Shrek (2001)

A mean lord exiles fairytale creatures to the swamp of a grumpy ogre, who must go on a quest and rescue a princess for the lord in order to get his land back.

Directors:

Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson

Writers:

William Steig (based upon the book by), Ted Elliott

Stars:

Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz

Won 1 Oscar. Another 39 wins & 60 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mike Myers	...	Shrek (voice)
Eddie Murphy	...	Donkey (voice)
Cameron Diaz	...	Princess Fiona (voice)
John Lithgow	...	Lord Farquaad (voice)
Vincent Cassel	...	Monsieur Hood (voice)
Peter Dennis	...	Ogre Hunter (voice)
Clive Pearse	...	Ogre Hunter (voice)
Jim Cummings	...	Captain of Guards (voice)
Bobby Block	...	Baby Bear (voice)
Chris Miller	...	Geppetto / Magic Mirror (voice)
Cody Cameron	...	Pinnochio / Three Pigs (voice)
Kathleen Freeman	...	Old Woman (voice)
Michael Galasso	...	Peter Pan (voice)
Christopher Knights	...	Blind Mouse (voice)
Simon J. Smith	...	Blind Mouse (voice)

Storyline

When a green ogre named Shrek discovers his swamp has been 'swamped' with all sorts of fairytale creatures by the scheming Lord Farquaad, Shrek sets out with a very loud donkey by his side to 'persuade' Farquaad to give Shrek his swamp back. Instead, a deal is made. Farquaad, who wants to become the King, sends Shrek to rescue Princess Fiona, who is awaiting her true love in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. But once they head back with Fiona, it starts to become apparent that not only does Shrek, an ugly ogre, begin to fall in love with the lovely princess, but Fiona is also hiding a huge secret.

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Plot Keywords:

onion | epic | exploding animal | arm ripped off | male nudity | 

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Taglines:

The Prince isn't charming. The Princess isn't sleeping. The sidekick isn't helping. The ogre is the hero. Fairy tales will never be the same again.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language and some crude humor

Did You Know?

Trivia

Farley's version of Shrek was completely different from Mike Myers' version. Farley's version was about Shrek not wanting to scare people but to be a knight. Fiona, originally voiced by Janeane Garofalo, was to be a brash and sarcastic character.

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Goofs

"Lord Farquaad summons the Mirror to show him a princess he can marry (to become King of Duloc). The Mirror presents him with Cinderella, who is not a princess in her own right, so Lord Farquaad could not become King by marrying her. Of the choices named by the Mirror, only Snow White and Fiona are princesses." Cinderella is one of the earliest Disney princesses, although not a princess by definition. This is a deliberate choice of the filmmakers, who are satirising fairy tales but Disney in particular. For example, Farquaad's character has been recognised as a jab at Michael Eisner, the CEO of the Disney Corporation when Shrek was filmed.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[a fairytale book appears]
Shrek: [narrating] Once upon a time, there was a lovely princess. But she had an enchantment upon her of a fearful sort, which could only be broken by love's first kiss. She was locked away in a castle guarded by a terrible fire-breathing dragon. Many brave knights had attempted to free her from this dreadful prison, but none prevailed. She waited in the dragon's keep, in the highest room of the tallest tower, for her true love, and true love's first kiss.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

This is the only Shrek film to open with the DreamWorks Pictures logo; later films would have the DreamWorks Animation logo.

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Alternate Versions

The Blu-ray release adds some extra music cues to the score. For example, when Donkey sings "You Gotta Have Friends" to Shrek, an instrumental that wasn't there before is heard in the background.

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Connections

Referenced in The Trixie & Katya Show: Fear (2017)

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Soundtracks

Escape (The Piña Colada Song)
Written and Performed by Rupert Holmes
Courtesy of MCA Records
Under licence from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

A Cinematic Masterpiece

This movie really confronts the problems with society, such as the opioid crisis, domestic abuse, and donkey mistreatment head-on. It was a great way to talk about these issues with my teenage son.

Details

Official Sites:

DreamWorks (Flash only) [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 May 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shrek

Filming Locations:

Glendale, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$42,347,760, 20 May 2001

Gross USA:

$267,665,011

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$487,853,320

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks Animation, Dreamworks Pictures, Pacific Data Images (PDI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (Digital DTS Sound) Dolby Digital SDDS Sonics-DDP (3D re-release)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1