''Shrek'' is an American
media franchise
A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...
made by
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...
, loosely based on
William Steig's 1990 picture book ''
Shrek!
''Shrek!'' is a comedy fantasy picture book published in 1990 by American book writer and cartoonist William Steig, about a repugnant green monster who leaves home to see the world and ends up marrying an ugly princess. The book was generally w ...
''. It includes four
computer-animated
Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...
films: ''
Shrek'' (2001), ''
Shrek 2'' (2004), ''
Shrek the Third
''Shrek the Third'' (also known as ''Shrek 3'') is a 2007 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 picture book '' Shrek!'' by William Steig, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The se ...
'' (2007), and ''
Shrek Forever After'' (2010). A short
4-D film
4D film is a high technology multisensory presentation system combining motion pictures with physical effects that are synchronized and occur in the theatre. Effects simulated in 4D films include motion, vibration, scent, rain, mist, bubbles, fo ...
, ''
Shrek 4-D'', which originally was a theme park ride, was released in 2003.
Two television specials, the
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
television special ''
Shrek the Halls
''Shrek the Halls'' is an American Christmas computer-animated comedy television special that premiered on the American television network ABC
on November 28, 2007. The thirty minute Christmas special was co-written and directed by Gary Trousdal ...
'' (2007) and the
Halloween television special ''
Scared Shrekless'' (2010), have also been produced. A
spin-off
Spin-off may refer to:
*Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work
*Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity
* Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...
film titled ''
Puss in Boots'' was released in October 2011, and a
2008 stage musical adaptation played on
Broadway for more than a year.
The series primarily focuses on
Shrek, a bad-tempered but good-hearted
ogre, who begrudgingly accepts a quest to rescue a princess, resulting in him finding friends and going on many subsequent adventures in a
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...
world.
In May 2010, ''The New York Times'' described the
principal Shrek characters as "brilliantly realized" and said "nearly a decade after the
first ''Shrek'' film they remain as vital and engaging fusions of image, personality and voice as any characters in the
history of animation." The series was a financial success, becoming the 17th
highest-grossing film franchise of all time and the second
highest-grossing animated franchise.
Films
Main films
''Shrek'' (2001)
Shrek, a solitary ogre, is angered when fairy tale creatures are sent to live in his swamp ordered by
Lord Farquaad. He befriends a talking
donkey
The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a ...
named
Donkey
The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a ...
, and they set off to meet with Farquaad.
The lord needs
Princess Fiona to marry him so he will become the king of Duloc. When Shrek and Donkey visit him, they are forced to rescue her from an enormous fire-breathing Dragon in exchange for Shrek's swamp being vacated. The Dragon turns out to be female, and after a minute or two falls in love with Donkey.
Donkey, Shrek, and Fiona escape, and Dragon chases them. Once Shrek and Donkey rescue Fiona, they take her back to Lord Farquaad. Along the way, Shrek begins to fall in love with Fiona. Donkey finds out from Fiona that she is cursed and turns into an ogre at night. The only way the curse can be broken is by true love's first kiss. Fiona and Farquaad have a marriage ceremony, but they are interrupted by Shrek, who tells Fiona he loves her.
Donkey and Dragon enter, and Dragon eats Farquaad. Shrek and Fiona kiss and Fiona is permanently turned into an ogre. Shrek gets his swamp back, and the two marry there. After a karaoke party, the newlyweds set off on their honeymoon.
''Shrek 2'' (2004)
The second film opens with
Prince Charming on a quest to rescue Princess Fiona from the Dragon. When he gets there, he finds the wolf from
Little Red Riding Hood
"Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brother ...
and
The Three Little Pigs in Fiona's bed. He asks the wolf where Fiona is and the wolf tells him that she is on her honeymoon with Shrek. Once Shrek and Fiona return from their honeymoon, they find Donkey in the swamp who tells them he and Dragon are going through a rough patch. They then get invited to the land of Far Far Away by Fiona's parents who want to bless their marriage.
When they arrive, Shrek and Fiona are not what they expected. The
Fairy Godmother and her son, Prince Charming, are trying to break up Shrek's marriage by making Fiona fall in love with Prince Charming. However it does not work and Shrek and Fiona stay together. Shrek and Donkey get a new sidekick called
Puss in Boots. They have a lengthy quest to search the Fairy Godmother's cottage to get a love
potion. Shrek and Donkey drink the potion and they become something quite unexpected. Shrek becomes
human
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
and Donkey becomes a
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...
. Since Shrek drank the potion, it also affected Fiona as she woke up to seeing her human form once again.
At the end of the film, King Harold reverts to a
frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...
after being struck with the Fairy Godmother's magic, and gives Shrek and Fiona his blessing. After Fiona tells Shrek she loves him just the way he is, they revert to ogres.
''Shrek the Third'' (2007)
Shrek and Fiona are reluctantly reigning over Far, Far Away during King Harold's prolonged illness. The King promises that if they can find Fiona's cousin
Artie, he will make him the next in line, so both Shrek and Fiona would not have to run the country after his death. As Shrek, Donkey and Puss set off to find Artie, Fiona reveals she is pregnant.
Shrek is shocked as he believes he will not be a good father and will ruin his child's life. This is reinforced by his relationship with his own father, where "he tried to eat me." After finding Artie, Artie is frightened of being king, and they end up on an island where they meet Artie's former magic teacher,
Merlin
Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...
. Meanwhile, Charming plots to overthrow Artie and become king, but this is foiled by Shrek.
The film ends with Shrek and Fiona caring for their newborn ogre triplets.
''Shrek Forever After'' (2010)
Shrek has become a domesticated family ogre, living happily with Princess Fiona and the triplets. Instead of scaring villagers away like he used to, a reluctant Shrek now agrees to autograph pitchforks. Longing for the days when he felt like a "real ogre", Shrek is tricked into signing a pact with the smooth-talking dealmaker
Rumpelstiltskin. He agrees to trade a day from his childhood in exchange for a day to exist as a real ogre again. However, Shrek suddenly finds himself in a twisted, alternate reality where ogres are hunted, Rumplestiltskin is king, Puss is obese, and Shrek has never met Donkey or Fiona. Shrek discovers he unknowingly traded the day he was born and will not exist after the day is over.
Shrek becomes entangled with an underground resistance of ogres led by Fiona. Rumpelstiltskin places a bounty on Shrek's capture, offering the "deal of a lifetime" as a reward. The
Pied Piper
The Pied Piper of Hamelin (german: der Rattenfänger von Hameln, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany.
The legend dates back to ...
captures most of the resistance excluding Shrek and Fiona. Shrek, unable to win Fiona's affection, turns himself in and offers to trade his life to free the captured ogres. The recently released ogres go back to free Shrek and Fiona. As the twenty-four hours are almost up and Shrek lies dying, Fiona kisses him, breaking the deal and reverting everything back to normal. After finding himself back at his triplets' birthday party where he previously lost his temper and stormed out, Shrek joyfully reunites with his family and friends realizing he has everything he ever wanted.
Spin-offs
''Puss in Boots'' (2011)
''Puss in Boots'' is a computer-animated American
action comedy film that was released on October 28, 2011. The film is based on and follows the character Puss in Boots on his adventures with Kitty Softpaws and mastermind
Humpty Dumpty.
''Puss in Boots: The Last Wish'' (2022)
''Puss in Boots: The Last Wish'' is the sequel to ''Puss in Boots'', that was released on December 21, 2022.
In November 2012, executive producer
Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born October 9, 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and actor. He directed the Academy Award–winning fantasy films ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) and ''The Shape of Water'' (2017), winning the Academy Awards for Be ...
said that a couple of drafts for a
sequel were already done, and that the director
Chris Miller Chris or Christopher Miller may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*Chris Miller (writer) (born 1942), American comedy author and screenwriter
*Chris Miller (animator) (born 1968), American voice actor and director
* Christopher Miller (filmmaker) ( ...
wanted to take Puss on an adventure to exotic places. In April 2014, Antonio Banderas, the voice of Puss, said that the work on the sequel had just begun. On June 12, 2014, the movie was titled ''Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves''. On February 26, 2019, it was confirmed that the sequel was still in development, and
Bob Persichetti is set to direct the film. In August 2020, the name ''Puss in Boots: The Last Wish'' had been trademarked by DreamWorks, revealing the new title of the sequel. In March 2021,
Joel Crawford replaced Persichetti as director, having previously helmed DreamWorks' ''
The Croods: A New Age''.
''Puss in Boots: The Last Wish'' will be theatrically released on December 21, 2022, by
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
.
The film was originally scheduled to be released on November 2, 2018,
but was delayed a month to December 21, 2018 before cancellation.
It was also scheduled to be released on September 23, 2022.
The story will follow Puss, who has burned all but the last of his nine lives, on a quest to find the mystical Last Wish in order to restore his nine lives.
Future
Possible fifth ''Shrek'' film
Following the success of ''Shrek 2'' in May 2004,
Jeffrey Katzenberg revealed that the ''Shrek'' story had been outlined into five films almost from the beginning. "Before the first one was finished we talked about what the whole story of Shrek is, and each of the chapters answers questions about the first movie and gives us an insight," said Katzenberg. "''Shrek 3'' and ''4'' are going to reveal other unanswered questions and, finally, in the last chapter, we will understand how Shrek came to be in that swamp, when we meet him in the first movie." After the release of ''Shrek the Third'' in 2007, Katzenberg announced that the fifth film would be released in 2013.
In May 2009,
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...
announced that the fourth film's title would be ''Shrek Forever After'', indicating that it would be the last in the ''Shrek'' series. Later in 2009, that was confirmed by
Bill Damaschke
William Damaschke (born November 20, 1963) is the former President of Animation and Family Entertainment for Skydance Media, where he served as the key architect setting the overall creative direction and strategy for Skydance. In conjunction wi ...
, head of creative production at DWA, with him saying: "All that was loved about Shrek in the first film is brought to the final film."
Josh Klausner
Josh Klausner is an American screenwriter.
He wrote ''Date Night'' (2010) and ''Shrek Forever After'' (2010).
Biography
Early life
Josh Klausner graduated from Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey.
Career
He started his career in the ...
, one of the writers of ''Shrek Forever After'', explained in 2010 the script's evolution: "When I first came onto the project, it wasn't supposed to be the final chapter — there were originally going to be five ''Shrek'' movies. Then, about a year into the development, Jeffrey Katzenberg decided that the story that we'd come up with was the right way for Shrek's journey to end."
In February 2014, in an interview with
Fox Business Network, Katzenberg hinted that a fifth film could still be made. "We like to let them have a little bit of time to rest," he said of the characters. "But I think you can be confident that we'll have another chapter in the ''Shrek'' series. We're not finished, and more importantly, neither is he."
On June 15, 2016, after
NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate corporation owned by Comcast and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States.
NBCUniversal is primari ...
purchased DreamWorks Animation for $3.8 billion, NBCUniversal CEO
Steve Burke discussed plans to continue the franchise, as well as other DreamWorks films. In July 2016, ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' cited sources saying that the fifth film was planned for a 2019 release. In September 2016, Eddie Murphy confirmed that the film was expected to be released in 2019 or 2020, and that the script had been completed.
The story for the film was written by
Michael McCullers
Michael McCullers (born 1971) is an American screenwriter who specializes in writing comedies.
Early life
A native of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, McCullers attended Indian Springs School which is a private high school in Birmingham, Alabama. He w ...
, based on his own idea. When asked about the script in March 2017, McCullers said it featured "a pretty big reinvention" for the film series. On November 6, 2018, it was reported by ''
Variety'' that
Chris Meledandri
Christopher Meledandri (; born May 15, 1959) is an American film producer and founder and CEO of Illumination. He previously served as President of 20th Century Fox Animation, and has worked as the producer of the ''Despicable Me'' franchise a ...
had been tasked to be the executive producer of both ''Shrek 5'' and ''Puss in Boots 2'', with the cast of the previous films potentially returning.
Short films
''Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party'' (2001)
''Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party'' is a three-minute musical short film included on home media releases of ''Shrek''. It takes place during the last scene of ''Shrek'' (before Shrek and Fiona leave on their honeymoon), with the film's characters performing a medley of modern pop songs.
''Shrek 4-D'' (2003)
''Shrek 4-D'', also known as ''Shrek 3-D'', ''Shrek 4D Adventure'', ''Shrek's Never Before Seen Adventure'', and ''The Ghost of Lord Farquaad'', is a
4-D film
4D film is a high technology multisensory presentation system combining motion pictures with physical effects that are synchronized and occur in the theatre. Effects simulated in 4D films include motion, vibration, scent, rain, mist, bubbles, fo ...
/
ride at various theme parks around the world. It premiered in 2003 at
Universal Studios Florida, and was released on DVD. The short takes place right after the first ''Shrek'' film. Lord Farquaad returns from the dead to kidnap Princess Fiona and it is up to Shrek and Donkey to rescue her.
''Far Far Away Idol'' (2004)
''Far Far Away Idol'' is an interactive five-minute short, released on November 5, 2004 as an extra on the ''
Shrek 2'' DVD and VHS. It is based on ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' and guest stars
Simon Cowell. Taking place right after ''Shrek 2'' ends, the film's supporting characters hold a singing competition, with Shrek, Fiona, and Simon Cowell as the judges.
''Donkey's Christmas Shrektacular'' (2010)
''Donkey’s Christmas Shrektacular'' is a five-minute short which was released on December 7, 2010, with the ''Shrek: The Whole Story'' box set and ''Shrek Forever After''.
This short takes place in the Candy Apple, the new version of the Poison Apple. Donkey suggests everyone sing Christmas carols. Donkey sings "
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is a popular Christmas song written in 1963 by Edward Pola and George Wyle. It was recorded and released that year by pop singer Andy Williams for his first Christmas album, ''The Andy Williams Christm ...
". Shrek, Fiona, the Ogre children, and the army of ogres sing an ogre version of "
Jingle Bells" (such as "Bug Cocoon, Lick the spoon. Try our cricket slurp"). Puss in Boots sings "
Feliz Navidad", although he titles it "Fleas Navidad". Then everyone sings "
Jingle Bell Rock" as "Fairy Tale Rock".
''Shrek's Yule Log'' (2010)
''Shrek's Yule Log'' is a 30-minute short released on December 7, 2010, featured on the Donkey's Christmas Shrektacular DVD.
The short takes place inside Shrek's house, with the fireplace as the only place seen throughout the entire short. Shrek prevents Rumpelstiltskin from dousing the fire, Donkey does the same eye gag (seen from ''Shrek Forever After''), Fiona puts out cookies for Santa, and Puss puts on weight from cookies and cookie dough. Other characters such as Gingy, Pinocchio, the Three Little Pigs, Cookie, the Ogre Triplets, the Dronkeys, and
Pied Piper
The Pied Piper of Hamelin (german: der Rattenfänger von Hameln, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany.
The legend dates back to ...
appear.
''Thriller Night'' (2011)
''Thriller Night'' is a six-minute short film parody of
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
's music video ''
Thriller
Thriller may refer to:
* Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television
** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre
Comics
* ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
''. It was directed by
Gary Trousdale, and released on September 13, 2011, on the ''Scared Shrekless'' DVD. It was released on DVD
and Blu-ray
on August 28, 2012, as a part of ''Shrek's Thrilling Tales'' (''DreamWorks Spooky Stories'').
Deceased characters such as Lord Farquaad, Mongo, Rumpelstiltskin, Fifi, Fairy Godmother, Prince Charming and King Harold in his frog form appear as zombies. A 3D version of the short was added in October 2011 to the Nintendo Video service for
Nintendo 3DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
owners.
''The Pig Who Cried Werewolf'' (2011)
''The Pig Who Cried Werewolf'' is a six-minute 3D Halloween short film, directed by
Gary Trousdale and released on October 4, 2011,
for a limited time, exclusively on the Nintendo Video service on
Nintendo 3DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
.
It was released on DVD
and Blu-ray
on August 28, 2012, as a part of ''Shrek's Thrilling Tales'' (''DreamWorks Spooky Stories'').
The Three Little Pigs find themselves in trouble when they ignore the warning signs of a new neighbor moving in next door who takes on a ferocious form during a full moon.
''Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos'' (2012)
''Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos'' is a 13-minute CGI animated short film, directed by
Raman Hui, and was released on the DVD and Blu-ray releases of ''Puss in Boots'' on February 24, 2012. The short tells a story of Puss in Boots on a mission to recover a princess's stolen ruby from the notorious French thief, Whisperer. Reluctantly accompanied by three little kittens, The Three Diablos, Puss must tame them before they endanger the mission.
Television and interactive specials
''Shrek the Halls'' (2007)
''Shrek the Halls'' is a 22-minute
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
-themed
television special
A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...
, set after the events of ''Shrek the Third'' but before the events of ''Shrek Forever After''. It follows Shrek, who has never celebrated Christmas before, attempting to make the perfect day for his family. It premiered on the American television network
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
on November 28, 2007.
''Scared Shrekless'' (2010)
''Scared Shrekless'' is a 21-minute
Halloween
Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...
-themed television special set after the events of ''Shrek Forever After''. Shrek challenges Donkey, Puss in Boots, and his other fairy tale friends to spend the night in Lord Farquaad's haunted castle, telling scary stories to see who can resist becoming scared and stay the longest. The special premiered on the American television network
NBC on October 28, 2010.
''Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale'' (2017)
''Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale'' is an
interactive special
Interactive cinema tries to give an audience an active role in the showing of movies.
Another newer definition of interactive cinema is a video game which is a hybrid between participation and viewing, giving the player – or viewer, as it were ...
developed by Dreamworks which debuted on Netflix in 2017, featuring the character Puss in Boots. It is Netflix's first attempt at interactive television: during the program, the viewer is given points while using their remote control or other device to decide how the narrative should proceed.
Television series
''The Adventures of Puss in Boots'' (2015–2018)
A television series, starring Puss from the ''Shrek'' franchise, debuted on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
on January 16, 2015.
Production
Despite the advances in computing power over the 2000s decade, the increasing usage of novel techniques like
global illumination
Global illumination (GI), or indirect illumination, is a group of algorithms used in 3D computer graphics that are meant to add more realistic lighting to 3D scenes. Such algorithms take into account not only the light that comes directly from ...
,
physics simulation
Dynamical simulation, in computational physics, is the simulation of systems of objects that are free to move, usually in three dimensions according to Newton's laws of dynamics, or approximations thereof. Dynamical simulation is used in computer ...
, and
3D demanded ever more
CPU
A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor or just processor, is the electronic circuitry that executes instructions comprising a computer program. The CPU performs basic arithmetic, logic, controlling, and ...
hours to render the films. DreamWorks Animation noticed that every ''Shrek'' film took roughly twice the CPU hours than the previous film and thus labeled this trend as "Shrek's law". Similar to "
Moore's law
Moore's law is the observation that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit (IC) doubles about every two years. Moore's law is an observation and projection of a historical trend. Rather than a law of physics, it is an empir ...
" the Shrek's law says, "The CPU render hours needed to complete production on a theatrical sequel will double compared to the amount of time needed on the previous film."
In 2001, ''Shrek'' required approximately 5 million CPU render hours. In 2004, ''Shrek 2'' required over 10 million CPU render hours. In 2007, ''Shrek the Third'' required over 20 million CPU render hours, and the 2010 3D release of ''Shrek Forever After'' demanded more than 50 million CPU render hours on account of rendering an increased amount of frames. ''Puss in Boots'', which was released only one year after the previous ''Shrek'' film, utilized 63 million render hours.
Reception
Box office performance
Critical and public response
Academy Awards
Cast and characters
*
*
Crew
Video games
* ''
Shrek''
* ''
Shrek: Hassle at the Castle''
* ''
Shrek: Extra Large''
* ''
Shrek: Super Party''
* ''
Shrek 2''
* ''
Shrek SuperSlam''
* ''
Shrek Smash n' Crash Racing''
* ''
Shrek the Third
''Shrek the Third'' (also known as ''Shrek 3'') is a 2007 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 picture book '' Shrek!'' by William Steig, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The se ...
''
* ''
Shrek n' Roll''
* ''
Madagascar Kartz
''Madagascar Kartz'' is a racing game based on DreamWorks Animation's ''Madagascar''. It was released in 2009 for all seventh-generation platforms except the PlayStation Portable, as the second game on ''Madagascar''s spin-off series. The Nin ...
''
* ''
Shrek Forever After''
* ''
DreamWorks Super Star Kartz''
Musical
''
Shrek the Musical'' is a
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
based on the first film of the franchise. After a try out in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
, it began performances on
Broadway from November 8, 2008, before opening on December 14. Despite mixed reviews, the musical received eight
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
nominations including
Best Musical. At the time, the most expensive musical on Broadway ran for over a year and closed, at a loss, on January 3, 2010, after 478 performances.
A re-imagined version of the show ran as a tour of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
from July 2010 to July 2011. The second tour launched under two months later. A
West End production opened in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
in June 2011, to positive reviews. It received five
Laurence Olivier Award
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...
nominations including
Best New Musical. A differently staged production ran in Israel in 2010, with international productions running since 2011 in Poland and Spain,
and since 2012 in France. The show was soon to premiere in Brazil,
Italy,
Australia, and Philippines in 2012.
The title role was played by
Brian d'Arcy James on Broadway, and
Nigel Lindsay
Nigel Lindsay (born 17 January 1969) is an English actor. He is best known on television for his roles as Sir Robert Peel in the first two seasons of ''Victoria'', Jo Jo Marshall in the Netflix series '' Safe'' and as Barry in the BAFTA-winnin ...
on the West End. Other notable performances include
Amanda Holden (West End),
Sutton Foster (Broadway) and
Kimberley Walsh (West End) as Princess Fiona,
Christopher Sieber
Christopher Luverne Sieber (born February 18, 1969) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles Kevin Burke in ''Two of a Kind (American TV series)'' and Agatha Trunchbull in ''Matilda the Musical''. He was nominated for the Tony Awar ...
(Broadway) and
Nigel Harman
Nigel Derek Harman (born 11 August 1973) is an English actor, best known for his role as Dennis Rickman in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He has worked mostly in theatre. He starred in the final series of '' Hotel Babylon ...
(West End) as Lord Farquaad, and
John Tartaglia (Broadway) as Pinocchio.
Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
released in 2003 three thirty-two-page full-color comic books featuring Shrek, Donkey and Fiona, ''Shrek #1'', ''Shrek #2'', and ''Shrek #3''. The comics were written by
Mark Evanier
Mark Stephen Evanier (; born March 2, 1952) is an American comic book and television writer, known for his work on the animated TV series ''Garfield and Friends'' and on the comic book ''Groo the Wanderer''. He is also known for his columns and bl ...
and illustrated by Ramon Bachs and Raul Fernandez.
Ape Entertainment has also released under the KiZoic label five full-color comic books, a fifty-two-page
prequel
A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work.
The term " ...
to ''Shrek Forever After'' titled ''Shrek'' (2010), and four thirty-two-page books: ''Shrek #1'' (2010), ''Shrek #2'' (2010), ''Shrek #3'' (2011), and ''Shrek #4'' (2011).
Attractions
''
Far Far Away'' is one of the seven themed lands in
Universal Studios Singapore
Universal Studios Singapore (abbreviation: USS) is a theme park located within the Resorts World Sentosa at Sentosa, Singapore. It features 28 Theme park#Rides and attractions, rides, shows, and Theme park#Rides and attractions, attractions in ...
, and it consists of many locations from the ''Shrek'' franchise, including the forty-meter-tall Far Far Away Castle.
''
Shrek's Faire Faire Away'' is one of the three areas at the
DreamWorks Experience-themed land at the Australian theme park
Dreamworld. It opened in 2012 and it consists of a fixed arm, rotating plane ride ''Dronkey Flyers'', a kite flyer ''Gingy's Glider'', a swing ride ''Puss in Boots Sword Swing'' and a carousel ''Shrek's Ogre-Go-Round''.
A ''Shrek''-themed attraction, called ''
DreamWork's Tours Shrek's Adventure! London'', opened in 2015 at
London County Hall
County Hall (sometimes called London County Hall) is a building in the district of Lambeth, London that was the headquarters of London County Council (LCC) and later the Greater London Council (GLC). The building is on the South Bank of the ...
as the first of six attractions initially planned over nine years. This "Immersive Tunnel" from Simworx is built in collaboration with
Merlin Entertainments. The live interactive walkthrough adventure presents an original story written by DWA, along with a character courtyard, also featuring characters from several other DreamWorks Animation's franchises.
Multiple Shrek Water attractions opened at
DreamWorks Water Park
DreamWorks Water Park is an indoor water park within the American Dream shopping and entertainment complex, at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The park opened on October 1, 2020. The water park incl ...
on October 1 2020, these attractions are called Far Far a Bay Wavepool, Forbidden Waters Hot Tubs, Dragon and Donkey's Flight, Swamp & Splash, Shrek's Sinkhole Slammer. Dreamworks Waterpark also includes themed decorations that are balloons of Shrek and Donkey hanging from the ceiling of the waterpark.
Internet fandom
An underground fandom of the ''Shrek'' film series emerged on the internet. With the fanbase described by some as having an ironic liking towards the series, there have been several sexually explicit memes based on the titular character. The most notable example is a 2013
metameme
In the field of memetics, a metameme (or meta-meme) is defined as a meme about a meme. A metaphor or the idea of memetic engineering are, thus, metamemes. The concept of memes has been referred to as "The Metameme".Glenn GrantA Memetic Lexicon/r ...
based on a fanmade video called "Shrek is love, Shrek is life". Fans of Shrek are known as "Brogres", a take on the name "
Bronies
''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' is an animated television series produced by Hasbro as part of the ''My Little Pony'' toy franchise, which is tied in with the My Little Pony (2010 toyline), 2010 relaunch of dolls and play sets and orig ...
", the fans of the show ''
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'' outside of the shows intended audience. A "Shrek Filmmaker" movement of
Source Filmmaker animators making videos based on the internet's obsession towards the character has also occurred.
Since 2014,
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...
has celebrated the annual Shrekfest with costume and onion-eating contests, themed merchandise, and other festivities. In November 2018, comedy group 3GI, organizer of Shrekfest, released a
shot-for-shot
Shot-for-shot (or shot-for-shot adaptation, shot-for-shot remake) is a way to describe a visual work that is transferred almost completely identically from the original work without much interpretation.
Production uses
In the film industry, most ...
parody
A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...
remake
A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...
of the film ''Shrek'' made by a crew of over 200 artists, titled ''
Shrek Retold
''Shrek Retold'' is a fan-made reanimated collab film based on the 2001 film ''Shrek''. Released on November 29, 2018 to YouTube, the project was led by YouTuber Grant Duffrin ("3GI", best known for hosting an annual Shrek festival in Milwaukee ...
''.
References
External links
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{{DreamWorks animated films
Mass media franchises introduced in 1990
Adventure film series
Animated film series
Comedy film franchises
DreamWorks Animation franchises
Fantasy film franchises
Film and television memes
Film series introduced in 2001
Children's film series