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 38 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:

ogre | fire breathing dragon | shrek | swamp | princess | 

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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

Details

Official Sites:

DreamWorks (Flash only) [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 May 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shrek

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$42,347,760, 20 May 2001, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$267,665,011

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$484,409,218

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks, 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:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Lithgow. who voices the dwarf Lord Farquaad, is considered one of Hollywood's tallest actors (he stands 6 feet 4 inches). Lithgow felt that was the joke of his casting.

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Goofs

When Shrek and the donkey are looking at the stars, in one shot Orion's Belt (three bright stars in a row) is right next to the moon, but in the next shot of the stars it's not.

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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

SPOILER: The Ss in the DreamWorks logo transform into ogre form. This hints at Fiona's nightly transformation into an ogre.

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Alternate Versions

The Freeform print adds the 2013 Universal Pictures logo.

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Connections

Referenced in Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights: Episode #1.5 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Hallelujah
Written by Leonard Cohen
Performed by John Cale
Courtesy of Menhir Music

User Reviews

State-of-the-art computer animation used to tell a cracking little story

Shrek is a green ogre who lives in a swamp, but his king sends him on a mission which he must complete to get his own land back.

You only have to watch ten minutes of this film to realise that this is going to be a classic. Eddie Murphy being employed as a wisecracking donkey was a casting dream and plays well against the more plain Shrek, voiced by Mike Myers.

Ok the plot is old, new, borrowed and blue (all recaps and references to fairy tales), but I don't care. It is all so much good fun and better than that, the kind of thing that can be enjoyed by young and old, male or female. It is really a dream of movie and some brilliant pop tunes are employed that really work fantastically against the images. Real tear-to-the-eye stuff.

A real bliss-out of a movie and all parties should be congratulated for making it so great. A real DVD buyer, because it can be enjoyed over and over again. Bring on the follow up, I can't wait.