This causes the irritated ogre, accompanied by his new best friend, Donkey, to head for the city of Duloc, where Farquaad holds court. But what he doesn't count on, and what Shrek doesn't expect, is that the beauty and the beast will develop feelings for each other. The screenplay was obviously written with all age groups in mind. Shrek is not on such a lofty plane that children will feel as if they're missing something, but it isn't lobotomized in a way that will insult the intelligence of older viewers. As this kind of animation becomes more prevalent, the importance of choosing the right voices will need equal care and attention.
Voices help to define the characters, and a bad choice can do irreparable damage.
Just as not all silent stars were suitable for talkie roles, so not all live-action actors can do vocal performances. Fortunately, Shrek has four capable actors. First and foremost is Mike Myers, who is known as a vocal chameleon. Without seeing his name in the opening credits, you'd never know it was him. John Lithgow plays Faquaad as nasty and short-sighted, but not really evil, which makes a pleasant change from the usual animated villain.