Shrek (2001)

“Donkey, two things okay? Shut… up! ” – Shrek

Number of Times Seen – Too many to count  (Theater 21 Jul 2001, video, DVD and 2 Jan 2017)

Brief Synopsis – An ogre living in the secluded woods is tasked with rescuing a princess from a fire-breathing dragon.

My Take on it – This is an amazing film that has been elevated to iconic status because of how well it was done.

First and foremost, the voice cast led by Mike Myers is superb.  Without his guidance as the lead character, I’m not quite sure we would find the character as lovable as he is.  Originally, Chris Farley was slated to be the main character, but following his death, Myers took over the role and revamped it to his own style.

Cameron Diaz is great as the Princess because she is such a smart, feisty and heroic heroine and it’s so easy to fall in love with her character.

In addition, John Lithgow and Eddie Murphy are also great as the Lord Faarquaad and Don-Key.  Both add so much humor to their characters and the story itself.

They do such an amazing job of adding in tons of movie amd pop-culture references to the story that it’s so much fun trying to spot as many as possible.

I recall being amazed the first time I saw this by the animation because there are scenes of landscapes and bodies of water that seem so lush and real.

This is truly a fairy tale that deserves to be included among the best of the genre.

This movie was the very first film to win the (then-newly chosen) category for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and it really is worthy of such an award.

Bottom Line – Such a fun film.  Love all the film references because it makes this all so much fun no matter how many times one watches it.  Myers is superb as the main character and easily wins the crowd over.  Diaz is great as the princess because she is smart, feisty and heroic.  Great additional voice cast that includes Murphy and Lithgow.  Amazing animation that in some scenes looks so real.  Great fairy tale to be added among the best of them.  Very deserving of being the very first film to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The line “You’re on your way to a smacked bottom.” was improvised by Mike Myers after he got annoyed at one of the directors. He had also used this line a few years earlier, while playing his Austin Powers character in the popular music video of Madonna’s song ‘Beautiful Stranger’.(From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy

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