After purchasing the rights to Steig's book in 1991,Steven Spielberg sought to produce atraditionally-animated film adaptation, butJohn H. Williams convinced him to bring the project to the newly foundedDreamWorks Pictures in 1994.Jeffrey Katzenberg, along with Williams andAron Warner, began development onShrek in 1995, immediately following the studio's purchase of the rights from Spielberg.Chris Farley was cast as the voice for the title character, recording most of the required dialogue, but died in 1997 before his work on the film was finished; Myers was hired to replace him, and gave Shrek his characteristicScottish accent. The film was initially intended to be created usingmotion capture, but after poor test results, the studio hiredPacific Data Images to complete the final computer animation.Shrekparodies otherfairy tale adaptations, primarily animated Disney films.[8]
The film's major success helped establishDreamWorks Animation as a competitor toPixar in feature film computer animation. Three sequels have been released—Shrek 2 (2004),Shrek the Third (2007), andShrek Forever After (2010)—along with two spin-off films—Puss in Boots (2011) andPuss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)—with other productions, notablyShrek 5, in development. It is also regarded as one of the most influential animated films of the 2000s and one of the greatest animated films ever made.[11][12][13] The United StatesLibrary of Congress selectedShrek for preservation in theNational Film Registry in 2020, becoming the first animated film of the 21st century to be preserved.
Plot
Shrek is an anti-socialogre who loves the solitude of his swamp and enjoys fending off mobs and intruders. One day, his life is interrupted after he inadvertently saves a talkativeDonkey from some soldiers, prompting Donkey to forcibly stay with him. Donkey is one of many fairy tale creatures that are being exiled or sold by the dwarfishLord Farquaad of Duloc to beautify his land. However, the creatures inadvertently end up in the swamp. Angered by the intrusion, Shrek resolves to visit Farquaad and demand that he move the creatures elsewhere, reluctantly allowing Donkey to accompany him as he is the only one who knows where Duloc is.
Meanwhile, Farquaad is presented with theMagic Mirror, who tells him that he must marry a princess in order to become king. Farquaad randomly choosesPrincess Fiona, who is imprisoned in a castle guarded by aDragon. Unwilling to rescue Fiona himself, he organizes a tournament in which the winner will receive the "privilege" of performing the task on his behalf. When Shrek and Donkey arrive at Duloc, Farquaad announces that whoever kills Shrek will win the tournament; however, Shrek and Donkey defeat Farquaad's knights with relative ease. Amused, Farquaad proclaims them champions, and agrees to relocate the fairy tale creatures if Shrek rescues Fiona.
Shrek and Donkey travel to the castle and the Dragon attacks them. Shrek locates Fiona, who is appalled by his lack ofromanticism; they flee the castle after rescuing Donkey from the Dragon, who is revealed to be female and has fallen in love with him. When Shrek removes his helmet and reveals he is an ogre, Fiona stubbornly refuses to go to Duloc, demanding Farquaad arrive in person to save her, but Shrek carries Fiona against her will. That night, after setting up camp, and with Fiona alone in a cave, Shrek admits to Donkey that he is anti-social because he grew frustrated over being constantly judged for his appearance. Fiona overhears this and becomes kinder to Shrek. The next day,Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men harass the three, but Fiona easily defeats them in physical combat. Shrek becomes impressed with Fiona, and they begin to fall in love.
When the trio nears Duloc, Fiona takes shelter in a windmill for the evening. Donkey enters alone and discovers that Fiona has transformed into an ogress. She explains that during her childhood, she was cursed to transform into an ogress at night but retain her human form during the day. She tells Donkey that only "true love's kiss" will break the spell and change her to "love's true form". Meanwhile, Shrek is about to confess his feelings to Fiona, when he overhears Fiona referring to herself as an "ugly beast". Thinking that she is talking about him, Shrek angrily leaves and returns the next morning with Farquaad. Confused and hurt by Shrek's abrupt hostility, Fiona reluctantly accepts Farquaad's marriage proposal and requests that they be married that day before sunset. Shrek dismisses Donkey and returns to his now vacated swamp, but quickly realizes that he feels miserable without Fiona. Donkey lectures Shrek for jumping to conclusions and reveals that Fiona was not referring to him as an "ugly beast", although Donkey does not reveal Fiona's secret to Shrek. The two reconcile, and Donkey summons the Dragon, whom he had reunited with earlier in the day. Shrek and Donkey ride Dragon to Duloc so they can stop the wedding.
Shrek interrupts the ceremony just before it ends and expresses his feelings for Fiona. The sun sets, and Fiona transforms into an ogress in front of everyone. Disgusted and enraged, Farquaad orders Shrek to be executed and Fiona re-imprisoned, so that he will still be king by technicality. The two are saved when the Dragon, ridden by Donkey, breaks in and devours Farquaad. Shrek and Fiona kiss, and Fiona's curse is broken; though she remains an ogress, Shrek reassures her that he still finds her beautiful. They marry in the swamp with the fairy tale creatures in attendance, then leave for their honeymoon.[b]
At the timeDreamWorks Pictures was founded, producerJohn H. Williams got hold of the book from his children and when he brought it to DreamWorks, it caught CEOJeffrey Katzenberg's attention and the studio decided to make it into a film.[21] Recounting the inspiration of making the film, Williams said:
Every development deal starts with a pitch and my pitch came from my then kindergartner, in collaboration with his pre-school brother. Upon our second reading ofShrek, the kindergartner started quoting large segments of the book pretending he could read them. Even as an adult, I thoughtShrek was outrageous, irreverent, iconoclastic, gross, and just a lot of fun. He was a great movie character in search of a movie.[22]
After buying the rights to the film, Katzenberg quickly put it in active development in November 1995.[23][24]Steven Spielberg had thought about making a traditionally animated film adaptation of the book before, when he bought the rights to the book in 1991 before the founding of DreamWorks, whereBill Murray would play Shrek andSteve Martin would play Donkey.[25] In the beginning of production, co-directorAndrew Adamson refused to be intimidated by Katzenberg and had an argument with him about how much the film should appeal to adults. Katzenberg wanted both audiences, but he deemed some of Adamson's ideas, such as adding sexual jokes andGuns N' Roses music to the soundtrack, to be too outrageous.[26][27] Adamson andKelly Asbury joined in 1997 to co-direct the film. However, Asbury left a year later for work on the 2002 filmSpirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and was replaced with story artistVicky Jenson, although Asbury would later co-directthe sequel. Both Adamson and Jenson decided to work on the film in half, so the crew could at least know whom to go to with specific detail questions about the film's sequences; "We both ended up doing a lot of everything," Adamson said. "We're both kinda control freaks, and we both wanted to do everything."[28]
Some early sketches of Shrek's house were done between 1996 and 1997 usingPhotoshop, with the sketches showing Shrek first living in a garbage dump near a human village called Wart Creek. It was also thought at one time that he would live with his parents and keep rotting fish in his bedroom.[29] Donkey was modeled after Pericles (born 1994; died 2025; also known as Perry), a real miniature donkey from Barron Park in Palo Alto, California.[30][31]Raman Hui, supervising animator ofShrek, stated that Fiona "wasn't based on any real person" and he did many different sketches for her. He had done over 100 sculptures of Fiona before the directors chose the final design.[32] In early development, the art directors visitedHearst Castle,Stratford upon Avon, andDordogne for inspiration. Art Director Douglas Rogers visited a magnolia plantation inCharleston, South Carolina, as inspiration for Shrek's swamp.[33][34] Planned characters not used in the film includeGoldilocks andSleeping Beauty.[35]
Writing
The screenplay was written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman, loosely based on the picture book by William Steig. The way Steig upended fairy tale conventions in the original book by making an ogre the protagonist formed the basis for the movie being a parody of fairy tales. Elliott and Rossio began writing for the film in 1997 and worked on the project for two years. Elliott and Rossio were also credited as co-producers for the film. They centered the four main characters' personalities on maladaptive responses to self-esteem issues; as the DreamWorks story crew developed the plot, their personalities remained the same, ensuring the "thematic unity" of the story was preserved. When the studio leaned towards Shrek being a kind person shunned for being an ogre, they pushed for Shrek to remain a "misanthropic anti-hero."[36][37]
Casting
Nicolas Cage was initially offered the role of Shrek but he turned it down because he did not want to look like an ogre. In 2013, Cage explained: "When you're drawn, in a way it says more about how children are going to see you than anything else, and I so care about that."[38]
Chris Farley was initially hired to voice Shrek, and he had recorded nearly all of the dialogue for the character, but died before completing the project.[39] According toDavid Spade, Farley only had 5 days of voice work left to perform; Farley's brotherJohn was asked if he would come in and finish the remaining lines, but he refused.[40] A story reel featuring a sample of Farley's recorded dialogue was leaked to the public in August 2015.[41] Katzenberg pitched the film toMike Myers at the premiere ofSaving Private Ryan (1998), after hearing the pitch he thought thatShrek was the "worst fucking title" he ever heard.[42] DreamWorks then re-cast the voice role to Myers, who insisted on a complete script rewrite, to leave no traces of Farley's version of Shrek.[39] According to Myers, he wanted to voice the character "for two reasons: I wanted the opportunity to work with Jeffrey Katzenberg; and [the book is] a great story about accepting yourself for who you are."[22]
After Myers had completed providing the voice for the character over the course of 1999 and the film was well into production, a rough cut of the movie was shown to him in February 2000.[43] Myers asked to re-record all of his lines with aScottish accent, similar to that his mother used when she told him bedtime stories and also used for his roles in other films, such asSo I Married an Axe Murderer andAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.[39] According to the DVD commentary, he had also tried using aLothar of the Hill People accent and a Canadian accent.[44] After hearing the alternative, Katzenberg agreed to redo scenes in the film, saying, "It was so good we took $4M worth of animation out and did it again."[45] Myers disputed the cost, saying "it didn't cost the studio 'millions of dollars'," as rumored. "What it meant is instead of me going in for ten sessions, I went in for twenty sessions. I got paid the same."[46] Because of Myers voicing the character, more ideas began to come. There were clearer story points, fresher gags and comedy bits.[47] "I got a letter from Spielberg thanking me so much for caring about the character," Myers said. "And he said the Scottish accent had improved the movie."[48]
Another person planned to voice a character in the film wasJaneane Garofalo, who was set to star alongside Farley as Princess Fiona. However, she was fired from the project for unexplained reasons. Years later, Garofalo stated "I was never told why [I was fired]. I assume because I sound like a man sometimes? I don't know why. Nobody told me ... But, you know, the movie didn't do anything, so who cares?"[49]
Animation
Shrek was originally set up to be alive-action animation hybrid with background plate miniature sets and the main characters composited into the scene as motion-captured computer graphics, using an ExpertVision Hires Falcon 10 camera system to capture and apply realistic human movement to the characters.[50]Softimage was used, as well asMental Ray.[51] A sizable crew was hired to run a test, and after a year and a half of R & D, the test was finally screened in May 1997.[52] The results were not satisfactory, with Katzenberg stating "It looked terrible, it didn't work, it wasn't funny, and we didn't like it."[39] The animation, known asShrek – I Feel Good Animation Test, was not released publicly until 2023 when it was posted by production designerBarry E. Jackson on hisYouTube channel.[53] The studio then turned to its production partners atPacific Data Images (PDI), who began production with the studio in 1998[54] and helpedShrek get to its final, computer-animated look.[39] At this time,Antz was still in production at the studio[39] and effects supervisor Ken Bielenberg was asked byAron Warner "to start development forShrek".[55] Similar to previous PDI films, PDI used its own proprietary software (like the Fluid Animation System) for its animated movies. For some elements, however, it also took advantage of some of the powerhouse animation software on the market. This is particularly true withMaya, which PDI used for most of its dynamic cloth animation and for the hair of Fiona and Farquaad.[56]
"We did a lot of work on character and set-up, and then kept changing the set up while we were doing the animation," Hui noted. "InAntz, we had a facial system that gave us all the facial muscles under the skin. InShrek, we applied that to whole body. So, if you pay attention to Shrek when he talks, you see that when he opens his jaw, he forms a double chin, because we have the fat and the muscles underneath. That kind of detail took us a long time to get right."[57] One of the most difficult parts of creating the film was making Donkey's fur flow smoothly so that it did not look like that of aChia Pet. This fell into the hands of the surfacing animators, who used flow controls within a complex shader to provide the fur with many attributes (ability to change directions, lie flat, swirl, etc.).[34] It was then the job of the visual effects group, led by Ken Bielenberg, to make the fur react to environment conditions. Once the technology was mastered, it could be applied to many aspects of the movie, including grass, moss, beards, eyebrows, and even threads on Shrek's tunic. Making human hair realistic was different from Donkey's fur, requiring a separate rendering system and much attention from thelighting andvisual effects teams.[34]
Shrek has 31 sequences, with 1,288 total shots.[33] Aron Warner said that the creators "envisioned a magical environment that you could immerse yourself into". Shrek includes 36 separate in-film locations to make the world of the film, which DreamWorks claimed was more than any previous computer-animated feature. In-film locations were finalized and, as demonstrated by past DreamWorks animated movies, color and mood was of the utmost importance.[34] The animation was completed in 2000.[58]
Shrek is the third DreamWorks animated film (and the only film in theShrek series) to haveHarry Gregson-Williams team up withJohn Powell to compose the score followingAntz (1998) andChicken Run (2000).[59] Powell was left out to compose scores for later Shrek films with Gregson-Williams due to a conflict.[60] The score was recorded atAbbey Road Studios by Nick Wollage and Slamm Andrews, with the latter mixing it at Media Ventures and Patricia Sullivan-Fourstar handling mastering.[61]
Shrek introduced a new element to give the film a unique feel. The film usedpop music and otheroldies to make the story more forward. Covers of songs like "On the Road Again" and "Try a Little Tenderness" were integrated in the film's score.[62] The bandSmash Mouth's song "All Star" gained massive popularity after its original release two years earlier, due to its usage in the film's opening credits.[63] The filmmakers forShrek had originally used the song as a placeholder for the opening credits and intended to replace it with an original composition byMatt Mahaffey’s bandSelf that would mimic the feel of "All Star", named "Stay Home". However, DreamWorks executiveJeffrey Katzenberg suggested for them to use "All Star" over the sequence instead. As the film was about to be completed, Katzenberg suggested to the filmmakers to redo the film's ending to "go out with a big laugh"; instead of ending the film with just a storybook closing over Shrek and Fiona as they ride off into the sunset, they decided to add a song "I'm a Believer" covered by Smash Mouth and show all the fairytale creatures in the film.[64]
AlthoughRufus Wainwright's version of the song"Hallelujah" appeared in the soundtrack album, it wasJohn Cale's version that appeared in the film; in a radio interview, Rufus Wainwright suggested that his version of "Hallelujah" did not appear in the film due to the "glass ceiling" he was hitting because of his sexuality. An alternative explanation is that, although the filmmakers wanted Cale's version for the film, licensing issues prevented its use in the soundtrack album, because Wainwright was an artist forDreamWorks but Cale was not.[65]
In many places, the film references classic movies, predominantly those byDisney. WhenTinker Bell falls on Donkey and he says "I can fly" and people around including theThree Little Pigs say "He can fly, he can fly"; this is a reference to Disney'sPeter Pan. Donkey then says, while still flying, "You might have seen ahouse fly, maybe even a super fly, but I bet you ain't never seen a Donkey fly!". This scene is a reference to the Disney filmDumbo.[67] The scene where Fiona is singing to the blue bird is a reference toSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs.[67] The transformation scene at the end of the film references Disney'sBeauty and the Beast.[67]
When Shrek crosses the bridge to the Castle and says, "That'll do, Donkey, that'll do", this is a reference to the movieBabe.[67] The scene where Princess Fiona is fighting theMerry Men is a lengthy reference to the filmThe Matrix.[67] At the end of the film, the Gingerbread Man, with a crutch and one leg, says "God bless us, everyone", which is a reference to Tiny Tim inA Christmas Carol.[67]
In the scene where the Magic Mirror givesLord Farquaad the option to marry three princesses, it parodies popular American television showThe Dating Game featuring:Cinderella andSnow White.[68] In addition, Lord Farquaad's theme park style kingdom Duloc heavily mimicsDisneyland, even in so far as parodying the famous "It's a Small World" musical ride in the scene with the singing puppets.[68] It has been suggested that Lord Farquaad himself is an unflattering parody of then-Disney CEOMichael Eisner, whom producer Katzenberg, a former Disney employee, reportedly dislikes.[69]
Release
Marketing
In 2000,IMAX releasedCyberWorld onto its branded large-screen theaters. It was a compilation film that featured stereoscopic conversions of various animated shorts and sequences, including the bar sequence inAntz. DreamWorks was so impressed by the technology used for the sequence's "stereoscopic translation", that the studio and IMAX decided to plan a big-screen 3D version ofShrek. The film would have been re-released during the Christmas season of 2001, or the following summer, after its conventional 2D release. The re-release would have also included new sequences and an alternate ending. Plans for this was dropped due to "creative changes" instituted by DreamWorks and resulted in a loss of $1.18 million, down from IMAX's profit of $3.24 million.[70][71][72]
Radio Disney was told not to allow any ads for the film to air on the station, stating, "Due to recent initiatives withThe Walt Disney Company, we are being asked not to align ourselves promotionally with this new releaseShrek. Stations may accept spot dollars only in individual markets."[73] The restriction was later relaxed to allow ads for the film's soundtrack album onto the network.[74]
On May 7, 2001,Burger King began promotions for the film, giving out a selection of nine exclusive Candy Caddies based on theShrek characters, in Big Kids Meal and Kids Meal orders.[75]Ice cream chainBaskin-Robbins also ran an 8-week promotion of the film, selling products such as Shrek's Hot Sludge Sundae, a combination ofOreo Cookies 'n Cream ice cream,hot fudge, crushed chocolate cookies,whipped cream and squigglygummy worms, and Shrek Freeze Frame Cake, featuring an image of Shrek and Donkey framed bysunflowers. This was to support the film's DVD/VHS release.[76]
Home media
Shrek was released by DreamWorks Home Entertainment onVHS andDVD on November 2, 2001.[77][78] It surpassedStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace's short-lived record for being the fastest-selling DVD title of all time, selling 2.5 million copies within the first three days of release.[79] Another 4.5 million copies were sold on VHS in the same timespan, making it the biggest opening weekend in retail video sinceThe Lion King in 1995.[79] Both releases includedShrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party, a 3-minute musical short film, that takes up right afterShrek's ending, with film's characters performing a medley of modern pop songs.[80] As for the DVD release, this two-disc set features a fullscreen format on the first disc and a widescreen format on the second disc, with the latter featuring aDTS audio track.[81]
Coincidentally, the film was released on video the same day that Pixar'sMonsters, Inc. hit theaters. Since videos were traditionally released on Tuesdays, Disney's executives did not receive this well, saying that the move "seemed like an underhanded attempt to siphon off some of their film's steam". DreamWorks responded that it "simply shifted the release to a Friday to make it more of an event and predicted that it and other studios would do so more frequently with important films."Monsters, Inc. earned that weekend more than $62 million, breaking the record for an animated film, whileShrek's video release made more than $100 million,[82] and eventually became the biggest selling DVD at the time with over 5.5 million sales.[83] This broke the record previously held byGladiator, another DreamWorks film.[84]Shrek generated more than $420 million in revenue for DreamWorks on DVD and VHS, and has sold more than 21 million copies of the 23 million shipped by January 2002.[77] Worldwide, more than 10 millionShrek DVDs have been sold by that point.[77]
In February 2006,Paramount Pictures acquired the rights to all live-action films DreamWorks had released between 1997 and 2005, followingViacom's $1.6 billion acquisition of the company's live-action film assets and television assets.[85][86] Additionally, Paramount signed a six-year distribution agreement for past and futureDreamWorks Animation films, with DreamWorks Animation having spun off into a separate company from the live-action division in 2004.[86][87][88] On August 16, 2010,Paramount Home Entertainment released a 10 film box set titled the "DreamWorks Animation Ultimate Box Set", which includedShrek,Shrek 2,Shrek the Third and 7 other DreamWorks Animation films.[89] A 3D version of the film was released onBlu-ray 3D by Paramount Home Entertainment on December 1, 2010, along with its sequels,[90] and a regular 2DBlu-ray boxset of the series was released six days later.[91]
On December 31, 2012, DreamWorks Animation's distribution agreement with Paramount officially ended,[86][88] and in July 2014, DreamWorks Animation announced they had reacquired the distribution rights to all of their films from Paramount, transferring these rights to their new distribution partner20th Century Fox.[4] On April 28, 2016, DreamWorks Animation was purchased byNBCUniversal for $3.8 billion.[92] In commemoration of the film's 20th anniversary, anUltra HD Blu-ray edition was released on May 11, 2021, byUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment.[93]
Reception
Box office
Shrek opened on around 6,000 screens[94] across 3,587 theaters, at that point the second highest number of locations in history behind onlyMission: Impossible 2.[95][96] Eleven locations screened the film digitally,[97] the first time that DreamWorks had shown one of its films in this format.[98] The film earned $11.6 million on its first day and $42.3 million on its opening weekend, topping the box office for the weekend and averaging $11,805 from 3,587 theaters.[99] In itssecond weekend, due to the Memorial Day Weekend holiday, the film gained 0.3 percent to $42.5 million and $55.2 million over the four-day weekend, resulting in an overall 30 percent gain.[100] Despite this, the film finished in second place behindPearl Harbor and had an average of $15,240 from expanding to 3,623 sites.[100] In its third weekend, the film retreated 34 percent to $28.2 million for a $7,695 average from expanding to 3,661 theaters.[101] By mid-June 2001,Shrek became the top-grossing movie of the year domestically, defeatingThe Mummy Returns.[102] This achievement would last until that December when it was beaten byHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.[103] The film closed on December 6, 2001, after grossing $267.7 million domestically, along with $216.7 million overseas, for a worldwide total of $484.4 million.[5] Produced on a $60 million budget, the film was a huge box office smash[5] and is thefourth highest-grossing film of 2001.[104]
Shrek became the highest-grossing animated film ever to be released inAustralia, passing the mark set byThe Lion King in 1994.[105] In theUnited Kingdom,Shrek regained the top spot at the British box office after being beaten out the previous week byLara Croft: Tomb Raider, earning a $20.3 million since its opening in the UK.[106]
Critical response
In addition to being an instant box office success,Shrek received wide critical acclaim.[107][108][109] 88% of 213 professional reviews of the film on thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "While simultaneously embracing and subverting fairy tales, the irreverentShrek also manages to tweak Disney's nose, provide a moral message to children, and offer viewers a funny, fast-paced ride."[110]Metacritic assignedShrek a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 based on 34 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[111] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[112]
Murphy was particularly praised by reviewers for his performance as Donkey.
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".[113]USA Today's Susan Wloszczyna praisedEddie 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".[114]Richard Schickel ofTime also enjoyed Murphy's role, stating "No one has ever made a funnier jackass of himself than Murphy."[115] Peter Rainer ofNew 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."[116]Peter Travers ofRolling 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."[117] James Berardinelli ofReelViews gave 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."[118] Kenneth Turan of theLos Angeles Times wrote "The witty, fractured fairy taleShrek has a solid base of clever writing."[119] Lisa Schwarzbaum ofEntertainment Weekly gave the film an A−, saying "A kind of palace coup, a shout of defiance, and a coming of age for DreamWorks."[120] Jay Boyar of theOrlando 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."[121]
Steven Rosen ofThe Denver Post wrote "DreamWorks Pictures again proves a name to trust for imaginative, funny animated movies that delight kids and adults equally."[122] Susan Stark ofThe Detroit News gave the film four out of four stars, saying "Swift, sweet, irreverent, rangy and as spirited in the writing and voice work as it is splendid in design."[123] Jami Bernard of theNew York Daily News gave the film four out of four stars, saying "The brilliance of the voice work, script, direction and animation all serve to makeShrek an adorable, infectious work of true sophistication."[124] Rene Rodriguez gave the film three out of four stars, calling it "a gleefully fractured fairy tale that never becomes cynical or crass".[125] Elvis Mitchell ofThe New York Times gave the film four out of five stars, saying "Beating up on the irritatingly dainty Disney trademarks is nothing new; it's just that it has rarely been done with the demolition-derby zest ofShrek."[126]William Steig, the author of the original book, and his wife Jeanne Steig also enjoyed the film, stating "We all went sort of expecting to hate it, thinking, 'What has Hollywood done to it?' But we loved it. We were afraid it would be too sickeningly cute and, instead, Bill just thought they did a wonderful, witty job of it."[127]
John Anderson ofNewsday wrote "The kind of movie that will entertain everyone of every age and probably for ages to come."[128] Jay Carr ofThe Boston Globe wrote "In an era when much on film seems old,Shrek seems new and fresh and clever."[129] Stephen Hunter ofThe Washington Post gave the film five out of five stars, saying "Despite all its high-tech weirdness, it is really that most perdurable of human constructions, a tale told well and true."[130] Joe Baltake ofThe Sacramento Bee wrote that it "isn't so much a fractured spoof of everything Disney, but actually a Monty Python flick for kids – kids of all ages".[129] Andrew Sarris ofThe New York Observer wrote "What givesShrek its special artistic distinction is its witty and knowingly sassy dialogue, delivered by vocally charismatic performers whose voices remind us of their stellar screen personae in live-action movies."[131] Lisa Alspector of theChicago Reader wrote "This romantic fantasy complicates the roles of beauty and beast, making it hard to guess what form a sensitive resolution will take."[132] Joe Morgenstern ofThe Wall Street Journal wrote "The charms ofShrek, which is based on the children's book by William Steig, go far beyond in-jokes for adults."[133] John Zebrowski ofThe Seattle Times gave the film three out of four stars, saying "The movie is helped immensely by its cast, who carry it through some of the early, sluggish scenes. But this is Murphy's movie. Donkey gets most of the good lines, and Murphy hits every one."[134]
A mixed review came from Mark Caro of theChicago Tribune, who gave the film two and a half stars out of four and compared it toToy Story 2, which he said "had a higher in-jokes/laughs ratio without straining to demonstrate its hipness or to evoke heartfelt emotions".[135] On the more negative side, Michael Atkinson ofThe Village Voice said he was "desperately avoiding the risk of even a half-second of boredom", and said "the movie is wall-to-window-to-door noise, babbling, and jokes (the first minute sees the first fart gag), and demographically it's a hard-sell shotgun spray."[136] Christy Lemire of theAssociated Press describedShrek as a "90-minute onslaught of in-jokes", and said while it "strives to have a heart" with "a message about beauty coming from within", "somehow [the message] rings hollow".[129] Anthony Lane ofThe New Yorker said, despite the film "cunning the rendering of surfaces, there's still something flat and charmless in the digital look, and most of the pleasure rises not from the main romance but from the quick, incidental gags."[137]
Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Prince Charming? So last millennium. This decade, fairy-tale fans – and Princess Fiona – fell for a fat and flatulent Ogre. Now, that's progress."[153] In June 2008, theAmerican Film Institute revealed its "Ten top Ten"; the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative communityShrek was acknowledged as the eighth best film in the animated genre, and the only non-Disney·Pixar film in the Top 10.[154][11]Shrek was also ranked second in aChannel 4 poll of the "100 Greatest Family Films", losing out on the top spot toE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.[155] In 2005,Shrek came sixth in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Cartoons poll behindThe Simpsons,Tom and Jerry,South Park,Toy Story andFamily Guy.[156] In November 2009, the character, Lord Farquaad, was listed No. 14 inIGN UK's "Top 15 Fantasy Villains".[157] In 2006, it was ranked third onBravo's 100 funniest films list.[158] The film's title character was awarded his own star on theHollywood Walk of Fame in May 2010.[159]
The New York Times retrospectively described the film as "a beloved, offbeat fairy tale whose characters and jokes continue to permeatepop culture, reaching another generation of fans."[107] Previous films and television shows, such asFractured Fairy Tales andThe Princess Bride, have parodied the traditional fairy tale.[160][161]Shrek had a significant impact that influenced a later generation of mainstream animated films,[161] receiving recognition for being one of the most influential from the 2000s.[160][162] Particularly afterShrek 2, animated films began to incorporate more pop culture references and end-film musical numbers.[161] Such elements can be seen in films likeRobots,Chicken Little,Doogal,Ron's Gone Wrong and more recently withRuby Gillman, Teenage Kraken andThe Tiger's Apprentice.[161] It also inspired a number of computer animated films which also spoofed fairy tales, or other related story genres, often including adult-oriented humor, most of which were not nearly as successful asShrek, such asChicken Little,Happily N'Ever After,Igor,Hoodwinked!,Donkey Xote,Enchanted and its sequelDisenchanted.[161] In 2020, the United StatesLibrary of Congress selectedShrek to be preserved in theNational Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[163]
Ashot-for-shot fan remake titledShrek Retold was released through 3GI Industries on November 29, 2018. The project was a collaboration of 200 filmmakers and mixes live action, hand drawn animation, Flash animation, CGI and various other art forms to recreate the film. The film is available onYouTube for free.[173][174]
Three sequels were released over the years – the Oscar-nominatedShrek 2 in 2004,Shrek the Third in 2007, andShrek Forever After in 2010.Shrek 2 was the only one to receive similar acclaim from critics,[175][176][177] though all three sequels were commercially successful.[178][179]Shrek the Halls (2007) andScared Shrekless (2010) were released as holiday-themed short films. A spin-off prequel film entitledPuss in Boots, centered on the titular character's life before his debut inShrek 2, was released in 2011, while a sequel, titledPuss in Boots: The Last Wish and set after the events ofShrek Forever After, was released in 2022.[180] A fifth feature film was originally planned during the development ofShrek Forever After, but the idea was later abandoned by DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg.[181][180] Leading up to NBCUniversal's planned acquisition of DreamWorks Animation in 2016, it was announced that a fifth Shrek film would be released in 2019.[182] On November 6, 2018,Variety reported thatChris Meledandri had been tasked to reboot both Shrek and Puss in Boots, with the original cast potentially returning to reprise their roles.[183][184] While cast members reported that a script was completed for a fifth Shrek film, development stalled and future plans have yet to be officially announced.[185][186] After it was reported in April 2023 that a fifthShrek film with the original cast and a spinoff featuring Donkey was planned, Murphy said in June 2024 that he had begun voice recording sessions forShrek 5 months ago and would begin working for the Donkey spinoff once it was finished.[187] A fifthShrek film is scheduled to be released in 2027.[188]
^Shrek is the first animated film to have entered in competition from the festival for five decades, since Disney'sPeter Pan (1953) to be chosen to compete for thePalme d'Or.[147]
^Shrek was the first animated film to earn a PGA nomination.[152]
References
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^ab"'Shrek' shleps in".Variety. April 25, 2001.Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. RetrievedJuly 27, 2015.She was speaking at DreamWorks' special screening Sunday at Mann's Village Theater in Westwood.
^Laporte, Nicole (2010).The Men Who Would Be King: An Almost Epic Tale of Moguls, Movies, and a Company Called DreamWorks. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 277.ISBN978-0-547-48716-8.
^Raman Hui (2007).The Tech of Shrek The Third. Event occurs at 0:41.Archived from the original on November 16, 2015. RetrievedNovember 28, 2016.In the first Shrek, we started the animation in 1998.
^Burlingame, Jon (April 22, 2009)."Gregson-Williams scores many toons".Variety.Archived from the original on March 8, 2015. RetrievedMarch 8, 2015.The first three – "Antz," "Chicken Run" and "Shrek" – were jointly done by Gregson-Williams and Powell,...
^Peter Travers (May 18, 2001)."Shrek | Movie Reviews".Rolling Stone.Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. RetrievedJanuary 11, 2014.
^Berardinelli, James (May 18, 2001)."Review: Shrek".ReelViews.Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. RetrievedJanuary 11, 2014.
^Turan, Kenneth (May 16, 2001)."A Sophisticated ... Ogre?".Los Angeles Times.Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. RetrievedJanuary 11, 2014.
^Lisa Schwarzbaum (June 1, 2001)."Shrek Review".Entertainment Weekly. Archived fromthe original on January 11, 2014. RetrievedJanuary 11, 2014.
^Jay Boyar (May 18, 2001)."Contrary Fairy Tale".Orlando Sentinel.Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. RetrievedJanuary 11, 2014.
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