I believe in fairy tales

“Shrek” is an animated film, made by Dreamworks, who are emerging as a very real competitor to Disney in the animated film stakes. The first thing which struck me about the film was the amazing detail, complexity and realism of the animation. It is all computer generated, but is by far the best I have ever seen, beating Toy Story 2 hands down. I was absolutely blown away by the graphics used; there was one particular scene which is set in a field full of sunflowers, and not only do the sunflowers move in the breeze, the individual petals flutter and move as well. It is this kind of amazing attention to the detail of not just the characters, but also the backdrops, which made the film for me, and puts it a cut above any other in this respect.

Shrek’s swamp is suddenly invaded by fairy-tale creatures (they’re all there - including Pinocchio, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and the Three Blind Mice!) who have been evicted from their homes by Lord Farquod of Duloc, voiced by John Lithgow. The hermit-like Shrek, already irritated enough by Donkey’s arrival, sets off immediately to Duloc (a clear parody of Disneyland, upping the rivalry between Disney and Dreamworks to a new level!) to confront Lord Farquaad – a short man, who, facially, resembled Bruce Forsyth as far as I was concerned, but with more hair! Farquaad, it is revealed, wants to become King, but the only way he can do this is to marry a Princess. Thus, he sends Shrek and Donkey off on a quest to find his chosen bride, Princess Fiona, who is being held in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. The Princess is voiced by Cameron Diaz, and has a secret, which becomes clear as the film goes on.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, as with most children’s films these days (with the exception of the likes of Pokemon!) there is a lot in there which will be flying over the heads of the majority of children, but will strike a chord and raise a laugh amongst the adult audience. I actually find it hard to say whether or not children would enjoy it, or what age group it would be best for, as I didn’t view it as a children’s film at all – it was thoroughly absorbing, and just as entertaining as any film I have seen recently. Having said that I am sure that children would love the bright colours, adventurous storyline, fairytale theme and cheerful (if not cheesy!) soundtrack. The soundtrack deserves its own mention, simply for the fact that it includes tracks by the Proclaimers (now THERE’S a Scottish accent for you!) and Modern Romance – priceless!

All in all, a great night (or day!) out for young and old alike!