A fairy tale for our times

Fairy tales – loosely defined as those stories that begin with "once upon a time" and end with "happily ever after" – have been criticized for feeding people’s minds with false hopes. After all, in real life women should not wait to be rescued, good does not always triumph over evil and happy endings are more the exception than the rule.

Shrek is a film based on a children’s book written by Wiliam Steig. Like other fairy tales, there’s a fearless knight, a beautiful princess, an evil ruler and other fantastic personalities, but that‘s where the similarity with fairy tales ends.

Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers), the protagonist, is an ogre who lives alone in a swamp. Shrek‘s relatively peaceful existence is disrupted first by a talkative Donkey (Eddie Murphy), and then by a pack of storybook creatures. In order to reclaim his land and have his solitary peace, Shrek strikes a deal with Lord Farquaad, the haughty ruler who issued a decree to capture the fairy tale characters. Shrek agrees to save the lovely Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), who is trapped in a castle tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon, and bring her back to the lord‘s bride.

Shrek uses the framework of the fairy tale and introduces flawed characters to come up with a fairy tale for our times. Instead of a handsome and noble prince, the hero is a temperamental ogre who would rather eat slimy stuff for dinner than go out of his habitat to find a ladylove. The hero‘s companion or "sidekick" is a colorblind donkey who isn’t afraid to point out his superior‘s weaknesses and faults. The princess is far from being gentle and soft spoken. In fact, she can out-kick and out-karate any man who tries to hit on her. And the ruler of the kingdom? He’s a tyrant all right, but he initiates laughter – not fear – in people.

Surrounding Shrek and company are familiar folks who we‘ve come to know through nursery rhymes and fairy tales. In the movie, these storybook luminaries are arbitrarily knocked off the pedestal and spoofed. For instance, Pinocchio is dubbed as a possessed wooden doll and Tinkerbell’s charms and spells are not as powerful as they are assumed to be. My personal favorite is seeing the queenly Cinderella and Snow White losing their poise over an inconsequential thing.

With very sharp features, detailed movements and backdrops bursting with color, Shrek showcases the latest in animated filmmaking. The makers have chosen the right actors to voice the characters. Mike Myers is delightful as Shrek. The role, a welcome departure from the much-recognized Austin Powers, re-affirms his talent as a comedian. In her first animated feature, Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona, shows more of the zany side that fans saw in Charlie’s Angels.

The real scene-stealer though, is Donkey voiced by Eddie Murphy. Whether the beast of burden is stomping his feet and belting a pop tune, or trotting beside Shrek and talking non-stop, Donkey is a treat to hear and watch.

Aside from being well made and entertaining, Shrek shows that real beauty is skin-deep. And in a society obsessed with looks, we certainly need that kind of reminder. Indeed, Shrek’s appeal is for kids and kids-at-heart.