The underdog in all of us....

Rating: Null/10 (28 October 2008)

What makes Shrek "1" work is the simplicity, believable characters and the ability of the audience to connect emotionally (heey, there is underdog in everyone of us).
Of course, saying "reality check" on the animated characters wouldn't be politically correct, perhaps "parody" sounds a good alternative. The obvious references work very well (all in good humour).
The lead characters get adequate screen time and hence well etched out - Shrek, Fiona, Donkey. The me me. me. character Lord Farquaad is alright.
The vintage characters are placed well (Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Gingerbread Man, Bear, Blind mice, Magic mirror, Three pigs)  the thing is that they don't go overboard. Its like "nice to see them around" and "what have they been upto" kind of feeling.
And yes, the songs are quite good.