Shrek (2001)

Directed by: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson | 90 minutes | animation, comedy, adventure, romance, fantasy | Original voice cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow, Vincent Cassel, Peter Dennis, Clive Pearse, Jim Cummings, Bobby Block, Chris Miller, Cody Cameron, Kathleen Freeman, Mchael Galasso, Christopher Knights, Simon J. Smith

It’s unbelievable what can be done with computers these days. Not only can you write reviews and offer them to all Internet users, making animated films is no longer a problem either. It may have taken almost five years to make ‘Shrek’, but the result is impressive. It doesn’t take thirty seconds and you forget that you are watching animation and you imagine yourself in the wonderful world of a 3D fairy tale.

The fact that the animation is beautiful doesn’t make the film any better. It works the other way around, bad animation makes a film worse, at least less fun to watch. If the animation is so good that you don’t notice it anymore, the other parts like the story and the cast remain critical success factors.

That story goes well with ‘Shrek’. Giving a nice twist to many existing fairy tales is recognizable for both small children and adults. The humor works on multiple levels to entertain all audiences. The smallest laugh when ‘Shrek’ plays with his earwax, the older ones have more fun with the subtle humor in the dialogues. Moreover, the film is still crammed with references to other films and very inconspicuous jokes that are only seen on a second or third look.

Mike Myers voices ‘Shrek’ and if you think you’re discovering Austin Powers or Wayne from Wayne’s World, forget it. He uses an unplaceable accent that makes you forget who is recording it, but that fits perfectly with the green monster. Cameron Diaz plays Princess Fiona and the very recognizable voice of John Lithgow can be recognized in Lord Farquaad of Duloc. The voice of voices is Eddie Murphy’s after all. The man rattles on and on and coupled with the sweet little donkey Donkey, he steals the show. The character can be compared to Dory from ‘Finding Nemo’, a supporting character who brings the comic relief in the film. Although Myers, Murphy, Diaz and Lithgow did not see each other once during the recording of the lyrics, it also turned out well in the interplay.