Jeri Jacquin
Coming to 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack from directors Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is our, well, kinda loveable ogre SHREK.
Lord Farquaad (voiced by John Lithgow) has taken over the fairytale kingdom and ruining the lives of the creatures who live there. Shrek (voiced by Mike Meyers) is an ogre who loves his muddy swamp and needs nothing more except being left alone. Well, that starts to change when the displaced creatures start placing themselves in his home.
Done with the madness and irritated with a particular Donkey (Eddie Murphy) who has attached himself to Shrek, he decides to visit this Lord. Interrupting the games, Farquaad makes a deal with Shrek – bring him the lovely Princess Fiona who is trapped in a castle and Shrek can have his swamp back creature free.
Shrek agrees and Donkey goes along for the adventure. They finally come to a castle that is being guarded by a dragon! Shrek goes in and finds the lovely Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) but she is not happy with how the rescue goes. Starting out these two are not exactly seeing eye to eye and Donkey thinks there is something more between them.
On the road back, Shrek and Fiona actually start talking to one another, but the Princess has a secret that she is trying to keep from everyone! Can she make it to the wedding day without being, well, herself?
Meyers as Shrek has made a place for himself in the ogre, swamp, jokes, loveable world of animation. DreamWorks found themselves a total winner in 2001 and that can be attributed to how Meyers made his Ogre amazing and hilarious. Using his ability to create voices, Shrek’s voice is unique and memorable even twenty years later.
Murphy as Donkey is totally in his element. There is not much that gets to Donkey as he seems to always fly by the seat of his furry animal rear end, and it works for him. Murphy gives Donkey everything and more to include being loveable, understanding, sweet and takes a hit and keeps on going. I can not imagine any other voice coming out of a donkey’s mouth than Murphy’s.
Diaz as Princess Fiona is probably our first glimpse at a Princess being a total bad ass. From the moment Shrek ‘rescues’ her, she makes it plain that she is not one to be trifled with. She has skills of her own and Shrek is about to discover them. Diaz also gives her princess a soft side filled with everything a young girl goes through with insecurities, uncertainties and unaccepting of her circumstances yet, does not know how to change it – until she meets Shrek.
Lithgow as Lord Farquaad is HILARIOUS, his statue does not match his ego that is for sure. He is full of himself and has managed to make everyone else forget he is as big as a keg of ale. Farquaad has more insecurities than anyone else running around in the fairytale world. Thinking he is going to get everything in the world is his first mistake.
Other wonderful characters include Vincent Cassel as Monsieur Hood, Chris Miller as Gepetto, Cody Cameron as Pinocchio, Michael Galasso as Peter Pan and Christopher Knight and Simon Smith as the Blind Mice. I have to give a shout out to Conrad Vernon as the Gingerbread Man!
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us to all experience and re-experience in our own home theaters. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.
MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.
The 4K Ultra HD and Bluray Bonus Features include The Animators Corner, Shrek’s Interactive Journey, Spotlight on Donkey, Secrets of SHREK, Deleted Scenes, Music Videos and Filmmakers’ Commentary. Plus, Bluray Bonus Disc with over 4 hours of fun Shrek In The Swam Karoke Party, Far Far Away Idol, Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos, The Ghost of Lord Farquaad, Scared Shrekless, Thriller Night, The Pig Who Cried Wolf, Shrek the Halls, Donkey’s Caroling Christmas-Tacular, Shrek’s Yule Log, and 5 Episodes from THE ADVENTURES OF PUSS IN BOOTS TV Series.
SHREK is a staple in our home video library because it is not just for kids but also for kids at heart who want to have fun. It is a mixture of fairy tales but with a kick as each of the characters begin to find their voice in a world that has kept them boxed up for so long.
Shrek, Fiona and Donkey are the three most impressive and silly characters we have ever seen but in that is also the flaws we all seem to have. Not just in personal appearance but in the way we see one another. SHREK has always pushed us past those differences and did so in a way that makes us smile as well as think more about the world we live in.
In the end – it’s the greatest fairytale never told!
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