Shrek (2001)
Coming Out at 18 May 2001 in theaters.
Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Shrek is computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 fairy tale picture book of the same name by William Steig. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson in their directorial debuts, it stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow as the voices of the lead characters. In the story, an ogre called Shrek (Myers) finds his swamp overrun by fairy tale creatures who have been banished by the corrupt Lord Farquaad (Lithgow) aspiring to be king. Shrek makes a deal with Farquaad to regain control of his swamp in return for rescuing Princess Fiona (Diaz), whom Farquaad intends to marry. With the help of Donkey (Murphy), Shrek embarks on his quest but soon falls in love with the princess, who is hiding a secret that will change his life forever.
The rights to Steig’s book were purchased by Steven Spielberg in 1991. He originally planned to produce a traditionally-animated film based on the book, but John H. Williams convinced him to bring the film to the newly-founded DreamWorks in 1994. Jeffrey Katzenberg began active development of the film in 1995 immediately following the studio’s purchase of the rights from Spielberg. Chris Farley was originally cast as the voice for the title character, recording nearly all of the required dialogue. After Farley died in 1997 before the work was finished, Mike Myers stepped in to voice the character, which was changed to a Scottish accent in the process. The film was intended to be motion-captured, but after poor results, the studio decided to hire Pacific Data Images to complete the final computer animation.
Shrek premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d’Or, making it the first animated film since Disney’s Peter Pan (1953) to receive that honor. It was widely praised as an animated film that featured adult-oriented humor and themes, while catering to children at the same time. The film was theatrically released in the United States on May 18, 2001, and grossed $484.4 million worldwide against production budget of $60 million. Shrek won the first ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. It also earned six award nominations from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), ultimately winning Best Adapted Screenplay. The film’s success helped establish DreamWorks Animation as a prime competitor to Pixar in feature film computer animation, and three sequels were released—Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007), and Shrek Forever After (2010)—along with two holiday specials, a spin-off film, and a stage musical that kickstarted the Shrek franchise. Although plans for a fifth film were canceled prior to the fourth film’s release,[8] the project was revived in 2016 and has since stalled, with production and a potential release date getting pushed back.
Directors: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson
Writers: William Steig (book), Ted Elliott
Stars: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow, Vincent Cassel, Peter Dennis, Clive Pearse
Cast:
| Mike Myers | … | Shrek (voice) |
| Eddie Murphy | … | Donkey (voice) |
| Cameron Diaz | … | Princess Fiona (voice) |
| John Lithgow | … | Lord Farquaad (voice) |
| Vincent Cassel | … | Monsieur Hood (voice) |
| Peter Dennis | … | Ogre Hunter (voice) |
| Clive Pearse | … | Ogre Hunter (voice) |
| Jim Cummings | … | Captain of Guards (voice) |
| Bobby Block | … | Baby Bear (voice) |
| Chris Miller | … | Geppetto / Magic Mirror (voice) |
| Cody Cameron | … | Pinnochio / Three Pigs (voice) |
| Kathleen Freeman | … | Old Woman (voice) |
| Michael Galasso | … | Peter Pan (voice) |
| Christopher Knights | … | Blind Mouse (voice) |
| Simon J. Smith | … | Blind Mouse (voice) |
| Conrad Vernon | … | Gingerbread Man (voice) |
| Jacquie Barnbrook | … | Wrestling Fan (voice) |
| Guillaume Aretos | … | Merry Man (voice) |
| John Bisom | … | Merry Man (voice) |
| Matthew Gonder | … | Merry Man (voice) |
| Calvin Remsberg | … | Merry Man (voice) |
| Jean-Paul Vignon | … | Merry Man (voice) |
| Val Bettin | … | Bishop (voice) |
| Andrew Adamson | … | Duloc Mascot (voice) |
| Patty Cornell | … | Clockwork Chorus |
| Aleksandar Cvjetkovic | … | Shrek |
| Charles Dennis | … | Villager |
| Mehmet Ali Erbil | … | Esek (voice) |
| Susan Fitzer | … | Clockwork Chorus |
| Elisa Gabrielli | … | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Jeremy Harrington | … | Screaming Villager |
| Gary A. Hecker | … | Dragon Vocals |
| Richard Steven Horvitz | … | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Phillip Ingram | … | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Frank Welker | … | Dragon / Animals’ Vocal Effects (voice) |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia