IMDb > Shrek (2001)
Shrek
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips
Photos (see all 126 | slideshow) Videos (see all 8 NEW)
Shrek (2001) -- An ogre, in order to regain his swamp, travels along with an annoying donkey in order to bring a princess to a scheming lord, wishing himself King.
Shrek (2001) -- An ogre, in order to regain his swamp, travels along with an annoying donkey in order to bring a princess to a scheming lord, wishing himself King.
Shrek (2001) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
Shrek (2001) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
Shrek (2001) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   151,953 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
William Steig (book)
Ted Elliott (written by) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Shrek on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
18 May 2001 (USA) more
Tagline:
The greatest fairy tale never told. more
Plot:
An ogre, in order to regain his swamp, travels along with an annoying donkey in order to bring a princess to a scheming lord, wishing himself King. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 29 wins & 44 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(259 articles)
Zach Galifianakis close to 'Puss in Boots'
 (From Monsters and Critics. 6 November 2009, 11:21 AM, PST)

Zach Galifianakis to voice 'Puss in Boots'?
 (From screeninglog. 5 November 2009, 5:57 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Left-field fairy tale left us rolling in the aisles more (896 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG for mild language and some crude humor.
Runtime:
90 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Colour:
Colour (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The principal actors never met each other. All read their parts separately, with a reader feeding them the lines. more
Goofs:
Continuity: In the last two shots of the scene in which Fiona takes out Hood and his men, the swing that the Friar was in is missing from the background. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
[Shrek is reading a book in the outside toilet]
Shrek: 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.
[tears out a page and laughs]
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The 100 Greatest Cartoons (2005) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Escape (The Piņa Colada Song) more

FAQ

A NOTE REGARDING SPOILERS
How was "The NeverEnding Story" referenced In Shrek?
more
42 out of 51 people found the following comment useful.
Left-field fairy tale left us rolling in the aisles, 17 June 2001
Author: agc110 from Canberra, Australia

9 OUT OF 10!!!! We went to catch the matinee preview of "Shrek". We were still giggling by the time we got home afterwards. Two hours later, we dragged a friend out and went back for the evening show. Some of the shock value was lost, but we caught a few of the background sight gags we missed the first time, and anticipation of some of the other scenes had us in tears before they even happened. Interesting to see the different audience reactions of different age groups, too. This is a *very* funny movie, but it should be noted that most of the kiddy humour is on the burp/fart and yucky dining habits level - Shrek is rather closely related to Raymond Briggs' Fungus the Bogeyman without the orange mohawk. The dialogue and main action quips are mainly aimed at adults and sophisticated kids. One little voice in the afternoon audience piping up "WHAT's he compensating for?" cracked me up...

Be warned that this movie is a non-stop send-up of all things Disney. If predictability and saccharine is your cup of tea, you may not like it. On the other hand, if you are cynical about theme parks and like the idea of fairytale classics getting the Monty Python treatment, you'll love it. Every time a scene looks familiar, it means it is about to go pear-shaped. And it's not just old classics that get the treatment. I spotted (mis)quotes from films that are just being released, both Disney and non-Disney. You name it, it gets an affectionate pie in the face at some point in "Shrek".

As a fairytale, however offbeat, "Shrek" is tighter plotted and better characterised than most Hollywood dross.The parodic twists, a love story subplot that owes more to Shakespeare's comedies than fairytale formula, and the "ugly is the new beautiful" Message more than make up for the derivativeness due to extensive quotation.

As for the acting, confinement to voice-overs keeps the egos of Myers and Murphy in check, and they do a fantastic job as the big fat green smelly recluse and the obnoxiously manic donkey respectively. Diaz is great as a feisty princess who reminds me of Lloyd Alexander's Eilonwy crossed with Lara Croft. Lithgow's Farquaad is a wonderful Bad Guy, modelled on Olivier's Richard III apart from his Little Problem being different. And the Fairytale Creatures...excellent, all of them. The graphics, of course, are state of the art for at least another 2 weeks. We're talking freckles, skin pores and stubble, pupil dilation, and amazing light-and-shade. They had to tone down the realism of the humanoids to stop them looking creepily android-like.

Highly recommended, except for overly precious schmalz addicts.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (896 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Shrek (2001)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Anyone else still enjoy this movie? chronarita
TOO MUCH VIOLENCE!!! doctornappy2
the movie is pretty bad but parents are worse jeg3287
In a live action version, only one actor could play Shrek yvdlhq
Most important kids movie ever? HorusEye
Fiona really an Ogre? scttmanship
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Beowulf Shrek 2 Shrek the Third Willow The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Animation section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.