Shrek (2001) (Movie Review)

   It’s not every day that a non-Disney animated movie can take-over our world of entertainment, and leave a lasting impact on our pop-culture. Well, over twenty years ago, back in 2001, a little movie called “Shrek” did just that, and has sense endured as an animated family classic. To say it was the talk of the town back in the day would be an understatement, as I remember being a young third-grader back when this film premiered … and not only was it everywhere I looked, but the praise for the film was almost universal. 

It was the first movie ever to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Picture, beating out Pixar’s “Monster Inc.” in the process, and it was also the first animated picture to be nominated at the Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay. Oddly enough for me, “Shrek” is a film that I’ve only come around to appreciating as an adult, because I remember back when I was a kid, I was actually one of the phew who was a little underwhelmed by the film. I mean, I liked it okay, I watched it a couple times, but I just didn’t quiet feel it earned the gargantuan praise it got. Also, I was still riding the high of both “Toy Story 2” and “The Emperor’s New Groove”, which at the time were my two favorite animated movies, and I so badly wanted “Shrek” to find a place among my favorites, but it just never did. The sequel, “Shrek 2” absolutely found a secure placement with all my favorite animated pictures … which is a review for another day … but it also made me all the more dismissive of the original. So, after all these years, how have my feelings on the film changed, and has it really heled-up as a quality animated picture?  

    Based on William Steig’s book of the same name, Shrek is an ogre who spends his days scaring off villagers for his own amusement, and basically just enjoys spending his days alone as a nasty creature. Things change when a number of fairy-tale characters are dumped in his swamp by an evil ruler named Lord Farquaad, who aims to remove all fantastical creatures from his kingdom, as well as marry a beautiful Princess, so that he can properly assume the title of King. 

With Shrek eager to get his swamp back to normal, a deal is made that he’ll set-off on a quest to find such a princess, in exchange for the immediate removal of all the fairy tale creatures from his land. Along the way, he makes friends with a talking donkey, battles a dragon, and rescues one Princess Fiona, who seems to fit the bill … but maybe is keeping secrets from her two rescuers. As the journey goes on, an unusual romance blossoms between Shrek and the princess, secret twists are revealed, and many goofy antics ensue along the way. So, what were my initial reservations with this film when I first saw it as a kid? For one, while the animation was good for the time … and still looks good now … it wasn’t always that pretty to look at. I felt most of the colors were kind of brown-tinted, and I never felt like anything really popped before my eyes the same way other animated films at the time did.

    It was also a very dialog heavy film, with the characters mostly walking and talking, back and forth. That’s not to say I was board, as both Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy are consistently delightful to listen too in their respected lead roles of Shrek and Donkey … but for the first half of the film, I was never feeling hooked, or like it was a fast-moving experience with big laughs throughout. There were some decent chuckles, like Farquaad’s kingdom being a knock-off Disney-Land, and I’ve always loved that one giant-head Farquaad mascot. 

However, the big turning point was the battle with the dragon, and rescuing Princess Fiona. Once these three characters are together, the film instantly picks-up, and gets good ... as well as really funny. I feel all the biggest laughs come from how these three distinct characters interact with each-other, and how they react to all the oddities they come across. I know I busted a gut when the Princess exploded a bird, all due to her high-pitched singing … and don’t ask where she got the eggs she served for breakfast. There’s also a funny encounter with Robin Hood, resulting in an amusing fight that parodies “The Matrix” … before it became a tired cliché to spoof that film. Even the conversations were more charming around this middle act, as I like Shrek and Donkey just sitting out under the stars, and conversing like friends now.   

   Also, at the time I was watching a number of comedies staring Cameron Diaz, including “The Mask” and “There’s Something about Mary”, so having her voice Princess Fiona, who was both pretty and quirky, was right on the money for me. Likewise, I think Fiona is one of the best off-brand Princess characters I’ve ever seen. Usually when a character is at odds with their common perception, they’re typically depicted as cynical, and actively dogging their established conventions. Fiona by contrast is very open, and wanting to embrace all the typical animated Princess tropes … it’s just that who she really is has a way of naturally slipping out of the stereotype, and that makes for a great character. I like that she’ll throw-down a number of goons during a fight, but she wont boast about it either. She’ll belch and eat crispy rats on a stick, but then try to segue back into the conventions of spinning in her dress while singing in the woods. It’s great, as it gives us the best of both dynamics.

     Of course, I also need to mention the villain Lord Farquaad, who’s voiced by the always great John Lithcow. While I’ve seen the actor shine in a variety of roles, I always think back on him best for playing villains, especially in movies like “Cliffhanger”, and even “Santa Clause: The Movie”. He has such a distinct voice that I don’t know how to describe, but it’s always recognizable, and the perfect choice for voicing an animated villain. The character of Lord Farquaad also has one of my favorite villain introductions, as it’s this built-up march down a hall-way, set to this gothic organ music, and even after the amusing reveal of his height, he still has an imposing presence. Again, there’s just something about John Lithcow’s voice that’s a perfect mix of being both menacing and goofy, which really makes the character come to life.   

   Eventually, it’s revealed that there’s a curse on the Princess, which turns her into an ogre every night, and it’s a great reveal … but it does lead into one of my biggest qualms with this movie. After the reveal, we get a third-act break-up, with characters going their separate ways … and all because of a big misunderstanding, as one person only heard a fraction of a conversation, didn’t stay to listen to the rest, and didn’t even try talking about it afterword’s. I hate this cliché so much … I hate it to my core. It’s such a cheap and even lazy way to bring out character drama, and it always kills the moment for me. It’s a shame because the following sad montage is actually shot, and edited very well, with some beautiful transitions, and I even like Rufus Wainwright’s cover of “Hallelujah” … I just wish this came about due to something stronger than an irritating misunderstanding trope.     

    Now, for all my issues with the cliched third act break-up, the movie completely redeems itself with its closing moral, which is executed perfectly. After the climax, in which Shrek and Donkey crash a wedding, and thwart the villain, Princess Fiona finally finds her true love in Shrek, and instead of lifting her curse, she instead becomes an ogre permanently. 

In other words, it’s not the apparent beauty that changes, it’s the perception of it. It’s a great lesion, and one that’s just as relevant today. Even when I was somewhat underwhelmed by this film as a kid, the ending really did stick with me as something special. Of course, this movie also started the trend of animated pictures closing-out on a big, up-beat musical number. As a side note, back when I had this movie on VHS, there was an extended epilogue edited in, with the characters continuing their dance party in the swamp. However, its sense been removed from the DVD cut of the film, as well as other sources, and is now only featured as a short film. While not really a problem, it does still mess with my childhood memories whenever I re-watch the film.   

   It’s also kind of funny how the song “I’m a Believer” has become synonymous with “Shrek”, even though it already had a history, and was even featured three years earlier in another Mike Myers comedy called “Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me”. Smash Mouth’s cover of “All Star” was likewise introduced two years earlier in the 1999 comic-book movie “Mystery Men”, but really took off after being used in this film. This was also back when the Baha Men had a hit song tied to almost every family picture released in the early 2000’s, so their song “Best Years of our Lives” really stands out. The soundtrack in general is definitely an amusing product of it’s time, and is kind of cringe today, but I also have nostalgic fondness for it all these years later. What has remained consistently great is the musical score composed by Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell. I listened to this instrumental track all the time as a kid, and both tracks for the “Escape from the Dragon” and “Ridding the Dragon” always got me exhilarated. The opening “Fairytale” track is so iconic that it’s become the official anthem for DreamWorks animation.    

   Lastly, it should be noted that this film was helmed by two first-time directors … Andrew Adamson, who’d go on to direct “Shrek 2”, as well as the first two live-action “Narnia” movies, and Vicky Jenson, who’d go on to direct “Shark Tale”. In the end, I might not have been in love with “Shrek” back when I was a kid, but I remember quietly thinking to myself that I’ll grow to like it over time. Well, I’d say time has been good to this film, as I certainly enjoy, and even admire it more after all these decades. I still wouldn’t put it among my absolute favorite animated pictures, but there is a reason it’s been preserved as a classic. The characters are still very likable, the jokes mostly work, the music is pleasing, and beyond anything else, it’s the message that keeps it above the quality of most animated pictures to come out in recent years. If it’s been a while sense you’ve seen “Shrek”, I’d say give it another watch, and see if it either holds up, or is even better then you remember.   

Thanks for reading my review of the 2001 animated picture “Shrek” … and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!