Many thanks for all the reads, rates and comments - all are appreciated. An accountant by day and a ...
Many thanks for all the reads, rates and comments - all are appreciated. An accountant by day and a random reviewer by night I am not a professional writer, nor do I have any ambitions to be I guess I am just opinionated.
Member since:07.03.2007
Reviews:247
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Shrek is a fantastic animation that required a large team effort. Written by Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman and Roger Schulman, and directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, Shrek was released back in June 2001.
Story line
Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) is a green ogre who discovers that his swamp has been inhabited by a host of fairytale creatures that were exiled from their home, the Land of Duloc, by Lord Farquaad (voiced by John Lithgow). Being a loner, Shrek wants his new neighbours removed so he goes to see Lord Farquaad. An agreement is made and in order to get rid of his neighbours Shrek is given the task of going to rescue Princess Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz) so Farquaad can wed her.
Accompanied by his trusty steed, an annoying Donkey (called Donkey and voiced by Eddie Murphy) Shrek sets out to rescue the princess from her tower prison that is guarded by a large fire-breathing dragon.
Will Shrek manage to save the Princess? Will Fiona become Lady
Farquaad? Will Shrek manage to get his quiet and lonely life back? What happens to Donkey?
Basically, Shrek is based on the traditional fairy tale story, but has an unexpected twist at the end along with many comical additions throughout.
Characters
There are loads of characters in this animation with the main ones consisting of:
1) Captain of guards (voiced by Jim Cummings) 2) Ogre hunters (voiced by Clive Pearse and Peter Dennis) 3) Baby bear (voiced by Bobby Block) 4) Geppetto and a magic mirror (voiced by Chris Miller) 5) Pinocchio and the three pigs (voiced by Cody Cameron) 6) Peter pan (voiced by Michael Galasso) 7) Three blind mice (voiced by Simon Smith) 8) Ginger bread man (voiced by Conran Vernon) 9) The Merry men and the Bishop
The best of these ancillary characters has to be Pinocchio since he is very comical.
My opinion
This is a great animation that appeals to all ages, from the very young to the very old. The writers have done a great job by adding in some more adult humour that makes it comical for us older viewers without the younger viewers really understanding the meaning. This is very clever.
The animation is spot on and the visuals can only be described as fantastic. All the characters are brilliantly drawn and the scenery and backgrounds are great. The bright, vivid and in your face colours all add to the overall effect and compliments this type of animation perfectly.
The diverse range of characters is great and each one has its own unique personality and traits that separates it from all of the others. Whilst all the characters are great, and comical in their own unique way, my personal favourite has to be Donkey as he reminds me of a spoilt child whose over enthusiasm and sarcasm is just great.
The voice-over celebrities are fantastic and I don’t think that the producers could have chosen more suitable people for the job. Whilst they all do a great job I think that Eddie Murphy (as the voice of Donkey) steals the limelight, although since Donkey is my favourite character I guess I would say that. One thing that does surprise me is the casting of Cameron Diaz to provide the voice of Princess Fiona. Cameron is very softly spoken and whilst this is ok for the human version of Fiona it does seem too soft for that of an ogre. That said, this is a minor point and doesn’t spoil the movie in any way.
The other audio (sound effects, background music etc) is also great and compliments the animation perfectly. I think the audio really does capture the intended moods.
The story line is your typical fairy tale and whilst I was a bit sceptical of this at first, after all it is very old fashioned, although it is a tried and tested method, it works very well. I do not have the best attention span and it takes a specific type of film to keep my attention throughout the whole duration, but I can honestly state that this movie managed it. Not once did I get bored, start clock watching or wished it would just end since there are so many memorable scenes and comical parts throughout the whole animation. It really is funny and I was laughing from start to finish.
This animation can be watched again and again and I think that it has to be watched multiple times since there is so much going on that it is impossible to catch everything the first time round. Even after three viewings I was still seeing ‘new’ bits I had previously missed.
Overall this is a great animation that can be watched again and again. It is suitable for all age groups and is equally good whether watched with the family on a Sunday afternoon or on a boozy Saturday night with mates. It really is that versatile. It is a definite must have for any DVD collection and I would even go as far to say as this is a classic and will be up there with the great animations for many, many years.
Other
Run time – 90 minutes Certificate - U 1 Oscar, 29 other awards and 44 nominations
(Originally posted on Dooyoo under the name of Yackers1)
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Production Year: 2002 - Family - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Marisa Tomei, Lacey Chabert, Lynn Redgrave, Flea, Tim Curry, Rupert Everett
Full of verve and witShrekis a computer-animated adaptation of William Steig's ... more
delightfully fractured fairy tale. Our title character (voiced by Mike Myers) is an agreeable enough ogre who wants to live his days in peace. When the diminutive Lord Farqu...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Full of verve and witShrekis a computer-animated adaptation of William Steig's ... more
delightfully fractured fairy tale. Our title character (voiced by Mike Myers) is an agreeable enough ogre who wants to live his days in peace. When the diminutive Lord Farqu...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 6 to 10 days...
They're back for more! Princess Fiona's parents invite their daughter and her new husband ... more
Shrek to her homeland of Far Far Away in order to celebrate their marriage. However there's more than meets the eye in this fairytale kingdom and Shrek & Fi...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) is searching for a wife. Because of a complicated situation ... more
he needs a mate so he can qualify as king of the land. The 3-foot-tall despot has already banished all the fairy tale characters from his land resulting in a dias...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: A sequel that gives more of the same with a twist more adult fun - Puss is inspired! Disadvantages: Original songs weren't used and characters revoiced for the British version
![Shrek [DVD] [2001]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78533830.jpg "Shrek [DVD] [2001]")
Jul 12th, 2009
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