Do you know the muffin man?

Rating: 8/10 (7 June 2004)

Shrek is a computer animated film starring Mike Meyers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, John Lithgow, and the fabulous Conrad Vernon. It won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Animated Film (by the way, Waking Life was unfairly unnominated...Jimmy Neutron?), and rightly so, even though Monsters Inc. was equally deserving. Shrek was not only one of the funniest Animation/Adventure/Comedy/Family/Fantasy/Romances you'll ever see, but it also holds an important message, especially in Hollywood from which it sprang. Shrek is a sort of rebel. Its statement is simple and clear: anything can be beautiful. You don't have to be doused in makeup and look artificially pleasing to the eye, which is so prominent in Hollywood and therefore prominent in America. Shrek states that beauty lies (yes...) in your heart. But besides its refreshing message and ending, it's also extremely funny. With countless fairy tale references, such as the muffin man, Pinocchio, Robin Hood, Snow White, little red riding hood, etc., this is one enjoyable and clever film. It does has its share of potty humor, but thanks to its ending, and its jokes, it has enough vulgarity to be rebellious and enough beauty to be wonderful.
My grade: 8/10