Shrek and Donkey Essay Example

Shrek and Donkey Essay Example Shrek and Donkey Paper Shrek and Donkey Paper Shrek was the biggest box office hit of 2001 motion picture developed by PDI DreamWorks studios. It is based on a childrens book by William Steig called Shrek. The film was so groundbreaking; it set a new trend to all CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) films that were out there. Shrek is a unique fairy tale story in disguise, which adds some emotional issues and laughter. The characters not only looked more sophisticated and three-dimensional but their personalities were also more human and less cartoon type; each character would have feelings, like humans. The film uses a constructed text in order to put across a theme of two very different characters learning to work together beyond their rivalries to rise above a common enemy and work towards a common goal. In this case Shrek and Donkey. These two characters are so different they are a perfect example. Shrek is a big, green, smelly, ugly ogre who is selfish wants to keep himself to himself. No one seems to understand Shrek. A good example is when Donkey is speaking to him he describes himself: For your information, theres a lot more to ogres than people think Ogres are like onions layers! Onions have layers Ogres have layers! We both have layers. Donkey gets confused and says he smells, which onions do, Donkey in the other hand is a talking donkey, who is small, smart, loudmouth and energetic. The film uses the characters and imagery very cleverly to represent this theme. The music used in the film is also different to other CGI films. Rather than the characters bursting into song themselves as in Monsters Inc. and Ice Age, or song played by an outside artist, the film has both elements implanted in the film. The soundtrack, like the film, will make you laugh, cry, and laugh again. Songs in the film includes: Stay Home, My Beloved Monster Eels and Hallelujah Rufus Wainwright. These reflect the mood and emotions of the characters in a particular scene. Such as in one seen where Shrek is mimicking a wrestling match with Lord Farquads men, rock music is played in the background. At the end of the film there is a spoof of the characters doing a karaoke sing-along to recognised songs such as Just the Way You Are, Baby Got Back, YMCA, Staying Alive, Dance to the Music, Feelings, Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, and Who Let the Dogs Out. The movie has a storybook start, which provides the narrative of the fairytale princess, locked up alone in her tower. Then Shrek rips the page out of the book and uses it to wipe his backside. This is where the fairytale gets twisted! Modern rock and pop music bring the story into contemporary time, as does the humor used, which includes toilet-humor, irony and parody. Particularly funny is poking fun at theme parks like Disneyland and the use of applause prompt cards to make the audience laugh. Shrek is famed for its detail in a CGI film. The attention is to the smallest detail for example the facial expression of Shrek and Donkey after they view Lord Farquads information board. After they view it a photo comes out and show the facial expression, then the camera switches to Shrek and Donkey showing the exact expressions. The detail is so accurate; it even shows the wrinkles on the forehead, eyebrow shape mouth sticking out and the shadow. This gives the film even more realism and depth. The use of unusual and imaginative camera angles, made possible by the use of CGI, also adds to the texture and pace of the film. The film is set in a world of hatred against fairytale characters. Lord Farquad is the ruler of that world. Lord Farquad was a man who sounded very big but only to be small. He only wanted wealth and power. He is the villain of this film. A very makes a very good example when during a tournament he makes a speech of a great evil tyrant ruler: Some of you may die, but its a sacrifice I am willing to make. In traditional fairy tales, ogres are man-eating beasts. The Prince usually rescues the Princess; they marry and live happily ever after. The makers of Shrek use presentational devices to reverse this traditional, to reveal the ogre as good, and the Prince as evil. One day Lord Farquad dumps all the characters on Shreks swamp. This makes Shrek very unhappy, so he sets out to Lord Farquads kingdom. While Shrek was on his way he meets a donkey named Donkey. Meanwhile Lord Farquad desires to become king. To do this he needs to marry a princess. So he recruits his knights and organizes a tournament to see who would set out to find Princess Fiona for him. At the same time, Shrek enters the kingdom and wants to reclaim the rights to his swamp home. Lord Farquad makes him a deal. Find Princess Fiona in exchange for the deed to his swamp. So Shrek and his loudmouthed sidekick Donkey embark on a quest to find Princess Fiona. Princess Fiona is a dreamer and a feisty young woman who often dreams about her shining knight and armor and true love that will someday rescue her from the tallest tower of a castle guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. But as this fairy tale would have it, Shrek makes a crashing entrance and literally grabs her to safety.