Far Far Away Idol (Video 2004)

Director:

Simon J. Smith

Stars:

Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas

Cast

Cast overview:
Mike Myers	...	Shrek (voice)
Eddie Murphy	...	Donkey (voice)
Antonio Banderas	...	Puss In Boots (voice)
Simon Cowell	...	Himself (voice)
Chris Miller	...	Magic Mirror (voice)
Larry King	...	Ugly Stepsister (voice)
Cody Cameron	...	Pinocchio / Three Pigs (voice)
Conrad Vernon	...	Gingerbread Man (voice)
Aron Warner	...	Wolf (voice)
Randy Crenshaw	...	Prince Charming / Three Blind Mice (singing voice)
Michael Gough	...	Shrek (singing voice)
Matt Mahaffey	...	Captain Hook (singing voice)
Mark Moseley	...	(voice)
Rick Riso	...	"My Way" Singer (voice)
Renee Sands	...	Princess Fiona (singing voice) (as Renee Sandstrom)

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

dancing | based on television series | contest | voting | critic | 

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Genres:

Music | Animation | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Short

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 November 2004 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks Animation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

10 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Puss In Boots: [singing] You keep saying, you got something for me. Something that you call love, but confess.
[he jumps out of his boots]
Puss In Boots: These boots are made for walking and that's just what they'll do, cos one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you!
[he backflips into his boots]
Simon Cowell: Well, the cat's got my tongue, and possibly my vote.
[turns over to see that Shrek and Fiona have gone on stage]
Simon Cowell: Ugh, always breaking the rules.

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Connections

Referenced in Igor (2008)

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Soundtracks

"These Boots Were Made For Walkin'"
Composed by Lee Hazlewood
Performed by Antonio Banderas

User Reviews

Generally feels rushed unloved and made with the minimum of effort

Following on from the Swamp Party extra on the first Shrek DVD, this short film tries to repeat the same trick but within the bounds of a spoof of Pop Idol. In theory it should work because I quite enjoyed the Swamp Party short because I felt it had the energy and humour of the film. However things were not the same with Idol because this energy is severely lacking and the fun has gone with it. The songs are so-so and are amusing in theory but they aren't that well sung and, although this was the point, I felt that it made the film feel unloved.

Unfortunately this is an impression that is only strengthened by the other aspects of the film. The animation has a real "cut and paste" feel to it and surprisingly manages to take impressive animation and make it look cheap. Simon Cowell is a prime example of this because his character looks badly done and doesn't fit with the other "judges". His voice work is pretty poor as well which doesn't help and, although it was nice to have the stars turn out for this short, it was a bit too obvious that some of their contributions had been lifted from the film wherever possible.

The delivery of the songs breaks up the flow of the short and loses the "party" mood that the first short film did quite well. With this being the main selling point for the film it falls down badly and isn't really a lot of fun at all. The voice work is so-so and the animation feels rushed and unloved. Generally quite poor then and I found Cowell to be especially bad considering the short was built up around him – but in fairness his lack of effort is only one part of a short that generally feels like it was just bashed out.