Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 22-February-04
Spoiler Rating: Medium

Shrek (2001)

I might as well come right out and say it: I have been carrying a torch for Shrek since 2001, so don't expect to hear anything negative about the big green guy from me. I never met another ogre with so much sensitivity, humor, and common sense (or such pinchable cheeks!), or one whose story better illustrates how the old tales passed down through the centuries can be polished off and presented with a freshness worthy of renewed appreciation. It's too early to tell whether "Shrek" will become an animated classic for future generations, but I can say for sure that it deserves to be.

Since modernity=hipness=ironic detachment, "Shrek" approaches its fairy tale roots with the air of a smart aleck who mocks the kid stuff but is drawn to it nevertheless. (This was, apparently, one way for Dreamworks SKG to flip the bird at Disney, who had ruled the animated world for decades.) The story takes place in the realm of Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow), a vertically challenged tyrant whose vision of a sterile utopia excludes the enchanted creatures currently inhabiting his lands, such as dwarves, witches, fairies, the Three Little Pigs, the Three Bears, the Three Blind Mice, Pinocchio, the Big Bad Wolf, and a talking ass named Donkey (Eddie Murphy). Farquaad banishes these folk to the heretofore peaceful swamp of an ogre named Shrek (Mike Myers, using a honeyed Scottish accent), who has devoted considerable time and effort to preserving his solitude and is not at all happy with this turn of affairs. Farquaad responds to Shrek's petition for redress by offering to relinquish the swamp if the ogre rescues his intended bride, Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), from a castle guarded by a dragon. During the completion of this quest (parts of which bear a great resemblance to Peter Jackson's conception of certain parts of "The Lord of the Rings"), Shrek, Donkey, and Fiona discover attachments and layers to each other and themselves that they hadn't expected. After suffering a run-in with Robin Hood (here horny and French for some reason), bouts of self-doubt, and some unfortunate miscommunications, they overcome their fears in order to arrive at --- what else? --- a happy ending.

The writers behind "Shrek" hit the perfect note between kid comedy, adult comedy, and earnest heroism worthy of legend. Shrek farts a lot and uses his own earwax for candles, but he somehow demands to be taken seriously, mostly because he feels alienated and unloved (to which many people can relate) but doesn't let it turn him into a bad person (to which everyone should aspire). (He's also brave, intelligent, resourceful, etc., etc.) In keeping with tradition, most of the broad comic moments belong to the sidekick, Donkey, who flirts with being overly annoying (or, as Shrek says, a "dense, irritating, miniature beast of burden") but always manages to redeem himself with a zinger or well timed bit of wisdom. (The illustrators also do him the favor of drawing him as a cross between a dog and a donkey; the movements of his long ears and fat little body are irresistible.) But Shrek's crudeness and Donkey's incessant chatter don't make up the sum of the movie's humor; numerous minor characters provide funny moments ranging in length from seconds (Farquaad's "teleprompters") to minutes (the unforgettable torture of the Gingerbread Man).

To a layman's eye, the animation in "Shrek" appears to be first class. The film has a marked depth and creaminess (to use a highly technical term) that helps to flesh out its lively fantasy world, and directors Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson block many scenes as if they were filming live actors (e.g., the "camera" moves around objects to reveal new ones). The scenes at the dragon's castle deserve particular recognition, including a great slo-mo shot of Shrek running at the audience and images of rolling fire that were considered groundbreaking when the movie was released.

All in all, "Shrek" cleverly uses the strengths of both cinema and animation to breathe new life into familiar and justly cherished tales and motifs. I cross my fingers that the impending sequel (coming this May) will show similar respect to both its remote ancestors and the recent film from which it sprung.

Copyright © 2004 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.