"SHREK" is an animated feature starring a princess,a fire-breathing dragon,a castle,an ogre,fairytale creatures,and more than its fair share of magic.The producer made "The Lion King" and its screenwriters wrote "Aladdin".Sounds typical enough for a standard animated release.But that's where the similarities end.The film is made by DreamWorks,the prince is the bad guy,the princess kicks butt,and the hero -- he's the ogre.
Shrek scribes Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio are convinced this was one of the reasons for the film getting the green light."There's never been a movie starring an ogre," says Rossio,who co-created the loner Shrek and is one of the film's co-producers.
The story begins with Shrek unsettled from a peaceful swamp existence by an influx of asylum-seeking fairytale creatures,uprooted by the evil (and vertically-challenged) Lord Farquaad.
The disgruntled Shrek embarks on a journey to get the swamp back all to himself.
In Shrek,Elliott and Rossio fracture not only fairytales,but Disney as well.Because of their intimate and first-hand knowledge of the classic Disney formula,they easily lull viewers into a false sense of comfort,before flipping it all on its end so unexpectedly that you'll probably find yourself crying with laughter in the aisles like the Sydney audience last night.I haven't laughed so hard in a film in years.
Some of the funniest moments occur when Disney properties or characters are being spoofed,like Lord Farquaad's palace which resembles a certain theme park,right down to the parking lot.
Visually stunning,the film is voiced by stellar talent,including Mike Myers as Shrek in a Mrs-Doubtfire-meets-Fat-Bastard Scottish inflection,Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona),John Lithgow (Lord Farquaad) and Eddie Murphy as Shrek's ass-inine companion.Murphy is the standout -- his performance as the Donkey makes you want to buy his six-inch effigy the moment he comes onscreen.
With so many contemporary trailers spoiling films with the best jokes (and usually the surprise killer) revealed in under two minutes,it was pleasantly surprising to find the funniest parts of "Shrek" were not even hinted at in the variety of trailers and TV spots released.This is one of the reasons I am convinced the film will score so much extra positive word of mouth:there are proportionately lower expectations combined with a genuinely enjoyable film.
Look out for Shrek spending a lot of his summer in theaters across the country -- this green ogre is going to be a monster hit!