Shrek (2001) - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 4:34 PM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error After his swamp is filled with magical creatures, Shrek agrees to rescue Princess Fiona for a villainous lord in order to get his land back. Directors: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON TV a list of 36 titles created 14 Jan 2012 a list of 41 titles created 12 Aug 2014 a list of 30 titles created 18 Oct 2015 a list of 35 titles created 16 Nov 2015 a list of 44 titles created 6 months ago Search for " Shrek " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Won 1 Oscar.

Another 37 wins & 60 nominations. See more awards » Videos Directors: Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and 1 more credit » Stars: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz A family of undercover superheroes, while trying to live the quiet suburban life, are forced into action to save the world. Director: Brad Bird 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.1/10 X When his new father-in-law, King Harold falls ill, Shrek is looked at as the heir to the land of Far, Far Away. Not one to give up his beloved swamp, Shrek recruits his friends Donkey and Puss in Boots to install the rebellious Artie as the new king. Princess Fiona, however, rallies a band of royal girlfriends to fend off a coup d'etat by the jilted Prince Charming. Directors: Chris Miller, Raman Hui Stars: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy A rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous restaurant.

Directors: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava Stars: Brad Garrett, Lou Romano, Patton Oswalt Set during the Ice Age, a sabertooth tiger, a sloth, and a wooly mammoth find a lost human infant, and they try to return him to his tribe. Directors: Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha Stars: Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Ray Romano Spoiled by their upbringing and unaware of what wildlife really is, four animals from the New York Central Zoo escape, unwittingly assisted by four absconding penguins, and find themselves in Madagascar. Directors: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath Stars: Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer Directors: John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, and 1 more credit » Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack The Dragon Warrior has to clash against the savage Tai Lung as China's fate hangs in the balance: However, the Dragon Warrior mantle is supposedly mistaken to be bestowed upon an obese panda who is a tyro in martial arts.

Directors: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson Stars: Jack Black, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie When a criminal mastermind uses a trio of orphan girls as pawns for a grand scheme, he finds their love is profoundly changing him for the better. Directors: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud Stars: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand A hot-shot race-car named Lightning McQueen gets waylaid in Radiator Springs, where he finds the true meaning of friendship and family. Directors: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft Stars: Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman Rumpelstiltskin tricks a mid-life crisis burdened Shrek into allowing himself to be erased from existence and cast in a dark alternate timeline where Rumpel rules supreme.

Director: Mike Mitchell Directors: Pete Docter, David Silverman, and 1 more credit » Stars: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Mary Gibbs Edit Storyline When a green ogre named Shrek discovers his swamp has been 'swamped' with all sorts of fairytale creatures by the scheming Lord Farquaad, Shrek sets out with a very loud donkey by his side to 'persuade' Farquaad to give Shrek his swamp back. Instead, a deal is made. Farquaad, who wants to become the King, sends Shrek to rescue Princess Fiona, who is awaiting her true love in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. But once they head back with Fiona, it starts to become apparent that not only does Shrek, an ugly ogre, begin to fall in love with the lovely princess, but Fiona is also hiding a huge secret. Written by Film_Fan The greatest fairy tale never told.

See more » Genres: Rated PG for mild language and some crude humor | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 18 May 2001 (USA) See more » Also Known As: $42,347,760 (USA) (18 May 2001) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia Donkey and Fiona are the only characters to refer to Shrek by name in this film. Others would later do so in the other films. See more » Goofs During the campfire scene, with the shot that has Shrek looking at the camera, his left eye goes through the left eyelids. See more » Quotes [first lines] [a fairytale book appears] Shrek : [narrating] Once upon a time, there was a lovely princess. But she had an enchantment upon her of a fearful sort, which could only be broken by love's first kiss. She was locked away in a castle guarded by a terrible fire-breathing dragon. Many brave knights had attempted to free her from this dreadful prison, but none prevailed. She waited in the dragon's keep, in the highest room of the tallest tower, for her true love, and true love's first kiss.

[...] Crazy Credits The opening credits are seen around Shrek as he starts his day: the film's title and Mike Myers 's name appear in the mud Shrek bathes with (appropriate considering Myers voices the title character) when Shrek breaks the mirror with his smile, Eddie Murphy 's name can be seen behind it Cameron Diaz 's name forms out of pond-scum and when Shrek lifts up a snail, its larvae form John Lithgow 's name before dissolving. (United States) – See all my reviews Shrek is a movie like no other. It stands alone in its appeal to people of all ages and in its presentation of comedy, romance, and creative story line. Shrek is a delightful comedy about a crude ogre, an energetic princess, a witty donkey and an uptight ruler. The movie has a brilliant story line, following the path of an initially moody ogre as he discovers friendship and love all in the face of hysterical comedy. The story line is layered for different levels of understanding; it is an enjoyable film for people of all ages. One clever tool Shrek uses to humor the audience is its spoof on other fairy tales.

In one scene, Princess Fiona's singing causes a bluebird to explode. And in another scene, the Magic Mirror's description of Snow White is "She may live with seven men, but don't be fooled, she's not easy." While these subtle comedic lines amuse adults, it is the simple humor, such as the movie opening with the ogre sitting in a swamp "farting," that amuses children. The amazing cast of Shrek, including Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers does a great job of living up to their comedic expectations. Shrek has something for everyone; it is a great animated tale that is wonderful for adults and children alike. 67 of 88 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Shrek (2001) Shrek (2001) d. Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson, 91 minutes Film Plot Summary A large, stylized fairytale book was opened (a reference to Sleeping Beauty (1959), the christening curse), and the text was read outloud (in voice-over) as the leaves of the pages turned: Once upon a time, there was a lovely princess.

But she had an enchantment upon her of a fearful sort which could only be broken by love's first kiss. She was locked away in a castle guarded by a terrible fire-breathing dragon. Many brave knights had attempted to free her from this dreadful prison, but none prevailed. She waited in the dragon's keep in the highest room of the tallest tower for her true love and true love's first kiss. Shrek (voice of Mike Myers) laughed and shut the book while reading it in his outhouse: "Like that's ever gonna happen. What a load of... (sound of toilet flush)." Torn out pages were used by Shrek as toilet paper. Introduced by the tune "All Star" performed by Smash Mouth (during the credits), Shrek was a large, surly, sarcastic, wisecracking, Scottish-accented greenish ogre with a round face and stinky breath, who took a mud shower outdoors near his swamp home, and blew fart bubbles in a mud pool. He had "Beware Ogre" signs posted around his dwelling, and there were Wanted Signs (with a reward) for the arrest of the Ogre and other Fairytale Creatures.

Nearby villagers with torches surrounded his home that evening, but he scared them off. The next day in town, various fairytale creatures (a unicorn, a witch, Pinocchio, an irrepressible talking Donkey (voice of Eddie Murphy), etc.) were being sold by their owners and then caged, due to the orders of diminutive aristocrat Lord Farquaad (voice of John Lithgow) who had banished Fairytale characters into exile. They were to be transported to resettlement facilities. When freed with the ogre's help, the wisecracking Donkey begged to stay with Shrek as his sidekick: "I'll stick with you. You're a mean, green, fightin' machine. Together, we'll scare the spit out of anybody that crosses us," but the green ogre wanted to live peacefully by himself ("I like my privacy"). That evening in Shrek's cottage, the reclusive Shrek sat alone at his dinner table, where his solitary life was further disrupted by the intrusive arrival of Three Blind Mice, the Seven Dwarfs, the glass-covered casket of sleeping Snow White, and the Big Bad Wolf (dressed in grandma's pajamas) sitting in his bed.

Outside were a whole host of Fairytale Creatures, including the Pied Piper, and the Three Bears, who had set up camp there. Pinocchio and the Three Little Pigs (voice of Cody Cameron) explained how they were forced to come there by Lord Farquaad, who had signed an eviction notice. Shrek vowed to visit with Farquaad to "get you all off my land and back where you came from." He would be accompanied by faithful, talkative, annoying tag-a-long Donkey: "two stalwart friends, off on a whirlwind big-city adventure," to the tune of Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again." Meanwhile, the nefarious, narcissistic midget Lord Farquaad (in the town of DuLoc), with a Prince Valiant haircut, had ordered his masked men to torture the sarcastic Gingerbread Man (voice of Conrad Vernon) (reminiscent of SNL's clay Mr. Bill character), by dunking him in a glass of milk.

Farquaad forcibly wanted to know the whereabouts of the other detestable Fairytale creatures: "You and the rest of that fairy tale trash, poisoning my perfect world." Farquaad's guards brought in a long-prized object, the Magic Mirror (voice of Chris Miller) (from Disney's Snow White film) - which told him that he wasn't technically a king yet, but could become one by marrying a princess. In a parody of the popular TV show The Dating Game (including the show's music and pop-art daisy motifs), he was given the choice of three eligible bachelorette princesses: Cinderella, Snow White, or fiery redhead Princess Fiona (voice of Cameron Diaz), residing in a dragon-guarded castle surrounded by hot boiling lava. After Lord Farquaad chose the third candidate, he was about to be told about "the little thing that happens at night" to Fiona - but was silenced. The cowardly Farquaad proposed that there be a tournament. Shrek and the Donkey journeyed to Farquaad's 40 stories-high castle at DuLoc (a spoof of Disney World), where the parking lot (named after character Lancelot) and town square were seemingly deserted and quiet.

After entering a turnstile, they came upon an information booth, where a group of singing wooden puppets (a spoof of Disney's sugary It's a Small World) sang the song "Welcome to DuLoc" about the town's rules: "...DuLoc is a perfect place, Please keep off of the grass, Shine your shoes, wipe your...face, DuLoc is, DuLoc is, DuLoc is a perfect place." A trumpet fanfare led them forward to an arena where a tournament was being held for brave knights, with the winner acquiring the "privilege to go forth and rescue the lovely Princess Fiona from the fiery keep of the dragon" - Farquaad's ulterior motive was to marry Fiona after her rescue.

When Shrek approached, Farquaad changed the tournament's objective: "The one who kills the ogre will be named champion." To the tune of "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett, Shrek and the Donkey easily vanquished the armored knights, and Shrek was announced as the town's champion, who would now have the "honor of embarking on a great and noble quest." When Shrek demanded the removal of the Fairytale creatures from his swamp area, Farquaad made him a deal - "Go on this quest for me, and I'll give you your swamp back." The quest involved fighting a dragon and the rescue of Princess Fiona. Shrek and Donkey began their travel to the castle, to the tune of "I'm On My Way" performed by The Proclaimers, and as they approached they smelled brimstone. The castle was perched on an active volcano, with a moat of hot molten lava, connected only by a rickety wooden bridge. After crossing, they decided to split up and look for stairs - leading to the princess in the highest room in the tallest tower. Shrek wore a helmet of armor of protection, covering his ugly face.

The Donkey was the first to encounter a winged, yellow-eyed, monstrous fire-breathing dragon - and when Shrek came to the rescue, the dragon's tail tossed the ogre high into the air and he crashed into the Princess' chambers in the tower. To save himself, Donkey sweet-talked the dragon, complimenting the female creature on its dazzling white teeth and smile: "You're just reeking of feminine beauty." The dragon blew a heart-shaped smoke ring around the Donkey, indicating how it took a liking to him, and carried him by his tail to her chambers.

In Fiona's room, she told Shrek that she was "awaiting a knight so bold as to rescue me." But she was upset at Shrek's unromantic, unorthodox hasty approach: "Should it not be a wonderful, romantic moment?...You should sweep me off my feet out yonder window and down a rope onto your valiant steed." She wanted him to recite a song, ballad, or sonnet for her, and then presented him with her handkerchief as a token of her gratitude for rescue - yet still complained that she wanted a traditional 'fairy-tale' rescue, although all the other knights had perished saving her: "You were meant to charge in, sword drawn, banner flying, that's what all the other knights did." On their way out of the castle, Shrek came upon the Donkey, snared by an infatuated Dragon, and although he was able to extract his pal from the Dragon's clutches by swinging down on a chain and chandelier, this caused the creature to become irate.

As all three of them raced for the exit, Shrek was able to have the Dragon pursue them in circles, causing the long chain around the creature's neck to trail behind. He then took a sword and stabbed it down in-between several overlapping chain links. When they crossed the collapsing and burning rickety bridge with the Dragon close behind, the chain (now stretched to its full length) jerked the Dragon's head back, and it was unable to reach them. It whimpered as the three safely escaped.

Fiona was thankful for being rescued - "I am eternally in your debt," she told Shrek, and she called the Donkey Shrek's "noble steed." When Shrek removed his helmet so that she could look upon the face of her rescuer and kiss him (to "share true love's first kiss"), her Highness was expecting "Prince Charming" and not an ogre: "You're not supposed to be an ogre." Shrek told her that he was sent on a rescue mission by groom-to-be Lord Farquaad, and that Farquaad was "the one who wants to marry you." She obstinately told Shrek: "You can tell Lord Farquaad that if he wants to rescue me properly, I'll be waiting for him right here." Claiming he was a "delivery boy" and not a messenger, Shrek refused to let her remain behind, and carried her over his shoulder as they made the return journey. Donkey and Shrek made 'short' jokes about Farquaad when she asked about him, and she protested traveling into the night and insisted that they set up camp ("I need to find somewhere to camp now!").

Shrek found her shelter in a cave where she remained throughout the night, as Shrek and Donkey observed constellations in the starry night sky. The ogre was planning to build a 10-foot wall around his swamp land when they returned, and he finally admitted he wanted to keep everyone out and be alone: "It's the world that seems to have a problem with me. People take one look at me and go 'Aah! Help! Run!' A big stupid ugly ogre. They judge me before they even know me. That's why I'm better off alone." In Farquaad's bedroom, he lounged in his luxurious bedroom as he repeatedly asked the Magic Mirror to show him his "perfect" Princess Fiona. The next morning, Fiona awoke at sunrise and sang to a bluebird (a mocking parody of a duet in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves) - until her high-pitched voice caused the bird to explode. She cooked up the bird's three eggs for breakfast for the group, as a way to thank them.

During their walk back, Fiona also burped following Shrek's belch, and Shrek remarked: "You're not exactly what I expected." She replied: "Maybe you shouldn't judge people before you get to know them." Monsieur Hood (voice of Vincent Cassel) and his Merry Men swooped down from the trees and entertained them with his theme song "Merry Men." Fiona was annoyed, knocked Monsieur Hood unconscious, and then used her martial arts skills, with an aerial The Matrix-style, to fell the others, while Shrek responded with amazement. Fiona extracted an arrow from Shrek's butt, after which Shrek bent a tree so she could cross a small brook. She took a spider's web from a tree branch and used it to catch bugs in a field - and wrapped it up as a snack for Shrek, and they each made balloon animals for each other from an inflated toad and snake. When they arrived at a windmill near DuLoc, Fiona convinced them to stay for the evening, and Shrek barbecued weedrat rotisserie-style over a fire.

Fiona and Shrek took a liking to each other, to the tune "You Belong to Me." When the sun was setting, she claimed she was afraid of the dark and frantically took shelter inside for the night. Donkey sensed their increasing attraction for each other: "Wake up and smell the pheromones," although Shrek (as an ogre) felt unworthy of expressing his love for the Princess. The Donkey went looking for Fiona in the dilapidated windmill, and discovered to his utter shock that she had turned into a female ogre (ogress). Due to a witch's spell cast on her when she was a little girl, she would remain that way until she found "true love's first kiss." Every night, she would turn into "this horrible, ugly beast" - until dawn's light. That was why she was placed in a castle tower for rescue by her "true love." She was distraught: "I'm a princess and this is not how a princess is meant to look." Donkey proposed that she had a lot in common with ogre Shrek, implying that she shouldn't marry Lord Farquaad.

Outside, as Shrek was practicing his confession of feelings for Fiona and walking toward the windmill with a sunflower in his hand, he overheard her say: "who could ever love a beast so hideous and ugly? 'Princess' and 'ugly' don't go together" - and thought she was referring to him. He turned, dropped the flower, and walked away dejected. Fiona felt her only chance to find happiness would be by marrying her 'true love' to break the spell. She had Donkey promise not to tell Shrek, and vowed to tell him herself, the next morning. But when morning came, and Shrek revealed that he had overheard every word she had said the previous night, they both misunderstood their real feelings for each other. There was no time to straighten things out - Shrek had already summoned Lord Farquaad to their camp, exchanging the Princess for a deed to his cleared-out swamp. She accepted Farquaad's request for her hand in marriage before the sun set: "Will you be the perfect bride for the perfect groom?", and the two returned to the castle at DuLoc, while Shrek was adamant about returning home alone to his swamp.

In a montage to the sad tune "Hallelujah" (written by Leonard Cohen and sung by John Cale), Shrek was miserable as he arrived home, while Fiona was being fitted in a wedding gown, and Donkey saw that the love-sick Dragon had followed him back to the swamp. Both Shrek and Fiona ate their meals at an empty table. After telling Shrek that Fiona's overheard talk about a hideous and ugly beast wasn't referring to him, Donkey convinced Shrek to quickly travel to DuLoc (before her marriage), riding on the back of Dragon, to tell her his feelings. They arrived just as the wedding ceremony commenced - Shrek burst in to interrupt, crying out: "I object" as he ran to the altar, where Farquaad was about to kiss Fiona to seal the forced marriage. Shrek asserted that Farquaad wasn't her true love - and that instead he had feelings of love for her. As the sun set, Fiona turned into an ogress -- and revealed her true identity to Shrek, Farquaad and the entire congregation.

As he declared himself king with the binding marriage, Farquaad ordered his men to kill Shrek and imprison Fiona back in the tower for the rest of her life. The Dragon was summoned with a whistle, and it burst through the stained-glass window and devoured Farquaad with one gulp. Perched on the Dragon's head, the Donkey quipped: "Celebrity marriages. They never last, do they?" Shrek and Fiona both declared their love for each other and kissed - true love's first kiss. Bathed in golden light, Fiona was freed from her life-long curse as it was broken, although she remained an ogress permanently - love's true form. A glorious explosion of light shattered the church's stained-glass windows.

Unsure of herself when she stated: "I'm supposed to be beautiful," Shrek reassured her: "But you are beautiful." Donkey added: "I was hoping this would be a happy ending." In the film's celebratory finale, Donkey and the other Fairytale characters sang and danced to Neil Diamond's song "I'm a Believer" (performed by Smash Mouth) -- as the couple were married in the swamp, and departed for their honeymoon in an awaiting Cinderella-style carriage - a giant onion. Snow White and Sleeping Beauty fought over their tossed wedding bouquet. The Gingerbread Man, looking like Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol (walking with one leg and a candy-cane cane), prayed: "God bless us, everyone." Cinderella and Monsieur Hood's Merry Men did the Macarena, while The Three Pigs performed a breakdance, and others did variations on the go-go, the frug, the Freddy, etc. Film Notables (Awards, Facts, etc.) With a production budget of $60 million, and box-office gross receipts of $268 million (domestic) and $484 million (worldwide).

In 2011, it was the 7th highest-grossing animated film of all time. Shrek (2001) was the third highest-grossing film in the four-film Shrek series. Amazon.com: Shrek: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow: Amazon Digital Services LLC By Sony XL on April 7, 2016 Format: Amazon Video Verified Purchase A single word describes Shrek- brilliant. Not in a long time have I enjoyed a movie as much as I enjoyed Shrek. This is a movie that plays on a few different levels, and manages to be entertaining on all of them. Plus, they stick it to Disney something good! Mike Myers is Shrek, a big green, smelly ogre trying to live a peaceful life in his swamp. He spends his day brushing his teeth with bug goo and bathing in swamp mud. All is well until the vertically challenged Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow in a brilliant performance) banishes all the kingdoms fairytale inhabitants to Shrek's swamp.

In an effort to regain his peace and sanity, Shrek, aided by his unwanted sidekick Donkey (Eddie Murphy), make a deal with Farquaad to rescue the Princess Fiona from The Dragon and bring her back so Farquaad can marry her. It's well known that DreamWorks and Disney have had an ongoing feud for years, and Shrek is the latest and most destructive shot yet. The makers (led by ex-Disney, DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg) hits Disney where it hurts most - animated features. No Disney chestnut is sacred. Various characters pop in and out of the film, and the sight gags playing on Disney's theme parks alone are enough to keep anybody entertained. Without giving anything away, one of the most hysterical gags in the film involve the Princess and a little bird in a very Disney, very Snow White singing sort of way. The non-stop punches at Disney are one of the levels Shrek succeeds. The other is that it's a pure, heart warming story that anybody of any age can enjoy. Unlike most recent movies (animated or live action), Shrek is story driven. Watching the film you come to care about the characters and get involved in their feelings.

Read more › Donkey from Shrek is most loved film animal - Telegraph Donkey from Shrek is most loved film animal Donkey from Shrek has topped a poll of film buffs to find the most loved movie animal. Donkey attracted more than one-in-four of the votes. 9:04AM BST 03 Jul 2009 Donkey, voiced by Hollywood funnyman Eddie Murphy, was picked ahead of Simba the Cub, from The Lion King, and Baloo the Bear, from The Jungle Book, to top the poll to mark the nationwide cinema release this week of Ice Age 3. Lovefilm, the UK's largest online DVD and games rental service, asked more than 2,000 of its members to vote for their most loveable film animal. Donkey attracted more than one-in-four of the votes while The Lion King's Simba clawed his way into second with 15 per cent. Dory the Fish, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres in Finding Nemo, swam into fourth spot while Sid the Sloth, who appears again in Ice Age 3, came fifth with eight per cent of the vote.

Classic Disney tear-jerker Dumbo, the elephant with the oversized ears, tugged at film fans' heartstrings enough to warrant a place on the poll with seven per cent. Veteran four-legged star of the big screen Lassie, who appeared in 11 movies, completed the top 10. Other characters who just missed out on the top ten included Beethoven the Dog, Garfield the Cat, and Aslan the Lion. "We challenge any film fan not to love the Donkey character from the Shrek movies," said Fliss White of LoveFilm "The fact that lots of the titles like Ice Age and Shrek are in their third or fourth cinema outing shows just how popular film animals are today, and 3D imagery creates a host of opportunities for new titles." Start your free 30 day Amazon Prime trial» Shrek Forever After: Film review and trailer | Films | Entertainment | Daily Express FILMS Shrek Forever After: Film review and trailer ONCE upon a time grumpy green ogre Shrek was the most inspired and endearing new character in all the magical kingdom of family animation.

00:00, Fri, Jul 2, 2010 A succession of sequels have removed some of that original sparkle. Shrek Forever After is a definite improvement on Shrek The Third but you can’t help feeling that they are determined to squeeze every last drop of profit from this winning formula. Lower your expectations, set aside your cynicism and you will still have a good time, especially if you are a kid. The Shrek saga appeared to have reached that happy-ever-after stage with Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) and his beloved Fiona (cameron Diaz) enjoying wedded bliss and the noisy patter of baby ogre feet. In the new film Shrek is grappling with a midlife crisis and a nostalgic yearning for the good old days. In the past he was a carefree bachelor wallowing in his muddy swamp and people trembled with fear if he was in the vicinity. Now they want him to sign autographs and delight them with his famous ogre roar. “I wish had one day to feel like a proper ogre again,” he laments.

DRAMATIC PAWS: Puss in Boots and Donkey in Shrek Forever After Dirty double-dealing villain Rumpelstiltskin (Walter Dohrn) is only too happy to oblige, bamboozling Shrek into signing his life away in return for that wish coming true. The film then starts to echo christmas classic It’s A Wonderful Life as Shrek experiences what life in Far Far Away might be like if he had never rescued Fiona. Donkey (Eddie Murphy) is no longer his best friend. Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas) is a big furball of corpulent contentment who can barely move, never mind swashbuckle like Errol Flynn. Even worse, Fiona has no idea who Shrek is. He didn’t rescue her. They never married. They have no family. She is a Boudicca-style warrior queen leading the ogre resistance movement and frankly has precious little time for romance even with an ardent Shrek laying siege to her heart. He needs a tender loving kiss from Fiona to set the world to rights but the chances of that happening seem increasingly remote.

Shrek Forever After is a definite improvement on Shrek The Third The Shrek films have always been about the green ogre learning to combat his feelings of low self-esteem. A common problem among ogres I’d imagine. Shrek Forever After is no exception as he learns to love himself and accept that even an ogre deserves his share of happiness. That lends a human touch to a fantasy adventure that makes a subtle use of 3D technology. There are a couple of items that come hurtling out of the screen towards the audience but generally the 3D is used to deepen the field of vision and create a picture-book vision of this fairytale world. One of the disappointments of Shrek Forever After is that a number of the regular characters are not given enough to do. Donkey and Puss In Boots are both forced towards the sidelines and Julie Andrews’ Queen Lillian almost seems to have been an afterthought. The compensation comes in the character of weasly villain Rumpelstiltskin, a Bond-style megalomaniac with a different Frankie Howerd-style wig for every mood. He lends a little edge to the proceedings along with shrieking witches straight from the cast of Wicked.

Shrek is a fast-paced often amusing adventure yarn in which our beloved ogre fights his own demons and the forces of evil. It isn’t quite as witty or inventive as you might have hoped but if it is the last film in the series then it offers an honourable conclusion to a wonderful decade of family entertainment. VERDICT 3/5 Top 10 Talking Donkeys - Listverse Top 10 Talking Donkeys magoopaintrock August 25, 2010 This is a list recognizing the ten greatest talking donkeys from books, movies and television. Some of the donkeys on this list are special because they were never expected to talk (like any normal donkey), and it is either magical or miraculous that they did. Others simply live in a world where all animals can talk, and they are noteworthy for other reasons. At all events, the two things each entry has in common are they all talk, and they all are donkeys.

So with that, here are your top ten: 10 The Ass in the Lion’s Skin The Ass in the Lion’s Skin is a fable attributed to the Greek slave, Aesop (famous also for the Tortoise and the Hare, the Ant and the Grasshopper, etc). The story is about an ass that dresses in the skin of a lion so that he can go around scaring the other animals. His trick works until he tries to talk to a fox, who, upon hearing him bray (he doesn’t say anything specific) instantly realizes that he’s not a lion but, in fact, an ass dressed in lion’s skin. The moral of the story is that you can never tell a fool by the way they dress, but you always can tell once they open their mouth. So true! The donkey in the fable was directly alluded to, and given much more of a voice, in the book “The Last Battle,” the seventh and final book of C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, which features the talking donkey, Puzzle. Puzzle is noted for being courageous and humble, but also very naïve.

He is tricked by his friend, Shift the Ape, into retrieving a lion’s skin from the frigid Caldron Pool, dressing himself in it, and then using it as a disguise for Aslan the Lion, in a ploy to gain control over Narnia. This pretense is eventually betrayed by Shift himself, but in the end Puzzle is pardoned by the real Aslan. 9 Ya’foor Muhammad’s Talking Donkey From the book The Beginning and the End comes an interesting story called “The Conversation of the Donkey.” In it, Muhammad receives from God a gift of four sheep, four goats, ten pots of gold and silver and a black donkey that can talk. The ensuing “conversation” between Muhammad and the donkey goes something like this: Muhammad addresses the donkey asking, “What is your name?” “Yazid Ibn Shihab,” the donkey answers. Then Muhammad says to him, “I will call you Ya’foor!” Then Ya’foor replies, “I obey.” Muhammad then asks, “Do you desire females?” To which the donkey replies, “NO!” Interesting, to say the least.

Due to the difficulty in finding an image of Ya’foor, pictured above is the donkey Buraq, another donkey closely related to the tales of Muhammad. 8 Benjamin Animal Farm (1945), by George Orwell, is an allegorical novella about a group of farm animals (mostly pigs) meant to symbolize Soviet politics. In other words, it’s one fairly boring topic allegorizing another. Nevertheless, it has its place in history and, supposedly (I admit I’ve never read it), there’s a talking donkey named Benjamin. The following is from the Cliffs Notes character description of him: “Donkeys are known for their stubbornness, and Benjamin stubbornly refuses to become enthusiastic about the rebellion. While all of his comrades delight in the prospect of a new, animal-governed world, Benjamin only remarks, ‘Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey.’ While this reply puzzles the animals, the reader understands Benjamin’s cynical yet not-unfounded point: In the initial moments of the rebellion, Animal Farm may seem a paradise, but in time it may come to be another form of the same tyranny at which they rebelled. Of course, Benjamin is proven right.

Although pessimistic, he is a realist.” [ Image Source ] 7 Nestor The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey For anyone who hasn’t seen this show, it’s basically a mash-up of Dumbo and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and it is worth checking out for sure. Nestor is a gray, stop-motion donkey with freakishly long ears who is rejected by all the other donkeys. After his mother is killed (okay, there’s a little Bambi in there too) he wanders to Israel and finds Joseph and Mary, whom he helps travel to Bethlehem where Baby Jesus is born. Like the classic holiday hit A Charlie Brown Christmas, this movie seems to strike the perfect balance between secular and spiritual. And there’s plenty of talking donkeys to get your fix. The narrator of the story is a talking donkey named Spieltoe, and is mildly amusing. “You never knew Santa Claus had a donkey?’ he asks with a drawl, “who do you think pulls his snow plow?” 6 Leroy From the movie The Muppet Musicians of Bremen, Leroy is a talking donkey who, more impressively, plays the tuba.

The movie is an adaptation of the German folktale, The Town Musicians of Bremen, first recorded by the Brothers Grimm. The Muppet version is set in the rural bayou of Louisiana, and the music is New Orleans-style jazz. Leroy is the first protagonist introduced but is later joined by Rover Joe, the hound dog (who plays the trombone), Catgut the cat (the trumpet) and T.R. the rooster (vocals and tambourine), with various rats and Kermit the Frog serving as MC. Together the animals escape their abusive, criminal owners and embark on a quest for freedom as a traveling band. This show alone is enough to demonstrate Jim Henson’s unique and enduring genius, as both a craftsman and a storyteller, and in no small part due to Leroy the Donkey. 5 Baba Looey For my money, there’s nothing cuter than a short cartoon burro with a sombrero and a thick Mexican accent. Enter Baba Looey from the wild west themed Quick Draw McGraw Show. When Baba Looey, voiced by Hanna-Barbera legend Daws Butler, says “Quick Draw” it sounds like “Quick Straw.” Now that’s adorable.

But in all seriousness, Baba Looey really was the archetypal sidekick. Loyal and resourceful, he rescued Quick Draw when in trouble, provided valuable advice and information, and was always there to pull Quick Draw’s head out of the clouds. In that regard, he was a very close reincarnation of the Miguel de Cervantes character, Sancho Panza, who actually rode a donkey in the Spanish masterpiece Don Quixote de la Mancha. 4 Balaam’s Talking Ass Numbers 22 This one is just plain awkward. Unlike the tale of Muhammad’s talking donkey which is obscure at best, the Judeo-Christian version, amazingly, is right there in the scriptures. In fact, on a Listverse top ten of the most bizarre biblical tales, it was weird enough to reach #2. To recap, the prophet Balaam and his donkey are traveling together when the donkey sees an angel and refuses to walk any further. Frustrated, Balaam begins to beat the animal until it speaks, asking “What have I done to thee?

Why strikest thou me, lo, now this third time?” [ Source ] Balaam then says, “Because thou hast deserved it, and hast served me ill: I would I had a sword that I might kill thee.” At about this point Balaam finally sees the angel and falls down on the ground. Then the angel says to Balaam, “Why beatest thou thy ass these three times? I am come to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse, and contrary to me[.]” (On this one I would like to invoke the Fox News slogan: “We Report. You Decide.”) 3 Eeyore Originally created by the British author A.A. Milne for the Winnie-the-Pooh books, Eeyore has reappeared in several Disney movies and television shows and has achieved the greatest popularity, by far, of all the characters in the series. As a quick demonstration, consider that, at the time this list was composed, Eeyore had over 241,000 fans on Facebook—92,000 more than compatriot Tigger and 85,500 more than the Pooh Bear himself.

(Piglet, Rabbit, Owl and Christopher Robin don’t even come close to approaching these figures, not even combined.) Maybe all those fans can do something to help Eeyore overcome all his mental and emotional problems. Now, I understand that his severely despondent attitude is, in part, to counterbalance the other characters, much like Oscar the Grouch or the Raincloud Care Bear, but Eeyore takes it way too far. He has dangerously low self-esteem and zero self-worth. In fact I dare anybody to read the following passage (credit to overthinkingit.com) and tell me it’s not a little disturbing: “You seem so sad, Eeyore.” “Sad? Why should I be sad? It’s my birthday. The happiest day of the year.” “Your birthday?” said Pooh in great surprise. “Of course it is. Can’t you see? Look at all the presents I’ve had.” He waved a foot from side to side. “Look at the birthday cake. Candles and pink sugar.” Pooh looked – first to the right and then to the left. “Presents?” said Pooh. “Birthday cake?” said Pooh.

“Where?” “Can’t you see them?” “No,” said Pooh. “Neither can I,” said Eeyore. “Joke,” he explained. “Ha Ha.” God help Eeyore. Donkey Shrek He’s positive, sensitive, talkative, his favorite food is waffles, and he even flew for a brief moment with the help of some pixie dust. Yes, the one and only Donkey from the Shrek tetralogy hardly needs any further explanation. In 2001, Donkey, voiced by veteran Eddie Murphy, and the rest of Shrek gang announced, with a bang, the arrival of DreamWorks Animation as a power player in the computer-animated family film genre. Up until that time this extremely lucrative industry had been dominated, if not monopolized, by the Pixar studio. Yet critics and fans alike hailed Shrek for its fresh jabs at fairytale conventions, hurled openly at Pixar bedfellow Disney, and it was enough for Shrek to win the inaugural Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. 1 Bottom It is impossible to overstate the sheer beauty and brilliance of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, although many have certainly tried.

So what’s one more attempt going to hurt, right? It is, simply put, a timeless wonder; a phenomenon that has inspired at least one opera, one ballet and five modern films. And it all starts with Bottom. After all, it’s Bottom who dreams the dream, or as he calls it, the “most rare vision,” and any high school teacher could tell you the most important role in any Shakespeare comedy is the fool. A resident Athenian and weaver by vocation, Bottom is transformed (or more precisely “translated”) from human being to ass by the “shrewd and knavish sprite” Robin Goodfellow in the first scene of the third act. The rest, well, we all know what happens. But for those who don’t; he has sex with the Queen. In most performances he is given an ass’s head or ears, only, but there are alternative interpretations that hold that he was endowed with a lot more than that. Peter Brook, who directed the epic 1970 Royal Shakespeare Company’s production, apparently shared this view. “Peter used to tell us that the ass has the largest penis in the animal world,” recalls Sarah Kestelman, who played Titania.

Anyway, without going any more into that, or any other textual analyses—of which there are hundreds, and many quite intriguing—suffice it to say that Bottom is a globally beloved ass who gave us the greatest midsummer night in all of literature. Plus, he’s an ass named Bottom. How could he not be at the top of this list? More Great Lists ‎‘Shrek’ review by Nolden • Letterboxd Nolden’s review published on Letterboxd : "You're so wrapped up in layers, onion boy, you're afraid of your own feelings." - Donkey Shrek opens up like a run of the mill fairy tale story with a reading of a fairy tale book. Turns out, an ogre named Shrek is the one, who read the book while taking a dump and the pop song "All Star" by "Smash Mouth" has taken over the intro Sequence. Now i'm not a fan of pop songs in animated films, but the further you get into the film, the more you notice that it fits the style that Dreamworks was going for with "Shrek". A film full of pop culture references, adult jokes and witty dialogue.

In its core story the film is not much different from the Disney classics, the difference being, that it does not take itself seriously and parodies the classic fairy tale story, while still being one in the end. The likable characters are the ones that keep this film afloat, especially the chemistry between Shrek and the Donkey, who form an abnormal friendship along the way, enriches every scene and makes you laugh. These well crafted characters are desperately needed, because the world itself is not that interesting except for the implementation of the fairy tale creatures of countless Disney films. It helps, that not just the characters, but the story is well written and has some good comedic talents behind the voices of the characters, like Mike Myers, who does a really solid job as Shrek and Eddie Murphy, who sticks out with his jackass performance as Donkey. While it's noticeable that the computer animation has not aged that well, especially if you look at the texture resolution and the character models, it does not take much away from the movie, if you keep in mind, when it was first released.

It's a film that can appeal to all ages, wether it be the children that will like the at times simple humor and the general silliness and charm, or the adults, who will be amused by some of the references and subtle comedic lines, that the children aren't able to grasp yet. Report this review

Question: In the animated film classic "Shrek" which film star voiced the character of Donkey?
Answer: EDDIE MURPHY