3 Surprisingly-restrained-high-risk-gambles out of 4
Hollywood rumour has it that the vision for Shrek came to fruition after Jeffrey Katzenberg had a vicious falling out with other executives at Walt Disney Studios. After serving as chairman for 10 years, Katzenberg left the Disney media conglomeration to co-found and lead DreamsWorks, a company that would spend its entire life – up to, and including, the present – fighting Disney for American animation supremacy.
It’s almost comedic in a Shakespearean manner to think that the movie that launched DreamWorks served as a simultaneous criticism of both Disney movies and The Walt Disney Company itself. Far be it from being the only movie ever made due its creator’s spite for a person, place, or thing, Shrek might be one of the only movies that’s amazing solely because its creator hated something. Make no mistake, however, my brief history of animated film is in no way meant to criticize this exemplary feature.
There’s simply a completely logical reason why Shrek hates fairy tale creatures, and there’s a reason why the film’s primary antagonist is a bloated caricature of a ruler who spends the entire film subjugating otherwise harmless fairy tale creatures. There’s a reason why the film’s premise revolves around an ugly, green, Scottish, Michal Myers-voiced ogre trying to rescue a princess so she can rule a parody of Disneyland. There’s a reason for the film’s deconstruction of the damsel-in-distress trope, there’s a reason why Shrek hates the John Lithgow-voiced Lord Farquaad, and there’s a perfectly good reason why none of the fairy tale creatures like Duloc. In short, that reason is Jeffrey Katzenberg’s almost titanic animosity for his former employer, Disney.
Shrek tells the story of the eponymous ogre, based on a picture book character written by William Steig. Whereas Steig’s story featured the ogre leaving his home to explore the world, the Shrek in directors Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson’s film is more than content to be left alone in his swamp. After being harassed by an Eddie Murphy-voiced donkey as a result of Lord Farquaad’s attempts to cleanse the kingdom of fairy tale creatures, Shrek embarks on an adventure to rescue Princess Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz in a role that parodied her on-screen persona at the time) so Farquaad will simply leave the ogre alone.
Shrek’s simple premise makes the film accessible for children, while also leaving adults very much entertained. However, I’d argue that the film is less for children and more for adults, simply based on the complex comedy and dialogue that results from the tight script written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman. What surprises me about the film is precisely how funny the comedy is. Visual works alongside physical, and though Shrek’s appalling scent is made light of frequently, the film is thankfully light on toilet humour. For a film about a scary, ugly, smelly, green ogre, the film is incredibly restrained and subtle.
In many ways, Shrek is a film firmly rooted in the cinematic past of the early oughts. Not content with merely referencing popular culture – like many present day affairs choose to do – Shrek plays with pop culture with tongue-firmly-pressed-against-cheek. Other than a blatant The Matrix gag, most of the film’s pop culture references are of the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it variety. In fact, most of the film’s references come from the many fairy tale creatures either directly on-screen or hidden away, only to be found for the keen and observant.
Though the film’s inception resulted from one man’s vendetta against Walt Disney and everything his descendants stood for, Shrek serves as a sign that great animation can be found without wishing upon a star. In 2001, when the Disney renaissance had already ended, and the studio was churning out different-but-still-safe films, Shrek and DreamWorks came out of the gate to show the world what can really happen when filmmakers and animators takes a highly unfavourable gamble. That it was able to beat out Monsters, Inc., the Disney-Pixar film of 2001, for Best Animated Feature, was – and still is – proof that there are strong alternatives to the House of Mouse.
Shrek not only stands the test of time, but its irreverent sense of humour and down-with-Disney attitude only accentuate its positive qualities. Audiences expecting a cartoonish, child-friendly affair akin to the Disney movies of the time will be sorely disappointed. Those who stay past the opening credits will be rewarded for their decision to embrace the film’s downright brutal treatment of fairy tale lore.