Shrek (2001)
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An embittered ogre must team up with a talkative donkey to rescue a princess and reclaim his swamp from a nearby ruler.
The story
Shrek is an asocial ogre who enjoys the solitude of his swamp. His peace is disturbed when he saves a talkative Donkey from soldiers, who then insists on staying with him. The swamp becomes overrun by fairy tale creatures banished by the obsessive ruler Lord Farquaad. To reclaim his land, Shrek strikes a deal with Farquaad: he must rescue Princess Fiona from a nearby castle. Accompanied by the persistent Donkey, Shrek embarks on a journey to the castle, leading to a series of complications as they navigate the obstacles set by the ruler and the magical world surrounding them.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Shrek, an asocial ogre, finds his swamp invaded by fairy tale creatures exiled by Lord Farquaad. To get them out, Shrek agrees to rescue Princess Fiona from a dragon-guarded castle. He is joined by a talkative Donkey. After defeating Farquaad's knights, Shrek and Donkey travel to the castle, where they rescue Fiona. During the journey, Shrek and Fiona begin to develop feelings for one another. However, a misunderstanding leads Shrek to believe Fiona views him as an 'ugly beast,' causing him to leave her and allow her to be married to Farquaad. Realizing his mistake, Shrek and Donkey ride a dragon to the wedding to stop it. Shrek confesses his love, and as the sun sets, Fiona's curse is broken, revealing her as an ogre. The two are saved when Dragon devours Farquaad. Shrek and Fiona marry in the swamp, and the film ends with them heading off on their honeymoon.
- First release year
- 2001
- Runtime (minutes)
- 90
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Andrew Adamson; Vicky Jenson
- Writers
- Ted Elliott · writer; Terry Rossio · writer; Joe Stillman · writer; Roger S. H. Schulman · writer
- Cast and characters
- Mike Myers · Shrek; Eddie Murphy · Donkey; Cameron Diaz · Princess Fiona; John Lithgow · Lord Farquaad
- Genres
- animated; fantasy; comedy
- Themes
- self-acceptance; subverting fairy tales
- Tone and mood
- humorous; irreverent
- Premise and plot tags
- fairy tale parody; adventure; comedy
- Source material / true-story basis
- Shrek! by William Steig
- Franchise connections
- Shrek
- Reception
- The film received widespread acclaim from critics for its animation, voice performances, soundtrack, writing and humor, which noted catered to both children and adults.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 84 · scale: 100 · review count: 34
- Awards and nominations
- BAFTA Award · Best Adapted Screenplay · win
- Production trivia
- The film was originally intended to be created using motion capture.; The character of Donkey was modeled after a real miniature donkey named Pericles.; The film's soundtrack features a variety of pop music and oldies.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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