Shrek

The computer animated masterpiece Shrek, turns the classic fairy tale on hits head and shakes it up and down until all the pocket contents fall on the floor and make a wonderful collage of fairytale favorites with modern appeal. Taking the twist where the classic fairytale villains turn out to be heroes adds a freshness to all the fairytale stories and making them interesting again. Shrek is just a regular ogre and wants only what all ogres want: to be left alone in his swamp. One day he runs into a talking donkey in need of a place to stay after his owner tried to turn him into the authorities. Later that night Shrek’s beloved home and swamp is overtaken by other fairytale creatures who have been evicted from their home, Duloc, by the evil Lord Farquaad trying to make himself king. The only way he can become king is to rescue Princess Fiona from the clutches of a fiery dragon and make her his wife, but there is no way he is willing to make the dangerous trip himself. Shrek makes a deal with Lord Farquaad, he will be rid of the fairytale squatters and have ownership of his swamp if he returns to Duloc with the princess. Shrek and Donkey set out on a quest to defeat the dragon and bring her back to Duloc in exchange for his swamp. Upon rescuing Princess Fiona, Shrek finds a stuck up and spoiled girl who thinks life is a perfect fairytale. After Fiona discovers that Shrek is an ogre and not a knight, like the fairytale says he should be, she refuses to return with Shrek and Donkey to her fiancé. Against her will she is forced to travel with her unlikely escorts to Duloc to marry Prince Farquaad. On the trip back, Shrek and Fiona find out that they are more alike than any princess and ogre ever were and start to have feelings for each other. But Princess Fiona has a secret of her own that she cannot tell anyone that forces her to reject Shrek and to marry Lord Farquaad. Will Shrek realize his feelings for another person before it is too late? Or will he shed his ogre ways and find love?

Shrek is another one of those movies that kids and kids at heart will find irresistible. The characters of princesses and talking animals will appeal to the kids and the witty spoofs on classic fairytales and some more modern movies will appeal to adults. Full of magical characters like a river dancing Robin Hood and his merry men, a gingerbread man dealing with being a prisoner of war, and three little pigs with Swedish accents, this movie combines them all to make a delightful comedy soon to also become a classic. Mike Myers Scottish accented ogre is charming and reveals the warm and fuzzy Shrek just waiting to immerge from his tough exterior. Cameron Diaz lends her angelic voice to the sweet yet strong Princess Fiona who has the burden of carrying around a big secret. There is no other perfect person to voice Donkey than the hilarious and amazing Eddie Murphy. Almost stealing the show is John Lithgow and his ingenious portrayal of the hoity-toity Lord Farquaad. Drawing on his talent as a character actor, Lithgow turns this small fry into a diabolical king wannabe.

This winner for the 2002 Oscar for best animated feature is a beautifully “drawn” movie with gorgeous landscapes and uncharacteristic characters. DreamWorks hit the ball out of the park with this family perfect hit that screamed franchise and action figures. The actors’ humorous voices and clever story have made Shrek one of the best movies ever made. It is definitely a must see and own as it has become a landmark in the world of computer animated feature films. It doesn’t get much better than this!