| Shrek Forever After | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Mike Mitchell |
| Written by | |
| Based on | Shrek! byWilliam Steig |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Yong Duk Jhun |
| Edited by | Nick Fletcher |
| Music by | Harry Gregson-Williams |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures[a][1][2] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 93 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $135–165 million[4][5][6] |
| Box office | $756.2 million[1] |
Shrek Forever After[b] is a 2010 American animatedcomedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture bookShrek! byWilliam Steig. Directed byMike Mitchell (in his animated directorial debut), and written byJosh Klausner andDarren Lemke, it is the sequel toShrek the Third (2007) and the fourth installment in theShrek franchise. The film starsMike Myers,Eddie Murphy,Cameron Diaz,Antonio Banderas,Julie Andrews, andJohn Cleese reprising their voice roles from the previous films, withWalt Dohrn joining the cast. The story follows Shrek, now a domesticated family man and local celebrity, longing for his days of solitude and being feared, leading him to make a magic deal with the deceitful imp Rumpelstiltskin, which creates grave consequences.
Shrek Forever After premiered at theTribeca Film Festival on April 21, 2010, and was theatrically released byParamount Pictures[a] in theUnited States on May 21, 2010. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed a worldwide total of $756 million, becoming thefifth-highest-grossing film of 2010. Despite opening below expectations, itdebuted as the top-grossing film at the box office, a position held for three consecutive weeks in the United States and Canada.
Although intended to be the final film in the series, a fifth film, currently titledShrek 5, is set for release on June 30, 2027. Two spin-offs,Puss in Boots (2011) andPuss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), have also been released, while a spin-off centered around Donkey is in development.
In aflashback, King Harold and Queen Lillian have lost hope of their daughter,Princess Fiona, being freed from her curse after so many years of her being at theDragon's Keep. Despite their deal withFairy Godmother, they go toRumpelstiltskin for help. He has a magical contract that will seemingly lift the curse if they give him the Kingdom of Far Far Away, but when Harold is about to sign it, a messenger reveals that Fiona has been rescued byShrek. Ever since, Rumpelstiltskin has held a grudge against Shrek for ruining his plan.
In the present, Shrek has grown tired of being a family man and a celebrity, longing for the days when he was feared and had privacy. While he is celebrating his children's first birthday in Far Far Away, a series of mishaps leaves Shrek so angry that he storms out in a rage and lashes out at Fiona. Having witnessed the outburst, Rumpel follows Shrek into the forest and stages a scene of being in distress, prompting Shrek to help.
Invited inside Rumpel's carriage, Shrek laments that he is no longer a "real ogre". Rumpel offers him a deal to receive a day as a "real ogre" in exchange for a day from his childhood being erased. Shrek signs a contract fulfilling this wish, and is whisked away into analternate reality.
Now feared by villagers, Shrek causes some mischief until he discovers that Fiona is a fugitive and his swamp is deserted and desolate. Captured bywitches, Shrek is taken to Rumpel, who is now the king of a dystopian Far Far Away. Rumpel reveals to Shrek that he had erased the day Shrek was born, meaning he never existed in this altered timeline. Consequently, Harold and Lillian signed the contract with Rumpel, which caused them to disappear. When the day ends, Shrek will cease to exist.
Shrek escapes Rumpel's castle withDonkey, who is initially terrified of Shrek but befriends him after seeing him cry over his erased history. Donkey helps Shrek find a hidden exit clause; the contract can be nullified by "true love's kiss". The pair soon encounter a still-cursed Fiona leading an army of ogres in a resistance against Rumpel, and a lazy and overweightPuss in Boots being kept as Fiona's pet. Shrek unsuccessfully tries to woo Fiona, who has since lost hope of finding true love after not being rescued, and is too busy preparing an ambush on Rumpel. Puss encourages Shrek to continue pursuing Fiona.
During the ambush, most of the ogres are captured by thePied Piper, who was hired by Rumpel, but Shrek and Fiona escape with Puss and Donkey. Shrek insists that Fiona kiss him, assuring her that it will fix everything; she reluctantly obliges, but nothing happens. Later on, Rumpel publicly offers a wish to anyone who brings him Shrek, and after hearing this, Shrek turns himself in.
Rumpel is forced to grant Shrek's wish, and he uses it to free the other ogres. As Shrek is locked up, Rumpel reveals that Fiona had been captured and not released, since she is not "all ogre". Rumpel attempts to execute Shrek and Fiona with the enslaved Dragon, but Donkey, Puss, and the freed ogres storm the castle; they capture Rumpel and defeat his witch army, while Shrek and Fiona neutralize Dragon.
As the sun rises, Shrek begins to fade from existence, but Fiona, having fallen in love with him, kisses him before he disappears. Seeing that she is still an ogre in the sunlight, Fiona realizes that her curse was broken and that she has assumed "love's true form". The alternate reality disintegrates, making everyone disappear, and Shrek finds himself transported back to the original timeline at the moment before he lost his temper at the party. Instead of lashing out, Shrek embraces his family and friends with a newfound appreciation for them. Later, Shrek hosts a party in his swamp with his friends, family, and the other ogres, with an imprisoned Rumpel in attendance.
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After the success ofShrek 2 in May 2004,DreamWorks Animation (DWA) CEOJeffrey Katzenberg planned a five-film arc that began withShrek (2001) and would conclude witha fifth installment.[8] In May 2007, Katzenberg was reported to announceShrek 4 as aprequel centered on Shrek'sorigin story,[9] promising that the film would explain how Shrek ended up in the swamp of the first film.[10]National Geographic Kids claimed that adeleted scene ofShrek the Third in which a talking tree explained toArthur Pendragon that he was the next in line for the Far Far Away throne could be used in the fourth film.[11] One early story draft thus included a flashback sequence set in Shrek's adolescence.[12]
In October 2007, Katzenberg announced a title for the fourth film,Shrek Goes Fourth,[13] explaining that "Shrek goes out into the world, forth!"[14]
In May 2009, DreamWorks Animation retitled the film toShrek Forever After.[15]
In November 2009,Bill Damaschke, head of creative production at DreamWorks Animation, confirmed with "All that was loved about Shrek in the first film is brought to the final film".[16] The film included many tributes to the originalShrek film such as Shrek asking the villagers to run away orPrincess Fiona blowing up a bird with her singing as well as some to the second film likePuss in Boots facing Shrek for the first time,[12] as it was the crew's intention to sum up all the otherShrek films withShrek Forever After to make it the last film.[17]
Tim Sullivan was hired to write the script in March 2005,[18] but was later replaced byDarren Lemke andJosh Klausner. Klausner, about the script's evolution, said, "When I first came onto the project, it wasn't supposed to be the final chapter—there were originally going to be 5Shrek movies. Then, about a year into the development, Jeffrey Katzenberg decided that the story that we'd come up with was the right way for Shrek's journey to end, which was incredibly flattering."[19] In May 2007, shortly before the release of the third film, it was announced Mike Mitchell would be on board to direct the new installment.[20] Mitchell felt the influence ofIt's a Wonderful Life within the film's plot, but made sure to rather homage the storytelling over parodying it, embracing the concept that Shrek isn't the same ogre he was at the start of the original film.[17]
Much of the film was written and recorded inNew York City.[21]
Like the otherShrek films, the film's original score was composed byBritish composerHarry Gregson-Williams.
Shrek Forever After premiered at theTribeca Film Festival on April 21, 2010.[22] It was publicly released on May 20, 2010, in Russia, while the American release followed the next day on May 21. In July 2014, the film's distribution rights were purchased by DreamWorks Animation fromParamount Pictures[3] and transferred to20th Century Fox before reverting toUniversal Pictures in 2018 followingNBCUniversal's acquisition of DreamWorks Animation in 2016.
In 2010,McDonald's released a series of drinking glasses which featured painted characters fromShrek Forever After. The painted designs contained the toxic metalcadmium, which provided concerns about the long-term exposure of cadmium from theShrek glasses. As a result, McDonald's offered a recall of the 12 million drinking glasses and paid customers to return them.[23][24]
Shrek Forever After (marketed asShrek Forever After: The Final Chapter) was released onDVD,Blu-ray 3D andBlu-ray on December 7, 2010, and made $76.5 million in DVD and Blu-ray sales.[25] The film is also included inShrek: The Whole Story, a box set released on the same day that included all fourShrek films and additional bonus content. It was later released on4K on June 11, 2024, along with a 4-Movie Collection release featuring all four films on 4K, byUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment.[26][27]
Shrek Forever After earned $238.7 million in North America, and $513.9 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $752.6 million,[6] making it thefifth highest-grossing film of 2010.[28]
Shrek Forever After had the widest release for an animated film (4,359 theaters, later expanded to 4,386) in North America. On its opening day (May 21, 2010), it ranked No.1, grossing $20.8 million, which was lower than the opening days of the last twoShrek films. The film then opened in three days with $70.8 million, lower than box office analysts' predictions of an opening of $105 million[29] and also lower than the two previous films of the franchise. Anne Globe, head of worldwide marketing for DreamWorks Animation, said they were "happy with the film's opening" since it debuted at No. 1 and also had the fourth-best opening for an animated film, at the time, in the United States and Canada.[30]Shrek Forever After was the number one film for three consecutive weekends.[31][32][33]
In North America, executives at DreamWorks Animation were impressed because the film earned $238.7 million in North America, although it was the fourth film in the series, seemingly being outgrown by its fans.[34] It ended its box office run ranked domestically as theeighth highest-grossing film of 2010.[35]
Outside North America, it topped the weekend box office once on July 16–18, 2010 with $46.3 million.[36][37] In Russia and CIS, its second-highest-grossing country, it had a $19.7 million opening weekend which was a record among animated films. It earned $51.4 million in total.[38] Third in total earnings came the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta, where it opened with £8.96 million ($13.6 million) and finished its box office run with £31.1 million ($51.1 million).[39] At the end of its box office run,Shrek Forever After became DreamWorks Animation's highest grossing animated film at the international box office.[40]
On review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes,Shrek Forever After had an approval rating of 58% based on 198 reviews and an average rating of 5.9/10. The site's critical consensus read, "While not without its moments,Shrek Forever After too often feels like a rote rehashing of the franchise's earlier entries."[41] OnMetacritic, the film had a weighted average score of 58 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[42] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, the same score earned byShrek andShrek 2 and a step up from the "B+" earned byShrek the Third.[43]
Stephen Holden ofThe New York Times stated "What fortifies “Shrek Forever After” are its brilliantly realized principal characters, who nearly a decade after the first “Shrek” film remain as vital and engaging fusions of image, personality and voice as any characters in the history of animation."[44] Pete Hammond ofBoxOffice gave the film four and a half out of five stars and wrote, "Hilarious and heartfelt from start to finish, this is the bestShrek of them all, and that's no fairy tale. Borrowing liberally fromFrank Capra'sIt's a Wonderful Life, this edition blends big laughs and emotion to explore what Far Far Away might have been like if Shrek never existed."[45]James Berardinelli ofReelviews awarded the film three out of four stars and wrote, "Even thoughShrek Forever After is obligatory and unnecessary, it's better thanShrek the Third and it's likely that most who attend as a way of saying goodbye to the Jolly Green Ogre will not find themselves wishing they had sought out a more profitable way of spending 90-odd minutes."[46]
James White ofEmpire gave the film four out of five stars, saying, "DreamWorks could be entering a period of fresh creativity. WithHow to Train Your Dragon and a balanced, darker-hued and very funnyShrek finale, they've found the magic again".[47]Lisa Schwarzbaum ofEntertainment Weekly gave the film a "B−" grade, saying "Everyone involved fulfills his or her job requirements adequately. But the magic is gone andShrek Forever After is no longer an ogre phenomenon to reckon with."[48]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone wrote "It's a fun ride. What's missing is the excitement of a new interpretation."[49] Mary Pols ofTime stated in her review "Can an ogrejump a shark? I think so."[50]
Shrek Forever After is anaction-adventure video game based on the movie of the same name. It was released byActivision on May 18, 2010.
In 2014, aFox Business Network interview with DreamWorks CEOJeffrey Katzenberg implied that moreShrek films would eventually be made saying, "But I think you can be confident that we'll have another chapter in theShrek series. We're not finished and, more importantly, neither is he."[72] Following the acquisition of DreamWorks Animation byComcast andNBCUniversal in 2016, NBCUniversal President and CEOSteve Burke discussed plans to revive the franchise.[73] In July 2016,The Hollywood Reporter cited sources saying that a fifth film was planned for a 2019 release.[74] By late 2016, reports surfaced that the script had been completed.[75][76]
In April 2023, four months after the release of a spin-off sequelPuss in Boots: The Last Wish, executive producerChris Meledandri confirmed that a fifth film is planned, with the original cast in talks to return.[77] In June 2024, Eddie Murphy announced that he had begun recording for the film.[78] The film will release on June 30, 2027.[79] A spin-off centered around Donkey is also in development.[80]
"Shrek Forever," with the voice cast including Michael Myers, Antonio Banderas, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, cost about $135 million to make. Worldwide marketing costs will be about $165 million, Globe said.
Produced for an estimated $135 million,...
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