This movie was MUCH better than I had expected. This movie is packed full of fairytale creatures, all of which have been dumped onto his land. Such a grumpy recluse as the Ogre, of course, is unhappy to have his private swamplands populated by fairies, wolves dressed up as Grandmothers, blind mice, three little pigs, Cinderella, and Peter Pan. Thus, he makes a trip to visit the Prince of the Kingdom. Finding himself in an arena, he is attacked, but comes out the victor, and as a reward, he must go on a noble quest...to find the Prince his bride-to-be. In return, the Prince will restore his swamplands to him.

When Shrek finds the Princess in a dark, gloomy castle guarded by a flaming red dragon (oh, yeah...that was really cool animation, there), she is a bit disconcerted that he seems to have no interest in kissing her. What the ogre doesn't know is that the princess has an ugly secret of her own. She is an ogre, too! If, however, she can find true love's kiss, she will become beautiful for all time. Thinking this means the prince, she is in quite a hurry to meet him and marry before sundown. Somewhere along the way, however, she has found more happiness in camping in the wilderness with the ogre than she would ever have in a fancy tower, married to a prince who is only marrying her so that he can become a King.

In evaluation, I will say that the animation is MUCH better than I expected. It is less like your regular Disney cartoon and more like the kind of animation you'd see in today's video games. The characters are all three-dimensional. At one point, the picture zooms in to the princess' face, and you can even see tiny little cute freckles on her cheeks. She looks positively real! The dragon and castle were just amazing as a stunning visual. The voices are fun, especially Mike Myers' voice. At moments Shrek's whole character reminded me a lot of Arnold Swarzenegger in the movie Twins, just a sweet, loveable big giant who feels awkward and unsure. Once you get past the slime and ear wax, he's really kind of a likeable guy!


Overall, the movie is a lot of fun, for kids and for adults, alike. I was even delighted at Eddie Murphy's character, the donkey, who is charming, funny, and affectionate.


Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8