Movie Plot – Shrek: A mean lord banishes fairy tale creatures to the swamp from a grumpy ogre, Shrek. He makes a deal to go on a quest to rescue a princess for the lord to get his land back.

Directors: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson
Writers: William Steig, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio
Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow

Wonderful animation

The fact that the animation is wonderful doesn’t actually make the film better. It does work the other way around, bad animation makes a movie worse, at least less fun to watch. If the animation is so good that you no longer pay attention to it, the other parts such as the story and the cast remain critical success factors.

Thankfully Shrek’s animation is excellent and so is the story. That story is all right with “Shrek. Putting a fun twist on many existing fairy tales is relatable to both young children and adults. In addition, the story is about an ogre that everyone hates, but there seems to be more about him. I also find the story to be sweet and have heart.

For kids and adults

The humor works on multiple levels to entertain all audiences. The smallest ones laugh when ‘Shrek’ plays with his ear wax, the older ones have more fun with the somewhat subtle humor in the dialogues. Moreover, the film is still crammed with references to other films and very unremarkable jokes that are only seen on a second or third viewing.

Mike Myers voices the voice of “Shrek” and if you think you’re discovering Austin Powers or Wayne from Wayne’s World, forget it. He uses an unplaceable accent that makes you forget who is voicing it, but totally suits the green monster. Cameron Diaz plays Princess Fiona and we recognize the very recognizable voice of John Lithgow back in Lord Farquaad of Duloc. The voice of all voices is still that of Eddie Murphy. The man rattles on and on and coupled with the sweet little donkey Donkey, he steals the show.

Sometimes, I believe it’s more aimed at adults. It is funny, has many quotable catchphrases and teaches us so much. It shows us that love knows no boundaries, that you can find love where you least expect it, and that beauty is not just on the outside. It’s also a great story about unlikely characters who form friendships that will last a lifetime.

Fun fact: Myers, Murphy, Diaz and Lithgow didn’t see each other once during the voicing process.

Conclusion

Shrek was creative, innovative, funny and special. On top of that, it was an appropriate film that is aimed at everyone.

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