Shrek
Dir. Andrew Adamson and Victoria
Jenson. Vocal cast: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, John Lithgow,
Linda Hunt. 2001. 93 minutes.Video £16.99. DVD £22.99. PG rating.
When Shrek's swamp becomes
the home for a squillion fairy tale characters, Shrek embarks on a journey
to retrieve his land from the evil Lord Farquaad who has banished all mythical
creatures from his kingdom. Join Shrek and his new-found friend, Donkey
on a mission of magic and mischief to save his swamp.
From
the makers of Antz, PDI/DreamWorks have created a visually
stunning and funny animated comedy featuring the voices of today's top
comedic actors, Mike Myers (Shrek), Eddie Murphy (Donkey), Cameron
Diaz (Princess Fiona) and John Lithgow (Lord Farquaad). Based on the book
by William Steig, Shrek is produced by Aron Warner, John H. Williams
and Jeffrey Katzenberg and directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson.
Shrek's not your typical
leading man. He has bad ear wax for one, a case of flatulence and to top
it all, has just attracted an ass with verbal diarrhoea (he sings, he dances,
he doesn't shut up!). Being a self-confessed loner, Shrek enjoys
wallowing in his mud-swamp and showering with the critters until one day
his solitude is shattered by the Three Blind Mice, The Big Bad Wolf, and
a multitude of characters on his doorstep. All the fairy tale folk take
refuge in the forest after the mean but miniature Lord Farquaad cruelly
evicts them from his kingdom, 'DuLoc'. After striking a deal with the villainous
Lord, Shrek agrees to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona for Farquaad
in order to get his swamp back!
Shrek has spent almost
three years in the making and contains what computer generated (CG) artists
consider to be the "Holy Grails" of CG animation, not only making the characters
appear and act realistically, but making everything from fire to fur look
and move believably.
He may not be your typical
knight in shining armour, but the ogre makes a mean weed rat stew and has
a heart of gold. Not only does he encounter a fire-breathing dragon and
get ambushed by a band of merry men but his rescue reveals a damsel in
distress with a hidden secret as he sets off on a quest to find friendship
and love!
Shrek Facts
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Shrek had a crew of over
275 and was in production at PDI/DreamWorks for over three years
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The film consists of 31 sequences
and 1,288 shots
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When designing the look the
Art Director took inspiration from Hearst Castle and the village of Stratford-Upon-Avon.
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The effects department actually
took mud showers of their own for research purposes!
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Several of the story artists
were so convincing when pitching their ideas to the filmmakers that their
voices actually made it into the final film!
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The design of Shrek was
similar to that of a bulldog and had to be ugly yet appealing at the same
time
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Over 50 different sculpts were
made of Shrek before the team decided on the final look
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There are approximately 180
animation controls in Shrek's face
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There are 585 body animation
controls for Shrek's body.
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There are 31 key fairytale characters
that appear in Shrek and a total of 1000 fantasy characters that
invade Shrek's swamp at the beginning of the film
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There are 36 unique locations
in Shrek including Swampl Shrek's House, the Forest the Dragons
Keep - this is more than any other computer animated film
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1,250 props and environments
were created digitally for the film
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In addition to the voice of
Shrek, Mike Myers also voices one of the 3 Blind Mice
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Mike Myers actually read opposite
his wife when recording his lines for the climatic love scene at the end
of the film
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The stands in the tournament
scene hold over 1,000 spectators and the cathedral holds over 1,500 people
in the Wedding sequence
Britain's #1 animated
movie of the year and DreamWorks' $430 million box office comedy
smash features all-new, never-before-seen bonus footage developed exclusively
for the home video release. The new footage picks up where the movie left
off and continues the party with more than 150 Shrek characters
showing us what goes on after the fairy tale ending.
DVD extras
Created directly from its
original digital format, the Shrek DVD represents this groundbreaking
movie in the most pristine presentation existing. Custom crafted for the
international market place, the Shrek DVD offers hours of entertainment
including 15 minutes of all-new animated material for the interactive menus
directed by the movie's directors and the all-new footage. In addition,
the Shrek DVD features 'Shrek's ReVoice Studio,' a never-before-used
DVD-ROM program available for the first time ever that enables viewers
to voice the lines of their favourite characters. The programme allows
viewers to select from 12 of the film's most popular scenes and record
the lines of the characters. It then syncs up their voice with the character's
mouth. The viewer can then view the scene and see how their performance
as the voice of Shrek, Donkey, Fiona or Farquaad plays!
The DVD offers the movie
in its original theatrical widescreen format, as the filmmakers intended
their audience to see it. Featuring something for everyone, the DVD is
loaded with fascinating bonus programming providing an inside look into
the movie's unprecedented technological achievements, along with set-top
games, and a filmmaker's commentary as well as other material.
Following is a detailed
list of materials on the Shrek DVD:
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Animated Menus featuring brand
new animation created by Shrek's directors and animators
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Widescreen version of Shrek
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Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance
Party: Exclusive never-before seen animated scene that continues the story
featuring all of the characters from Shrek
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The Tech of Shrek: Amazing
behind-the-scenes featurette that shows you how the characters and movie
were brought to life - from the early stages of creating the skeletal system
of the characters to the complex layers of muscles, skin and hair to the
development of fluids and fire that makes this movie unprecedented in the
world of filmmaking
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Shrek's Revoice Studio: Exclusive
never-before-used technology that enables viewers to voice their favourite
character
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Hilarious Character interviews
with Shrek, Fiona, Lord Farquaad and Donkey
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Production Notes
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English 5.1
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Cast and Crew Bios
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A Filmmaker's Commentary that
provides insider information on the making of this groundbreaking animation
hit
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International Dubbing Featurette:
Learn how Shrek was dubbed into languages around the world
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Set top games:
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Trivia
Game
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Decorate
the Gingerbread Man
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Character
Morph (allows kids to mix and match the character's body parts)
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Scene Index: View some of the
funniest and coolest scenes
