It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 years since a giant, antisocial ogre and his wisecracking donkey wandered into theaters and proceeded to rearrange the fairy-tale kingdom. Back in 2001, animation belonged, more or less, to Disney and Pixar. With Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, and a growing collection of technological marvels, Pixar was busy convincing audiences that animated movies could be sophisticated, emotionally devastating, and occasionally better written than whatever their parents were watching. Then came DreamWorks, which arrived with a different proposition, that said, What if our animated heroes were disgusting, our fairy-tale creatures were deeply annoying, and our princesses occasionally needed to belch and fart? Enter Shrek.
At first, the whole thing seemed a little strange. These weren’t polished toys or adorable underwater creatures. They were swamp-dwelling ogres, talking donkeys, and assorted farmyard oddities. But DreamWorks had stumbled upon something rather extraordinary. When Shrek premiered in 2001, audiences fell in love with its sincerity, its characters, its voice performances, and a brand of comedy that seemed to understand that children and adults were perfectly capable of laughing at the same joke, provided the joke was good enough.
More than anything, Shrek announced that DreamWorks had arrived and wasn’t particularly interested in playing by Disney’s rules. Where Disney often favored polished, carefully packaged enchantment, DreamWorks was happy to get its hands dirty. Consider the wonderful little moment when Shrek and Donkey are preparing breakfast, birds are singing sweetly in the distance, and the next thing we know, Shrek has cooked and eaten one of them. It’s a perfectly executed gag, and a tiny declaration of independence from the traditional fairy tale. In other words, relax, everyone. It’s only animation. We can have a little fun here. That was the moment I fell in love with Shrek, and 25 years later, the affection hasn’t exactly diminished. What began as a modest animated adventure has become an enormous franchise encompassing eight films, a television series, video games, a Broadway musical, and enough merchandise to make the Magic Mirror reconsider his career choices.
There’s also the fascinating bit of Hollywood history involving the late Chris Farley, who was originally cast as the voice of Shrek. Following his untimely death, Mike Myers stepped into the role, bringing his unmistakable comedic sensibilities and Scottish brogue to the character. It turned out to be a rather inspired bit of casting. Add Eddie Murphy as Donkey, in what might be the finest performance of a talking farm animal ever committed to film, and Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona, and you have a vocal trifecta that could make even the most cynical moviegoer believe in happily-ever-after. Their chemistry is immediate, their comic timing impeccable, and their performances remain a huge part of why the film works so beautifully.
Of course, the genius of Shrek isn’t simply its ogre or its donkey. It’s the entire population of fairy-tale misfits DreamWorks assembled, many of whom audiences had previously encountered in Disney productions. Pinocchio, the Gingerbread Man, the Three Blind Mice, Snow White, Cinderella, and a small army of other familiar characters are suddenly sharing swamp real estate, and none of them seem particularly thrilled about it.
The story itself is deceptively simple. Shrek wants his swamp back after Lord Farquaad dumps a collection of displaced fairy-tale creatures onto his property. Farquaad, meanwhile, needs to marry a princess to become king, so he selects Princess Fiona, who happens to be imprisoned in a castle guarded by a rather enormous dragon. Shrek strikes a deal, which is to rescue the princess, and his swamp will be returned to its former, blissfully antisocial glory. Naturally, things don’t go according to plan. Feelings develop, friendships form, secrets emerge, and a whole lot of pop music accompanies the journey. What follows is a fairy tale with a surprisingly enormous heart, disguised beneath layers of mud, sarcasm, and questionable personal hygiene. You know, like an onion.
And then there’s the soundtrack. Smash Mouth’s “All Star” and “I’m a Believer” have become so inseparable from the film that it’s difficult to hear either song without picturing an ogre, a donkey, and an extremely enthusiastic musical montage. I’m prepared to go on record and say that Smash Mouth remains the greatest band in the history of recorded music. I will entertain no further questions.
What makes Shrek endure, however, is that beneath all the irreverence and pop-culture silliness is a genuinely lovely story about acceptance, loneliness, friendship, and learning to love the parts of ourselves we’d rather keep hidden. Its central message is that beauty is often a matter of perspective, and that happily-ever-after doesn’t always look like the picture on the storybook cover, feels just as relevant today. Perhaps even more so. There’s something rather comforting about a movie that insists you don’t have to be conventionally handsome, socially agreeable, or particularly pleasant to smell to deserve a little happiness.
GET YOUR 4K COPY OF SHREK HERE
The new 25th Anniversary 4K release gives the film another opportunity to shine, and shine it does. The picture looks excellent, building upon the already impressive 20th Anniversary edition from five years ago. The most significant upgrade, however, comes in the audio department, where a new Dolby Atmos mix gives the film considerably more life and presence than the previous DTS-HD 5.1 track. The music, environmental effects, and various fairy-tale calamities fill the room with welcome enthusiasm.
There’s also a healthy assortment of bonus features, including commentaries, television episodes, behind-the-scenes material, and other archival goodies. The standout new addition brings members of the original visual-effects team back to discuss the technological innovations behind the film and their memories of creating something that was, at the time, a rather audacious undertaking. It’s a lovely reminder of just how much ingenuity went into making this seemingly ridiculous little swamp adventure possible.
Twenty-five years later, Shrek remains an absolute delight. It’s funny, heartfelt, wonderfully performed, and refreshingly unafraid to poke a little fun at the fairy-tale machinery that came before it. The new 4K edition is a beautiful presentation of an animated classic and an easy recommendation for anyone who loves the film. Besides, any movie that gives us Eddie Murphy as a talking donkey, a princess who can throw a punch, and Smash Mouth at full volume deserves a permanent place in the cinematic kingdom. Donkey would approve. He’d probably make waffles, too.
