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.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.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.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 40 wins & 60 nominations total
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)
Bobby Block
- Baby Bear
- (voice)
Chris Miller
- Geppetto
- (voice)
- …
Cody Cameron
- Pinnochio
- (voice)
- …
Kathleen Freeman
- Old Woman
- (voice)
Michael Galasso
- Peter Pan
- (voice)
Christopher Knights
- Blind Mouse
- (voice)
- …
Simon J. Smith
- Blind Mouse
- (voice)
Conrad Vernon
- Gingerbread Man
- (voice)
Guillaume Aretos
- Merry Man
- (voice)
Featured reviews
For younger viewers, they might not understand the impact of "Shrek" on the film industry and CGI movies. However, being an older guy, I remember how groundbreaking and amazing the computer animation was when the film debuted. It was head and shoulders better than the few CGI movies that had come out in the previous decade...and it finally gave Pixar a serious run for the money. In addition, the plot was very adult...and the film's appeal was much greater than a typical CGI story. Great animation, great story telling and great voice acting, while the movie isn't quite impressive to see today, it still holds up very well and is well worth your time.
I could easily say more but this film has over a thousand reviews....so I'll just end it here!
I could easily say more but this film has over a thousand reviews....so I'll just end it here!
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.
"Shrek" is fun. People who haven't seen this movie, and are wary of seeing what's popular, should give it a try. It's worth watching, and will probably win you over.
Taking a Fractured Fairy Tale approach to a "Beauty And The Beast"-type plot, throwing in a few mild profanities, flatulence jokes, and Michael Myers' over-the-top faux-Scots accent, "Shrek" shows off a very snarky humor, full of jokes that will likely go over the heads of a cartoon's target audience while registering with their parents. 'Sure it's big enough, but look at the location,' Shrek observes upon seeing a giant castle in the middle of nowhere. The kids, though, will love 'Shrek' every bit as much. It's impossible not to be carried along by its merry madness.
Myers, as the title character, is certainly easier to take than he was in his last Austin Powers movie, his voice work registering real tenderness as well as the expected laughs as a misunderstood ogre who would rather tell a group of frightened villagers about the cruelties he will inflict on them and their dead bodies than cause those villagers any genuine harm. He's a bit of a softie, actually, and scared to let anyone know it.
Cameron Diaz is as beautiful to listen to hear as she is to look at in her other films. Her character, Princess Fiona, doesn't have as much room to shine as Shrek (the balance turns out better in the sequel) but she does well with what she's given.
The comic highpoints in terms of voice characterization is Eddie Murphy as Shrek's donkey companion and John Lithgow as nasty Lord Farquaad, who wants to rid his domain of Duloc of all fairy tale creatures. Murphy never stops being funny even as he helps set up key plot moments; in fact he's never been this funny since the first "Beverly Hills Cop" movie. "We can stay up late, swapping manly stories, and in the morning, I'm making waffles," the donkey tells a much put-upon Shrek, and you still laugh the fifth time you hear it. Lithgow just makes you smile whenever he opens his mouth, like when he grills a hapless gingerbread man in such a convoluted way it turns into a nursery-rhyme recitation.
Why exactly Farquaad is grilling this gingerbread man so closely isn't clear, and there are similar plot holes throughout the movie. Shrek may be too tame a character; we never really feel any worry around him. The donkey falls into a relationship with a dragon that screams "plot convenience," and there are strange little bits of cruelty, like turning a frog and snake into balloons, which just is thrown out there and let be.
But the central story, about how Shrek and Fiona struggle to overcome the odds and find true love, is really sweet and well-rendered. The animation is spectacular, a revolution for the eyes in its deep-dish panoramas and remarkable attention to textures. And the jokes keep flying, the major ones as well as hilarious bits of filigree you won't notice the first or second time but reward you for paying attention.
This is not a Disney movie, something "Shrek" makes very clear not only with its PG-13 humor but its knocks at Disney characters like Snow White and at the Magic Kingdom in the form of Duloc, where an array of "It's A Small World"-type dolls lecture Shrek and Donkey on all the things NOT to do. Frankly, "Shrek" could use a little injection of Disney heart, but Disney could use some of this picture's freshness as well. A very charming movie worth your time.
Taking a Fractured Fairy Tale approach to a "Beauty And The Beast"-type plot, throwing in a few mild profanities, flatulence jokes, and Michael Myers' over-the-top faux-Scots accent, "Shrek" shows off a very snarky humor, full of jokes that will likely go over the heads of a cartoon's target audience while registering with their parents. 'Sure it's big enough, but look at the location,' Shrek observes upon seeing a giant castle in the middle of nowhere. The kids, though, will love 'Shrek' every bit as much. It's impossible not to be carried along by its merry madness.
Myers, as the title character, is certainly easier to take than he was in his last Austin Powers movie, his voice work registering real tenderness as well as the expected laughs as a misunderstood ogre who would rather tell a group of frightened villagers about the cruelties he will inflict on them and their dead bodies than cause those villagers any genuine harm. He's a bit of a softie, actually, and scared to let anyone know it.
Cameron Diaz is as beautiful to listen to hear as she is to look at in her other films. Her character, Princess Fiona, doesn't have as much room to shine as Shrek (the balance turns out better in the sequel) but she does well with what she's given.
The comic highpoints in terms of voice characterization is Eddie Murphy as Shrek's donkey companion and John Lithgow as nasty Lord Farquaad, who wants to rid his domain of Duloc of all fairy tale creatures. Murphy never stops being funny even as he helps set up key plot moments; in fact he's never been this funny since the first "Beverly Hills Cop" movie. "We can stay up late, swapping manly stories, and in the morning, I'm making waffles," the donkey tells a much put-upon Shrek, and you still laugh the fifth time you hear it. Lithgow just makes you smile whenever he opens his mouth, like when he grills a hapless gingerbread man in such a convoluted way it turns into a nursery-rhyme recitation.
Why exactly Farquaad is grilling this gingerbread man so closely isn't clear, and there are similar plot holes throughout the movie. Shrek may be too tame a character; we never really feel any worry around him. The donkey falls into a relationship with a dragon that screams "plot convenience," and there are strange little bits of cruelty, like turning a frog and snake into balloons, which just is thrown out there and let be.
But the central story, about how Shrek and Fiona struggle to overcome the odds and find true love, is really sweet and well-rendered. The animation is spectacular, a revolution for the eyes in its deep-dish panoramas and remarkable attention to textures. And the jokes keep flying, the major ones as well as hilarious bits of filigree you won't notice the first or second time but reward you for paying attention.
This is not a Disney movie, something "Shrek" makes very clear not only with its PG-13 humor but its knocks at Disney characters like Snow White and at the Magic Kingdom in the form of Duloc, where an array of "It's A Small World"-type dolls lecture Shrek and Donkey on all the things NOT to do. Frankly, "Shrek" could use a little injection of Disney heart, but Disney could use some of this picture's freshness as well. A very charming movie worth your time.
10rhirahan
A movie suitable for children, but really made for an adult audience. It's funny, has many quotable catchphrases and teaches us so much. It shows us that love has no limits, that you can find love where you'd least expect it and that beauty doesn't show only on the outside. It is also a great story about unlikely characters forming friendships that will last a lifetime.
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.
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.
Eddie Murphy Through the Years
Eddie Murphy Through the Years
From Reggie Hammond in 48 Hrs. to Chris Carver in Candy Cane Lane, take a look back at the iconic career of Eddie Murphy.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe principal actors never met each other. They all read their parts separately, with a reader feeding them the lines. John Lithgow later admitted that, while he enjoyed playing Lord Farquaad, he was a little disappointed that he never actually worked directly with Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, or Eddie Murphy.
- GoofsThe chain around Dragon's neck is not there when Donkey summons her before the wedding scene, but it appears seconds later when Shrek gives Donkey a noogie. The chain disappears again after Shrek uses it to climb onto her.
- Crazy creditsThe Ss in the DreamWorks logo transform into ogre form. This foreshadows Fiona's nightly transformation into an ogre.
- Alternate versionsThe 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.
- ConnectionsEdited into Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party (2001)
- SoundtracksAll Star
Written by Greg Camp
Performed by Smash Mouth
Courtesy of Interscope Records
Under licence from Universal Music Enterprises
Produced and Mixed by Eric Valetine
Executive Produced by McG (uncredited)
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Shrek 3D
- Filming locations
- Glendale, California, USA(principal animation)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $60,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $268,698,241
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $42,347,760
- May 20, 2001
- Gross worldwide
- $488,977,919
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Sound mix
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