Shrek the Third

This article is about the film. For the video game, see Shrek the Third (video game).
Shrek the Third

Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Produced by
Screenplay by
Story by Andrew Adamson
Based on Characters created
by William Steig
Starring
Music by Harry Gregson-Williams
Edited by
  • Joyce Arrastia
  • Michael Andrews
Production
company
Distributed by Paramount Pictures1
Release dates
  • May 6, 2007 (2007-05-06) (Los Angeles)
  • May 18, 2007 (2007-05-18) (United States)
Running time
 93 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $160 million[1]
Box office $799 million[1]

Shrek the Third is a 2007 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film, and the third installment in the Shrek franchise. Like the first two Shrek films, the film is based on fairy tale themes. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation and is the first in the series to be distributed by Paramount Pictures1 which acquired DreamWorks Pictures in 2006 (the former parent of DWA). Chris Miller and Raman Hui directed the film, with the former also co-writing the screenplay with Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman, and Aron Warner. Harry Gregson-Williams composed the original music for the film.

The story takes place eight months after the marriage of Shrek and Fiona in the first film.[2] Reluctantly reigning over the kingdom of Far, Far Away, Shrek sets out to find the next heir to the throne—Fiona's cousin Artie, while Prince Charming is plotting to overthrow Shrek and become king. In addition to Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett, Julie Andrews, and John Cleese, who reprised their roles from Shrek 2, the film also features Justin Timberlake in the role of Arthur Pendragon and Eric Idle as Merlin.

The film premiered on May 6, 2007, at the Mann Village Theatre, Westwood in Los Angeles,[3] and was released in the United States theaters on May 18, 2007 (exactly six years after the first film). It was nominated for Best Animated Movie at the 2008 Kids' Choice Awards, but lost to Ratatouille. It was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film at the 61st British Academy Film Awards. It was the final film in the Shrek franchise to be produced by Pacific Data Images before its closure in 2015.[4]

The film grossed $799 million on a $160 million budget, becoming the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2007. A sequel, titled Shrek Forever After, was released in 2010.

Plot

Prince Charming vows that he will become King of Far, Far Away and avenge the death of his mother, the Fairy Godmother. Meanwhile, King Harold is dying and his ogre son-in-law Shrek and daughter Princess Fiona are to succeed him. Shrek's attempts at trying to serve as the Regent during the King's medical leave end in disaster, and insists that an ogre as king is a bad idea and that there must be someone else to rule the kingdom. Before dying, Harold tells Shrek of another heir: his nephew, Arthur Pendragon. Prince Charming goes to the Poison Apple tavern and persuades fairy tale villains to fight for their "happily ever after" by appealing to the defeats given in their stories.

Shrek, Donkey and Puss in Boots set out to retrieve Arthur; as they are sailing away, Fiona yells to Shrek that she is pregnant. The trio journey to Worcestershire Academy, an elite magical boarding school, where they discover Arthur or "Artie" is a scrawny 16-year-old underachiever picked on by everyone. At the school pep rally, Shrek tells Artie he is going to be king of Far Far Away. Artie is excited until Donkey and Puss inadvertently frighten him by discussing the responsibilities of being king. Artie tries taking control of the ship and crashes it on a remote island, where they meet Artie's retired wizard teacher, Merlin.

Meanwhile, Charming and the other villains attack the castle, but Wolfie, Pinocchio, Gingy, the Three Little Pigs and the Blind Mice stall them long enough for Fiona and her mother Queen Lilian to escape along with Snow White, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Doris the Ugly Stepsister. One of the Pigs accidentally blurts out that Shrek has gone to retrieve Arthur, and Prince Charming sends Captain Hook and his pirates to track down Shrek. The ladies are put in a tower when Rapunzel betrays them because she loves Charming.

Captain Hook and his pirates track Shrek and his friends to Merlin's island, where they attempt to capture Shrek alive and defeat the others. Shrek and Artie defeat the villains, and Hook mentions Charming and the takeover of Far Far Away. Concerned for his wife and future child, Shrek urges Artie to return to Worcestershire. Instead, Artie cons Merlin into using his magic to send them to Far Far Away. The spell works, but causes Puss and Donkey to accidentally switch bodies. They find Pinocchio and learn that Charming plans to kill Shrek as part of a play. Charming's men arrive, but Artie tricks the knights into not taking them into custody and they break into the castle during rehearsals for the play. Caught in Charming's dressing room, the four are taken captive.

Charming prepares to kill Artie, believing he is the next king. To save Artie's life, Shrek tells Charming that Artie was a pawn to take his place as King of Far Far Away. Charming believes Shrek and allows Artie to leave. Donkey and Puss are imprisoned with Fiona and the ladies, where Fiona grows frustrated with their lack of initiative. Queen Lilian smashes the stone wall of the prison by head butting the walls. While the princesses launch a rescue mission for Shrek, Donkey and Puss free Gingy, Pinocchio, the wolf and pigs, Dragon and Donkey's children. They encounter Artie, and Puss and Donkey explain that Shrek lied to save him.

By nightfall, Charming stages a musical in front of the kingdom. Just as Charming is about to defeat Shrek, Fiona, along with Puss, Donkey, the princesses and the fairy tale characters confront the villains. Artie convinces the villains that just because they are being treated like losers does not mean that they have to be losers.

Infuriated, Charming lunges at Artie with his sword, but Shrek blocks the blow, so Charming attacks him instead. Shrek, who seems fatally injured, informs Charming that he needs to work on his aim and that the Prince needs to keep looking for his own happily ever after. As Shrek pushes him aside, Dragon knocks Rapunzel's tower on Charming presumably killing him. Artie is then crowned king, and takes the throne. While the kingdom celebrates, Merlin restores Puss and Donkey to their proper bodies, accidentally switching their tails temporarily. Shrek returns home to the swamp with Fiona, becoming the parents of ogre triplets.

Cast

Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas and Justin Timberlake at the film's British premiere in London.

Production

Following the success of Shrek 2, a third and fourth Shrek movie, along with plans for a final, fifth film, were announced in May 2004 by Jeffrey Katzenberg: "Shrek 3 and 4 are going to reveal other unanswered questions and, finally, in the last chapter, we will understand how Shrek came to be in that swamp, when we meet him in the first movie."[5]

DreamWorks hired Peter Seaman and Jeffrey Price to write the film and Jon Zack, who wrote The Perfect Score, on board as a consultant.[6] Unlike the first two films, the film was not directed by Andrew Adamson.[7] In March 2006, Shrek the Third was announced as the title of the film.[8] Previously, the film was titled Shrek 3.

The film was originally going to be released in November 2006, however, in December 2004, the date was changed to May 2007; "The sheer magnitude of the Shrek franchise has led us to conclude that a May release date, with a DVD release around the holiday season, will enable us to best maximize performance and increase profitability, thereby generating enhanced asset value and better returns for our shareholders." Katzenberg said.[9] Flushed Away, another film from DreamWorks Animation, was given the slot of November 2006.[9] The release date change was the day after Disney·Pixar changed the release date of Cars, from November 2005 to June 2006.[10][9]

Reception

Critical reception

41% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave Shrek the Third positive reviews, with an average score of 5.4 out of 10, based on 205 reviews.[11] The site's consensus reads: "Shrek the Third has pop culture potshots galore, but at the expense of the heart, charm, and wit that made the first two Shreks classics."[11] The film also has an average score of 58 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 35 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12]

David Ansen of Newsweek wrote that the film's "slightly snarky wit is aimed almost entirely at parents... this one never touched my heart or got under my skin. It's a movie at war with itself: a kiddie movie that doesn't really want to be one."[13] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, saying the film "wasn't awful, but it's bland, with a barrel-scraping averageness. There are no new ideas, no very funny new characters..." He called the character Merlin a "frankly unfunny new character" and considered the character to be a "rip-off of Albus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter franchise".

He stated that the film contained "no decent musical numbers, incidentally, and the one cover version is bizarrely chosen. For Harold's funeral, we get a rendering of ... Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die". Er ... huh? Because it's kind of sad and it has "die" in the title?"[14] The Times of London rated it 2 out of 5.[15] A. O. Scott from The New York Times described the film as "at once more energetic and more relaxed [than its predecessors], less desperate to prove its cleverness and therefore to some extent, smarter."[16]

Box office

Shrek the Third opened in 4,122 North American theaters on May 18, 2007, grossing $38 million on its first day, the biggest opening day for an animated film at the time, for a total of $121.6 million in its first weekend, the best opening weekend ever for an animated film, and the second-highest opening for a 2007 film in the United States and Canada. It held the animated opening weekend record for nine years until it was surpassed by Finding Dory's $135.1 million debut.[17] At the time, its opening weekend was the third-highest of all time in these regions.[18] Shrek the Third grossed $322.7 million in the United States, and $476.2 million overseas, bringing its cumulative total to $799 million.[1] The film was the fourth-highest-grossing film worldwide of 2007, and the second-highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada that year. In addition, it was the highest-grossing 2007 animated film, and the third-highest-grossing animated film ever.[19] The film sold an estimated 46,907,000 tickets in North America.[20]

Awards and nominations

Awards Category Recipient Result
Annie Awards[21] Directing in an Animated Feature Production Chris Miller, Raman Hui Nominated
BAFTA Awards[22] Best Animated Film
Golden Reel Award[23] Best Sound Editing in Feature Film: Animated
Kids Choice Awards[24][25] Favorite Animated Movie
Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie Cameron Diaz
Eddie Murphy Won
Mike Myers Nominated
People's Choice Awards[26] Favorite Family Movie Won
VES Awards[27] Outstanding Effects In An Animated Motion Picture Matt Baer, Greg Hart, Krzysztof Rost, Anthony Field Nominated
Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in an Animated Motion Picture John Cleese, Guillaume Aretos, Tim Cheung, Sean Mahoney

Soundtrack

Home media

The film was released on both DVD and HD DVD on November 13, 2007.[28][29] The DVD was released in separate pan and scan and widescreen formats (being the first DreamWorks Animation film to be reformatted from its original ratio of 1.85:1 to 1.78:1).[30] The HD DVD and DVD special features include several deleted scenes, features, trailers, commentary, music videos,[28][29] and exclusively on the HD DVD version, some web enabled and HDi Interactive Format features such as a special trivia track, a film guide, and an interactive coloring book which can be downloaded as of street date.[31]

The film and special features on the HD DVD version were presented in 1.78:1 widescreen high definition 1080p and feature a Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio soundtrack.[32] In addition, this film was released on Blu-ray Disc on September 16, 2008.[33] It was re-released on Blu-ray on August 30, 2011[34] and on Blu-ray 3D on November 1, 2011 as a Best Buy exclusive.[35]

As of August 30, 2014, DVD sales gathered revenue of $176,661,204 from about 11,863,374 units sold.[36]

Marketing

The film was backed by a large marketing campaign, with toys, books, games, clothes, and many other items becoming available throughout 2007.

A video game based on the film has been released for the Wii, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable, PC, Nintendo GameCube and Nintendo DS.

In May 2007, Shrek The Third was made into a mobile video game, developed by Gameloft.[37]

Shrek n' Roll, an action puzzle game based on the film, was released for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade on November 14, 2007. A pinball machine based on the film has also been produced by Stern Pinball.[38]

Controversy

In the beginning of the film, in Prince Charming's dinner theater, coconuts are used for horse's hoof beats. This same technique was used in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which also starred John Cleese and Eric Idle. Idle claimed to be considering suing the producers of Shrek for the unauthorised use of this gag, while the producers claim they were honoring Idle and Cleese by putting the part in.[39]

Satirical marketing effort

Adult Swim comedy team Tim and Eric, annoyed by the volume of advertisement they had witnessed in the months approaching the release of the film, decided to independently "promote"[40] Shrek the Third in a series of internet videos[41] as well as appearances on television and radio[42] to encourage people to see the film.

Sequels

The thirty-minute Christmas special, Shrek the Halls picked up from where Shrek the Third left off.[43] The film was followed by another sequel, Shrek Forever After which was released in theatres on May 21, 2010.[44] This was followed by the spinoff Puss in Boots in 2011.

Notes

  1. ^ In July 2014, the film's distribution rights were purchased by DreamWorks Animation from Paramount Pictures.[45]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Shrek the Third (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
  2. ↑ Armstrong, Josh (April 20, 2007). "Shrek the Third fun facts". Animated Views. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  3. ↑ Tourtellotte, Bob (May 18, 2007). "Shrek box office record downplayed". Reuters. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  4. ↑ Wolfe, Jennifer (January 22, 2015). "DreamWorks Animation Shuttering PDI". Animation World Network. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  5. ↑ Davies, Hugh (May 17, 2004). "Money talks for cast of Shrek 2". The Telegraph. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  6. ↑ Linder, Brian (June 2, 2004). "Shrek 3 Goes on Green". IGN. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  7. ↑ Otto, Jeff (September 28, 2004). "Adamson Not Directing Shrek 3". IGN. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Shrek 3 becomes Shrek the Third". animatedviews.com. March 21, 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 Linder, Brian (December 9, 2004). "Shrek 3 Shifted". IGN. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Pixar-Disney delay Cars release". bbc.co.uk. 8 December 2004.
  11. 1 2 "Shrek the Third - Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
  12. ↑ Shrek the Third at Metacritic
  13. ↑ David Ansen (May 21, 2007). "Oh, Grow Up Already". Newsweek. Archived from the original on May 14, 2007. Retrieved May 21, 2007.
  14. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (June 28, 2007). "Shrek The Third". The Guardian. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  15. ↑ Wazir, Burhan; Square, Leicester (June 12, 2007). "Shrek the Third". The Times. London.
  16. ↑ Scott, A. O. (May 18, 2007). "A Grumpy Green Giant Who Would Not Be King". The New York Times.
  17. ↑ ""Finding Dory" breaks record for opening of animated film". Associated Press. June 20, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  18. ↑ "'Shrek' Reclaims Crown with Third Movie". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  19. ↑ "The Third 'Shrek' Helps Quadruple Profit at DreamWorks". The New York Times. The Associated Press. October 31, 2007. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Shrek the Third (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Legacy: 35th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (2007)". The Annie Awards. Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  22. ↑ "Film Nominations 2007". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  23. ↑ "2008 Golden Reel Award Nominees: Feature Films". Motion Picture Sound Editors. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  24. ↑ "2008 Host & Nominees Release". Nickelodeon. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Nickelodeon's 2008 Kids' Choice Awards Ratings Release". Nickelodeon. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  26. ↑ "People's Choice Awards 2008 Nominees". People's Choice. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  27. ↑ "6th Annual VES Awards". Visual Effects Society. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  28. 1 2 McCutcheon, David (September 28, 2007). "Shrek's 3rd on DVD and HD". IGN. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  29. 1 2 Paramount Home Entertainment (September 27, 2007). "The Year's Biggest Comedy Premieres on DVD and HD DVD Tuesday, November 13th" (Press release). Business Wire. Archived from the original on March 12, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  30. ↑ Telsch, Rafe (August 7, 2007). "Shrek The Third On DVD November 13th". CinemaBlend.com. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  31. ↑ "New 'Shrek' Specs Promise Several HD DVD Firsts". High-Def Digest. September 28, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  32. ↑ Bracke, Peter (November 14, 2007). "Shrek the Third HD DVD Review". High-Def Digest. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  33. ↑ Bracke, Peter (May 30, 2008). "'Shrek the Third' Headed to Blu-ray This September". High-Def Digest. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  34. ↑ Zyber, Josh (August 30, 2011). "Blu-ray Highlights for 8/30/11 – Look in Your Heart!". High-Def Digest. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  35. ↑ Hettrick, Scott (March 9, 2010). "Samsung brings "Shrek" to 3D Blu-ray". Hollywood in HiDef. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
  36. ↑ "Shrek the Third - DVD Sales". The Numbers. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  37. ↑ Shrek the Third Review IGN.com. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
  38. ↑ "Shrek". The Internet Pinball Database. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  39. ↑ "Eric Idle considers suing Shrek makers over gag". Toronto Star. May 21, 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2007.
  40. ↑ "Tim and Eric Love Shrek gag". Tvsquad.com. May 19, 2007. Retrieved June 14, 2008.
  41. ↑ "Shrek 3 is One Awesome Ogre". BoingBoing. May 17, 2007. Retrieved June 14, 2008.
  42. ↑ Bjorkman, James. "Shrek the Third (2007) - Another Round for the Shrek Gang". Animated Film Reviews. Retrieved 2014-05-15.
  43. ↑ Peter Zaslav interview (IGN)
  44. ↑ "Shrek 4 Coming to Theaters in 2010". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  45. ↑ Chney, Alexandra (July 29, 2014). "DreamWorks Animation Q2 Earnings Fall Short of Estimates, SEC Investigation Revealed". Variety. Retrieved July 30, 2014.

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