that without giving too much away there is a misunderstanding at the end of the second act which completely halts the movie but you know things are gonna be okay cause they’ll come back together through random shenanigans. I’ll give credit that it’s not as awkward as most movies that use this cliche, but there still could have been other ways to move the story forward with resorting to common movie tropes
Looking back at this film years later, it’s clear that the animation is starting to show some levels of datedness from some of the secondary character designs and a few rough patches in the textures, yet there are still plenty of things that are well handled in making a unique fairytale setting. The main character designs are outstanding and the humans look almost realistic without them looking uncanny and lifeless when compared to capture motion features like The Polar Express. The fairytale creatures are also great with some of the creatures being references to past Disney fare or other fairytale stories. There are also some great visual gags one of my favorites being when Lord Farquad brings in the magic mirror and they turn the picking of who Lord Farquad is gonna marry into a newlywed game-like decision. The backgrounds are a splendid treat as we get to see the unique locations of the Dragon’s lair or the large emptiness of Lord Farquads kingdom or even just plain beautiful shots of Shrek’s swamp or the vast lush forrest and cliffs. The music goes the exact opposite as most of the movie’s soundtrack consists of pop or rock songs being shoved into the background. The genius thing about this though is that, unlike other animated movies that do this to try and sell the soundtrack to make a quick buck. The music in Shrek is meant to set the mood and to be in tune with the movie’s themes and willingness to be edgy than your traditional Disney fair
While I don’t think that Shrek necessarily deserved the Oscar for best-animated feature (Honestly Monsters Inc should have won because of how much more timeless it is) It’s still not hard at all to see why this movie is still being referenced and quoted to this very day. This movie is a product of its time but it’s a really good product of its time and that’s thanks to its subversive story that defies a lot of expectations, humor that will delight kids and adults with how edgy the material is, great characters that are both funny and sometimes delightful, and animation that may be dated but will nonetheless transport you to a different kind of a fairytale world. This movie is perfect for those looking for a mean-spirited but also fun take on traditional fairytale tropes especially those who need a break from watching traditional Disney flicks.
(Final Grade B+)