Shrek

A tale of two quests, with mud as a shower, a laugh-and-half, with dashing in green:

I like the fact that this film is about journeys: both in terms of characters, and in terms of quests. Shrek starts as a typical ogre - having no friends and only wanting the privacy of his swamp. He's happy to continue living this way, until fortune intervenes, when he meets Donkey: a scatter-brained chatter-box, who although having no friends of his own, gradually becomes a true friend to Shrek. Despite this, Shrek values his privacy, and is intolerant when other fairytale things turn up in his swamp - as he wants his peace and quite (like many of us!). It is this (selfish) reason that gives rise to the story-lines first quest: to return all fairytale things to their homes (by having them relocated from his swamp). My favourite scenes (within this quest) are: when Shrek/Donkey walk through the Lancelot named horse plus cart parking (as this reminded me of the Magic Kingdom car parks), when Shrek/Donkey watch the dancing/singing dolls (as this reminded me of It's a Small World - from Magic Kingdom) and when Shrek/Donkey fight the castle knights (as I laughed when the knights were subjected to a barrel roll, together with numerous wrestling moves). It is within the castle that Shrek gains his second/main quest: whereby he agrees (for selfish reasons), to rescue a princess from the clutches of a dragon (so that he may get his swamp back). Within this quest, I especially like the character/personality development of the dragon: starting out as a fire-breathing western dragon (who smashes through walls and eats many a knight), but finishing as a tamed dragon (as the dragon falls in love with Donkey!). I also like the idea that dragons can be helpful: whether it's offering a lift and/or helping to save the day. When it comes to bringing Princess Fiona back, we (again) learn that she is not what you would expect. Her characters journey sees her transform from a person that demands etiquette, into someone, that is is not very lady-like at all (for example - burping). My favourite Princess scene is when she meets Robin Hood (and his band of merry men), both of which are portrayed as being somewhat annoying. I loved the idea of a woman loosing it and taking on an army single handedly (which is exactly what she does!). Overall: An enjoyable film whose magic lies in the fact that it mixes known elements (such as rescuing a princess) with unexpected elements (such as a likeable ogre). The film also had me foot-tapping (with the song I Believe) and laughing at specific jokes (such as the ones related to Lord Farquaad).