Shrek (2001)
Starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow.
Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jensen.
Rated PG.
Grade: A
The problem with computer animation, as I see it, is that it draws attention to itself. In the worst cases, such as Disney's Dinosaur, the filmmakers are so concerned with wowing us that they all but forget about the tale they are telling. Dreamworks' Shrek may be the first movie that truly feels at home in this now ubiquitous medium; even the Toy Story films, for all their brilliance, were more than a little self-conscious about their gee-whiz visual inventiveness. The impressive advances in CGI here blend seamlessly with the wickedly funny satire offered up by Jeffrey Katzenberg and his team, all with one goal: to mock the Mouse House. Apparently, you can kid a kidder.
The title character, voiced by Mike Myers, is that most enigmatic of fairy tale characters: an ogre. What is an ogre, anyway? I'm not sure if the term has ever been defined. Anyway, the ogre here isn't scary at all, but almost lovable, with his oversized green mug and pointy ears. Unfortunately, when Shrek starts speaking all that lovability magically vanishes. He's a mean ogre who just wants to be left alone in his swamp. Unfortunately, the evil Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) has ordered the forced relocation of all fairy-tale creatures, and the new home he chooses for them is Shrek's backyard.
Shrek is clearly not happy about this. He tells the creatures that he will go to Lord Farquaad himself and sort everything out. Reluctantly, he takes a sidekick along: Eddie Murphy's talking Donkey. At the fortress, he encounters a sort of faux-Disneyland, complete with an abandoned Main Street USA and a mechanical puppet booth that lays down some "rules and regulations."
The "mirror, mirror on the wall," meanwhile, tells Farquaad that he won't be a real King until he marries a princess. He chooses Princess Fiona, who is imprisoned in a castle guarded by a dragon, waiting for a noble knight to save her. He tells Shrek that if he brings back the princess, he'll give back the swamp.
Shrek gets points for being so blatantly anti-Disney -- not because I necessarily agree with its sentiments, but because it's daring enough to do it (The Emperor's New Groove, last year's Disney feature, was arguably even wittier than this). I was surprised by gags such as calling Pinocchio a "possessed toy," lampooning Disneyworld and, most courageously, naming the villain Farquaad.
Not coincidentally, most of the really good stuff here will go over young kids' heads. There are still excellent "conventional" jokes, though -- such as most of Eddie Murphy's wisecracks -- which is what makes it a real family movie (Disney's Atlantis, being released around the same time is not, for that exact reason). The obligatory "message" at the end is genuine enough that only the most deeply cynical of adults will snicker; I was actually touched.
Shrek is clearly intended as part of a hostile takeover of Disney's territory by Dreamworks. This piece of loopy brilliance alone won't do it -- Dreamworks isn't exactly a household name yet -- but coupled with Antz, it makes 2 for 2 for the newbie studio.