Shrek The Third

Shrek the Third is a 2007 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film released by Dreamworks Animation and the second sequel to in the 2001 movie Shrek. It was produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg for DreamWorks Animation, and is the first in the series to be distributed by Paramount Pictures who acquired DreamWorks Pictures in 2006 (the former parent of DWA). It was released in U.S. theaters on May 18th 2007 (the same release date for the first film in 2001). Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese and Rupert Everett reprise their roles from the first two films. There are joined by Justin Timberlake and Eric Idle. Although the film received mixed reviews from critics, it grossed $798 million, making it a commercial success. It was produced with the working title of Shrek 3, the name being changed to avoid potential confusion with Shrek 4-D. Like the first two Shrek films, the film is based on fairy tale themes. It was nominated for Best Animated Movie at the 2008 Kids' Choice Awards and was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film at the 61st British Academy Film Awards. This film also pairs former Monty Python members Eric Idle and John Cleese for the first time since 1993's Splitting Heirs (Idle plays Merlin, Cleese plays King Harold). This is only the movie in the Shrek Series in which Magic Mirror dosen't appear.
Directed by: Chris Miller and Raman Hui
Produced by: Aron Warner and Denise Nolan Cascino
Screenplay by: Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman, Chris Miller, Aron Warner
Story by: Andrew Adamson
Based on  Characters created by William Steig
Starring
*Mike Myers
*Cameron Diaz
*Eddie Murphy
*Antonio Banderas
*Julie Andrews
*John Cleese
*Rupert Everett
*Eric Idle
*Justin Timberlake
Music by: Harry Gregson-Williams
Editing by: Joyce Arrastia and Michael Andrews
Theatrical Release date: May 18th 2007
Running time: 93 minutes (Just like the second film)
Country: United States
Language: English
Budget: $160 million
Box office: $798,958,162
Previous Movie: Shrek 2
Next Movie: Shrek Forever After
==Story==
When Fiona's Father suddenly dies, Shrek (Character), Donkey and Puss In Boots head to find a replacement. Plus Prince Charming returns to seek revenge on Shrek and the gang.
==Plot==
Following the events of Shrek 2, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) now performs inside a stage in a bar, vowing that he'll become King of Far, Far Away. Meanwhile, King Harold is dying and his ogre son-in-law Shrek (Mike Myers) and daughter Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) are next in line to be King and Queen of Far Far Away. Shrek, who is having considerable difficulty serving as Regent during the King's medical leave, says that an ogre as king is a bad idea and that there has to be someone else for the job. Before dying, Harold tells Shrek that there is another heir: his nephew, Arthur Pendragon (Justin Timberlake). Meanwhile, Prince Charming has gone to the Poison Apple tavern where he encounters a variety of fairy tale villains consisting of Captain Hook, the Evil Queen, Rumpelstiltskin, a Cyclops, the Headless Horseman, the Puppet Master, assorted outlaws, black knights, pirates, malevolent trees, evil Dwarves, and wicked witches. Although they initially despise Prince Charming, he persuades them to fight for their "happily ever after" after reviewing how they were robbed of theirs like he was robbed of his. Meanwhile Shrek, Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots  (Antonio Banderas) set out to retrieve Arthur, as they're sailing away, Fiona announces to Shrek that she is pregnant. Shrek says that he is going to like it until he begins thinking of what being a father would bring to him. The trio journey to Worcestershire Academy, an elite boarding school, where they discover that Arthur ("Artie", as he prefers to be called) is a scrawny 16-year old underachiever picked on by everyone. At the school pep rally, Shrek tells Artie he's going to be king of Far Far Away. Artie is excited until Donkey and Puss inadvertently scare him by talking about the responsibilities of being king while they're sailing home. Panicked, Artie tries to take control of the ship and crashes it on an island where they meet Artie's retired wizard teacher, Merlin (Eric Idle). When Charming and the other villains invade the kingdom and attack the castle, Wolfie (Aron Wheeler), Pinocchio (Cody Cameron), Gingy (Conard Vernon), the Three Little Pigs (Cody Cameron),and the Blind Mice  (Christopher Knights) stall them enough long enough for Fiona and her mother Queen Lilian  (Juile Andrews) to escape along with Snow White, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Doris the Ugly Stepsister. However the ladies are captured when Rapunzel betrays them because she is in love with Charming. Captain Hook and his pirates track Shrek and company to Merlin's island, where they attempt to capture Shrek and kill the others. Shrek and Artie send the villains running, but not before Hook mentions Charming and the takeover of Far Far Away. Concerned for his wife and future children, Shrek urges Artie to return to the safety of Worcestershire. However, Artie cons Merlin into coming out of retirement long enough to use his magic to send them all to Far Far Away; the spell works, but accidentally causes Puss and Donkey to switch bodies. They find Charming bent on revenge against Shrek for "stealing" his "happily ever after," and learn that he plans to kill Shrek in a play that night. They break into the castle during rehearsals for the play. Shrek bursts into Charming's dressing room demanding Fiona's Whereabouts but Charming summons his men, who take the four captive. Charming prepares to kill Artie, believing he's the next king. To save Artie's life, Shrek tells Charming that Artie was just a pawn to take his place as King of Far Far Away. Charming believes Shrek and decides not to kill Artie, who runs away. Donkey and Puss are imprisoned with Fiona and the princesses, where Fiona grows frustrated with their lack of initiative. Queen Lilian smashes the stone wall of the prison by head butting the walls. While the princesses launch a rescue mission for Shrek, Donkey and Puss free Gingy, Pinocchio, the wolf and pigs, Dragon, and Donkey's children. They encounter Artie, and Puss and Donkey explain to him that Shrek lied so Charming wouldn't kill him. Charming stages a musical in which he rescues Rapunzel. The chained Shrek wins the audience by ridiculing Charming. Just as Charming is about to kill Shrek, Princess Fiona along with Puss, Donkey, the princesses and the fairy tale characters confront the villains. However, the villains regain control. Artie eventually arrives and convinces the villains to give up their evil ways. Charming, furious at being thwarted, lunges for Artie with his sword. Shrek blocks the blow and Charming lunges at him. Shrek, who at first seems fatally injured, informs Charming that he missed and that the Prince needs to keep looking for his own happily ever after. As Shrek pushes Charming aside, Dragon knocks over Rapunzel's tower, and crushes Charming to death. Shrek tells Artie the throne is his if he wants it. Artie chooses to become king. While the kingdom celebrates, Merlin restores Puss and Donkey to their proper bodies, accidentally switching their tails (however, their tails are later corrected). Shrek and Fiona return to their swamp, becoming the parents of ogre triplets. 
==Cast==
*Returning Cast
#Mike Myers as Shrek
#Eddie Murphy as Donkey
#Camerion Diaz as Princess Fiona
#Aron Warner as Big Bad Wolf
#Cody Cameron as Pinocchio and The Three Little Pigs
#Christopher Knights as Three Blind Mice
#Conrad Vernon as Gingy the Gingerbread Man
#John Lithgow as Lord Farquaad (seen in a flashback by Gingerbread Man)
#Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots
#John Cleese as King Harold
#Julie Andrews as Queen Lillian
#Rupert Everett as Prince Charming
#Larry King (US)/Jonathan Ross (UK) as Doris the Ugly Stepsister
#Director Chris Miller as Puppet Master (and not Magic Mirror)
*New Cast
#Justin Timberlake as Arthur "Artie" Pendragon
 
#Eric Idle as Merlin: An eccentric ex-teacher at Worcestershire Academy
 
#Amy Poehler as Snow White
 
#Maya Rudolph as Rapunzel
 
#Amy Sedaris as Cinderella
 
#Cheri Oteri as Sleeping Beauty and Actress
 
#Ian McShane as Captain Hook
 
#Susanne Blakeslee as Wicked Queen
 
#Regis Philbin as Mabel the Ugly Stepsister
 
#Mark Valley as Cyclops
 
#Seth Rogen as Ship Captain
 
#Tom Kane as Guard #1
 
#Kari Wahlgren as Old Lady
 
#John Krasinski as Lancelot
==References to Shrek 1 & Shrek 2==
Shrek 3 has some references to the first two chapters of Shrek's Journey. Can you spot them all?
===References to Shrek 1===
===References to Shrek 2===
==Production==
Following the success of Shrek 2, a third and fourth Shrek movie, along with plans for a final, fifth film, were announced in May 2004 by Jeffrey Katzenberg: "Shrek 3 and 4 are going to reveal other unanswered questions and, finally, in the last chapter, we will understand how Shrek came to be in that swamp, when we meet him in the first movie."[2] DreamWorks hired Peter Seaman and Jeffrey Price to write the film and Jon Zack, who wrote The Perfect Score, on board as a consultant.[3] Unlike the first two films, the film was not directed by Andrew Adamson; "No, I can't. They're actually working on the story right now. I'm staying involved, but I can't do that and this." Adamson said. The film was originally going to be released in November 2006 but was changed to May 2007 in December 2004; "The sheer magnitude of the Shrek franchise has led us to conclude that a May release date, with a DVD release around the holiday season, will enable us to best maximize performance and increase profitability, thereby generating enhanced asset value and better returns for our shareholders." Katzenberg said
==Reception==
===Critical reaction===
Reviews to Shrek the Third was generally mixed, in contrast to the critical acclaim achieved by the previous films. On Rotten Tomatoes, it states that 41% of critics gave a positive review, with an average score of 5.4 out of 10, based on 206 reviews.[6] The film also has an average score of 58 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 35 reviews. David Ansen wrote that the film's "slightly snarky wit is aimed almost entirely at parents... this one never touched my heart or got under my skin. It's a movie at war with itself: a kiddie movie that doesn't really want to be one."[8] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 2 out of 5 stars. He said the film wasn't "awful, but it's bland, with a barrel-scraping averageness. There are no new ideas, no very funny new characters..." He also called the character Merlin a "frankly unfunny new character" and considered a rip-off of the Harry Potter franchise. In contrast, writers such as A. O. Scott from The New York Times who held that the film "seems at once more energetic and more relaxed [than its predecessors], less desperate to prove its cleverness and therefore to some extent, smarter."[10] The Times newspaper also rated it 2 out of 5.
===Box Office===
Despite these criticisms, Shrek the Third, which opened in 4,122 North American cinemas on May 18, 2007, grossed $38 million on its first day, the biggest opening day for animated film of all time (that record was however later broken in 2010 by Toy Story 3 with $41 million), for a total of $121,629,270 in its first weekend, the best opening weekend ever for an animated film, and the second highest opening for a 2007 film in the United States and Canada. At the time, its opening weekend was the third-highest of all time in these regions, behind Spider-Man 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.[12] Shrek the Third grossed $322.7 million in the United States, and $476.2 million overseas, bringing its cumulative total to $799 million. The film is the fourth highest-grossing film worldwide in 2007, only behind Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Spider-Man 3. It is also the second highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada in that year, behind Spider-Man 3. In addition, it is the highest-grossing 2007 animated film, the second highest-grossing film in the series, and the 37th highest-grossing film of all time. Compared to its predecessors and sequel, the film also had an unusually short box office lifespan; Shrek the Third spent only 12 weeks in theaters, while Shrek , Shrek 2  and Shrek Forever After were in release for 29, 21, and 16 weeks, respectively.
==Awards and Nomations==
==Posters==
==Home Media==
The film was released on both DVD and HD DVD on November 13th 2007. The DVD was released in separate pan and scan and 1.78:1 widescreen formats (being the first DreamWorks Animation film to be reformatted from its original ratio of 1.85:1 to 1.78:1).[22] The HD DVD and DVD special features include several deleted scenes, features, trailers, commentary, music videos, and exclusively on the HD DVD version, some web enabled and HDi Interactive Format features such as a special trivia track, a film guide, and an interactive coloring book which can be downloaded as of street date. The film and special features on the HD DVD version were presented in 1.78:1 widescreen high definition 1080p and feature a Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio soundtrack.[26] In addition, this film was released on Blu-ray Disc on September 16th 2008. It will be re-released on Blu-ray in the third quarter of 2010, this time in 3D.  DVD sales gathered revenue of $173,467,341 from about 11,580,101 units sold.
Box Sets:
#The Shrek Trilogy
#Shrek: The Whole Story
==Merchandise==
Many toys, games, books, clothes and other products have made their way to stores. For the first time, a Princess Fiona doll has been released, featured an Ogre face mask, and "Kung Fu" Leg action. Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Snow White Dolls will also become available. A video game based on the film has been released for the Wii, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable, PC, and Nintendo DS. In May 2007, Shrek The Third was made into a mobile video game, developed by Gameloft. A pinball machine based on the film has also been produced by Stern Pinball.
===Controversy===
In the beginning of the film, in Prince Charming's dinner theater, coconuts are used for horse's hoof beats. This same technique was used in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which also starred John Cleese and Eric Idle. Idle claims to be considering suing the producers of Shrek for the unauthorised use of this gag, while the producers claim they were honoring Idle and Cleese by putting the part in.
===Satirical marketing effort===
Adult Swim comedy team Tim and Eric, annoyed by the volume of advertisement they had witnessed in the months approaching the release of the film, decided to independently "promote"[32] Shrek 3 in a series of internet videos[33] as well as appearances on television and radio[34] in order to encourage people to see the film.
==Sequel==
Main Article: Shrek Forever After
Three years later, Dreamworks released Shrek Forever After, The fourth, and final film in the series. In this film, Shrek finds himself in an alternate reality of Far Far Away. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Conrad Vernon, Chris Miller, Cody Cameron, Antonio Banderas, John Cleese, Julie Andrews, Christopher Knights and Aron Warner again reprise their roles.
Category:Dreamworks Movies
Category:2000s Movies
Category:Sequels
Category:PG Rated Movies
Category:Shrek Movies
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Category:21st Century Movies