SHREK 3

Shrek the Third is a computer animated comedy film of the Shrek series. It is the third film in the series, following Shrek and Shrek 2. It was produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg for DreamWorks Animation, and is distributed by Paramount Pictures, and was released in U.S. theaters on May 18, 2007 (June 22 in Spain, June 15 in Brazil, June 13 in France and June 29 in the UK and Ireland).

It was produced with the working title of Shrek 3. Like the first two Shrek films, the movie is significantly based on fairy tale (specifically Grimm's Fairy Tales) themes. According to Dreamworks, the film will be released on DVD on September 13, 2007.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Plot
* 2 Cast
* 3 Production
* 4 Reception
* 5 Rating
* 6 Sequels
* 7 Merchandise
* 8 Cultural references
* 9 Foreign Versions
* 10 See also
* 11 References
* 12 External links

[edit] Plot

The film begins with Prince Charming performing in a poorly done dinner theatre show. After being heckled by the audience and returning to his "dressing room" (a small table with a cracked mirror in a back alley behind the dinner-theater) Charming complains that he hasn't gotten his "happily ever after" and that just isn't fair. Meanwhile, King Harold has fallen ill and his ogre son-in-law Shrek has been summoned to take his place for a few days. Although Shrek reluctantly agrees, he has difficulties looking or acting the part of being the new King. He tells his wife Fiona how much he's looking forward to going back to their swamps, just the two of them. Fiona hints that she will have children, but Shrek completely misses the hint and responds that children are not his kind of thing. Despite what he learns about his friend's children, he knows that his close friend Donkey knows best.

However, King Harold is on his deathbed. He tells Shrek that he and Fiona that they are next in line to be king and queen. Shrek declines, knowing that there has to be someone else for the job. With his final three breaths, he tells Shrek that there is one other heir who can become the new King of Far Far Away: his nephew, Arthur Pendragon. The entire kingdom mourns for their king's death, but Prince Charming sees this as an opportunity to usurp the throne. Shrek sets out to find 'Artie', along with Donkey and Puss in Boots. As they're sailing off, Fiona runs to the dock and announces to Shrek that she's pregnant. Surprised but shocked, Shrek begins to have nightmares about his future children. Thinking that Shrek is worried about what having children would mean for his life, Donkey tries to reassure him that fatherhood was a great thing for him. Shrek explains that he is more worried about not being a good father. Shrek, Puss and Donkey arrive at Worcestershire Academy, where they met up with Fiona's long-lost cousin, Arthur and they eventually discover that Arthur, who is an academy student, is a loser picked on by other students at his school. Arthur joins with the three friends and is feeling good about his new role until Donkey and Puss scare him with responsibilities. Arthur gets into an argument with Shrek and they fight over the ship. They end up crashing on an island where they meet Arthur's retired wizard teacher, Merlin. In order to help Shrek and Arthur reconcile, he makes them look into a thick cloud of smoke to reveal their thoughts. Shrek sees a baby carriage, but lies and says that he sees a "rainbow pony". Merlin is convinced and moves on to Arthur, who sees a bird and its father. The father bird abandons the chick, leaving him frightened and confused. The chick tries to follow but falls to the ground.

After Merlin retreats to his hut, Shrek takes this opportunity to show Arthur that they're not so different after all. Just as Arthur had a father who abandoned him, Shrek had a father who was pretty bad as well. In fact, he tried to eat him. Shrek counsels Arthur that just because someone "calls you a monster, or a loser, it doesn't mean you are one". For years Shrek had been feared by people, believing he was horrible and terrifying, and for years, he believed he was a monster like his father. Gradually, he learnt to see himself for who he is. Arthur begins to identify with Shrek and the two become friends.

Meanwhile, Prince Charming has gone to the Poison Apple Bar where he convinces all fairy tale villains, Captain Hook, the Wicked Queen, a Cyclops, Rumpelstiltskin, Mable the Ugly Stepsister, Headless Horseman, Little Red Riding Hood, Stromboli, and assorted witches, black knights, evil dwarves, and evil magical trees to join him in a fight for their "happily ever after". The villains feel their side of the story has never been told and now is the time to do it. Fiona is at the castle, at a baby shower with her mother, Queen Lillian and princess friends, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White. She is also with Doris the Ugly Stepsister, and Donkey's wife, Dragon. Suddenly, Prince Charming and the other villains arrive to invade the kingdom. Fiona and her friends escape just in time, but the rest of the kingdom is thrown into chaos and the villains take control of Far Far Away.

The Three Little Pigs, Big Bad Wolf, the Gingerbread Man, and Pinocchio are confronted by Charming, Captain Hook, a Cyclops, and one of the evil magical trees. Prince Charming demands to know where Shrek is. Gingy sees his life pass before his eyes while Pinocchio is able to circumvent the fact that his nose would grow if he lied by telling several lawyer-esque half truths, but one of the Three Little Pigs breaks down and accidentally tells that Shrek is looking for the new heir. Charming decides to send some of his men to hunt down Shrek for a final showdown. Shrek, Puss, Donkey and Arthur wake up to find themselves surrounded by the villains sent by Charming. Working as a team, the group manages to fight the villains away, but it doesn't bring them any closer to Far Far Away. Arthur decides to ask Merlin, and he whips out some acting skills to convince the old wizard. Merlin prepares to put a spell on them and warns them that although the spell should work, there may be some minor side effects. Before he gets a chance to fully explain, the four friends are zapped into Far Far Away. The side effects cause Puss and Donkey to switch bodies since they accidentally held hands to stay together. Fiona navigates the underground tunnels of the palace with her friends and as they met with Charming, Rapunzel betrays them to become the new queen of Far Far Away and Charming's wife. The remaining girls are imprisoned and, after meeting with Puss and Donkey, Queen Lillian uses her head to bust down two stone walls, leading to their escape from the prison and the girls become independent.

Shrek arrives at the city to find everything in complete disarray. A trapped Pinocchio gives Shrek some information on what has happened since he left. Charming is bent on revenge against Shrek for 'stealing' his "happily ever after" and plans to kill Shrek in a play later that night. Shrek sneaks into Charming's dressing room, but Charming's men arrive shortly and quickly capture everyone. In an effort to save Arthur, Shrek tells Arthur that he wasn't the next in line for the throne, he was just some weirdo who Shrek wanted to take his place as King of Far Far Away. After hearing Shrek insult Artie that way, Charming believes Shrek really just used the boy and lets him go. An angry yet disappointed Arthur escapes being killed by the prince. Charming's play culminates when Shrek is led onto the stage. Shrek then humors the audience by ridiculing Charming's singing and acting. Just as Charming is about to kill Shrek, Fiona and her friends leap onto the stage to confront the villains.

Arthur has been convinced by Donkey and Puss in Boots to return after they explained what Shrek's true intentions were, and he manages to convince the rest of the villains that they don't need to do this. He tells them about the speech that Shrek gave them, and the fairy tale villains decide that they don't need to be villains anymore. Unfortunately, Charming doesn't feel the same way, or want to give up his "happily ever after". Charming then attempts to kill Artie with his sword, but Shrek protects him and pretends to be stabbed with the sword. Then Charming finds out, and becomes angry that he didn't get his "happily ever after," and Shrek says he'd better keep looking for his, because Shrek wasn't going to give up his own. Shrek throws him to the side of a prop tower, and Dragon knocks the tower down, crushing Charming and presumably killing him. The crown he was wearing then slides across stage, and Shrek offers it to Arthur, who accepts and then holds it out to the crowd in acceptance. Meanwhile, the Gingerbread Man has slid onto the stage and shows Rapunzel's hair, revealing it to be a wig. The bald Rapunzel flees in humiliation.

Donkey and Puss in Boots get a chance to ask Merlin, who just appeared, to help them and switched them back to normal, but leaves their tails temporarily mismatched (that is, until the next scene). The film concludes a few months later, with Shrek and Fiona back in their swamp, now parents to ogre triplets and Shrek begins to feel like a good father.

[edit] Cast

* Mike Myers as Shrek
* Eddie Murphy as Donkey
* Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona
* Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots
* Julie Andrews as Queen Lillian
* John Cleese as King Harold
* Rupert Everett as Prince Charming
* Eric Idle as Merlin
* Justin Timberlake as Arthur Pendragon
* Conrad Vernon as Gingerbread Man / Rumpelstiltskin / Headless Horseman
* Cody Cameron as Pinocchio / Three Pigs / Ogre Baby / Bohort
* Larry King as Doris, the ugly stepsister
* Amy Poehler as Snow White
* Megan Hilty as The Singing voice of Snow White
* Maya Rudolph as Rapunzel
* Amy Sedaris as Cinderella
* Aron Warner as Big Bad Wolf
* Cheri Oteri as Sleeping Beauty/Actress
* Regis Philbin as Mabel the Ugly Stepsister
* Ian McShane as Captain Hook
* Susan Blakeslee as Wicked Queen
* Mark Valley as Cyclops
* John Krasinski as Sir Lancelot
* Andrew Birch as Evil Tree #1
* Christopher Knights as Three Blind Mice / Heckler / Evil Tree #2 / Guard #2
* Chris Miller as Stromboli / Announcer / Mascot / Singing Villain
* Tom Kane as Guard #1
* Seth Rogen as Ship Captain
* Kari Wahlgren as Old Lady

[edit] Production
Early Promotional movie poster for Shrek the Third.
Early Promotional movie poster for Shrek the Third.
Image:Shrek the Third logo in Russian.png
Russian logo for the movie

With Viacom's acquisition of DreamWorks SKG, Shrek the Third is the first Mike Myers film to be released by Paramount Pictures (which itself was bought by Viacom in 1994) since 1993's Wayne's World 2. On the 2004 show, Father of the Pride, Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) was featured, solely to promote that Shrek 3 although he stated that it was to be released in 2006 rather than 2007.

Five actors from NBC's Saturday Night Live appear in the movie. Two actors, Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph, were current cast members at the time of the film's release; the remaining three are Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cheri Oteri. Two members of the Monty Python troupe, John Cleese and Eric Idle, provide voices in the film. Cleese has reprised his role as King Harold, while Idle provides the voice for the new character Merlin.

[edit] Reception

Shrek the Third opened in U.S. theatres in 4,122 cinemas on May 18, 2007. The film grossed a total of US$121,629,270 in its first weekend, the best opening weekend ever for an animated film, and third best overall.

The film received generally lukewarm reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it received a 41% rating,[1] Critical reaction was more negative than that for the first two films in the series. David Ansen wrote that his problem with the film was that, "its 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."[2] The film yielded some positive reviews from writers such as A. O. Scott from The New York Times who believed that the movie "seems at once more energetic and more relaxed [than its predecessors], less desperate to prove its cleverness and therefore to some extent, smarter." The Times newspaper also rated it 2 out of 5.

As of July 8, Shrek the Third had grossed $316,740,255 in the United States and $325,526,983 in other countries, bringing its worldwide total to $642,267,238.[3]

[edit] Rating

This film was rated PG by the MPAA for some crude humor.

[edit] Sequels

Peter Zaslav said in an interview that the Christmas special Shrek the Halls will pick up from where Shrek the Third left off.[4] The film will also be followed by another sequel, Shrek Ever After, which will be released in theatres in 2010.[5] In an interview with Antonio Banderas, a spin-off film entitled Puss in Boots: The Story of an Ogre Killer was confirmed. The spin-off will take place between Shrek the Third and Shrek Ever After.[6] A Shrek 5 is also planned.[citation needed]

[edit] Merchandise

Many toys, games, books, clothes and other products have made their way to stores. For the first time, a Princess Fiona doll has been released, featured a Ogre face mask, and "Kung Fu" Leg action. Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Snow White Dolls will also become available. A video game based on the film has been released for the Wii, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable, PC, and Nintendo DS.

[edit] Cultural references

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This article has been tagged since July 2007.
For songs played in the film, see Shrek the Third: The Motion Picture Soundtrack.

Continuing a tradition set by the first two films, Shrek the Third contains several references to popular culture, history, fairy tales, and legend:

* During the scene where Prince Charming goes to his dressing room in the alley, a picture of the fairy godmother can be seen with the title of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'".
* During the first scene with Prince Charming throw-up from graffiti artist "Cope2" can be seen in the back ground on a wall.
* Before the scene of King Harold's funeral the rainy and foggy day is a resemblence to the jailed scene from Disney's animated version of Robin Hood.
* In an early scene when Donkey wakes Shrek and Fiona, he sings the song "Good Morning" from the musical "Singin' in the Rain".
* During one of the earlier scenes in the Land of Far Far Away, a shop called "Versarchery" (written in the signature Versace typeface) is shown, next door to the "Abercrombie and Witch" (Fitch).
* During the final battle, after taking the body of Puss in Boots, Donkey uses his (Puss') sword to carve a "D" into Pinocchio. Similarly, Puss carved a "P" into a tree in his first appearance in Shrek 2. Both of these are a parody of the character Zorro, which was played, among other actors over the years, by Antonio Banderas (the same actor who voices Puss in Boots).
* After smashing the second wall, the dazed Queen can be heard humming "A Spoonful of Sugar". Julie Andrews, who plays the queen, sang the same song in Mary Poppins. After Fiona asks if she's okay, the Queen hums "My Favorite Things" the song Julie sang in "The Sound of Music".
* The animal call that Snow White uses against the Talking Trees is actually the war cry from Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" (The cry and music are slightly modified due to licensing reasons), but the beginning is actually a spoof of With a Smile and Song from the original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Disney movie.
* When Snow White rips the sleeve of her dress, she has a tattoo that says Dopey on it that is referring to the seven dwarfs in the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Disney movie
* 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 claims 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.[7]
* Merlin, Lancelot, King Arthur (Artie), and Guinevere (Gwen) are all characters from Arthurian lore. Artie is not the knight in shining armor most would expect, but a so-called loser being beat up by jousting jock Lancelot. This character may be based on what most Tudor historians think was Arthur, Prince of Wales' character.
* The incantations used by Merlin are similar to that of the Disney production "Sword in the Stone"
* When Donkey, Puss in Boots, and Shrek are outside the gates of the High School Artie, Lancelot, and Gwen attend it says: 'Worcestershire'. Donkey misspronounces it, and then after Shrek explains the correct pronunciation, Donkey makes a joke out of it by comparing it to Worcestershire sauce. Though it escaped some, Prince Arthur Tudor has a "Prince Arthur's Chantry" dedicated to him in Worcester Cathedral.
* Before Shrek and Artie have a heart to heart, Merlin plays the opening music to "That's What Friends Are For".
* After Gingy's life flashes before his eyes, he sings "On the Good Ship Lollipop".
* Also, during that scene, there is a short montage in reference to The Six Million Dollar Man, in reference to Gingy losing his legs at the hands of Lord Farquaad and having them re-attached later.
* In the same montage there is a scene of Gingy leaping huge distances in a wheat field, a reference to the first Superman movie.
* When Charming is in his dressing room, you can see the phantom of the opera's mask and costume.
* At King Harold's funeral the theme song for the James Bond movie Live and Let Die is sung - John Cleese (who voiced Harold) played the second Q in the James Bond film series. The song, originally performed by Paul McCartney's group Wings, is sung by a Frog Chorus.
* The Arthur and Merlin pair is related to The Sword in the Stone Disney movie.
* When the villains are vandalizing Far Far Away, one of them changes the "Bootery" store to "Hooters." Subsequently, many cheering men enter.
* The "Just Say Nay" Program at the high school is a reference to the anti-drug campaign "Just Say No".
* At Worcestershire a setting of a farm says "Widow Tweed's Farm" which is from The Fox and the Hound Disney movie.
* In the scene where Shrek is on the ship dreaming about being a dad, the stroller that rolls into his room is from the movie "Rosemary's Baby".
* At King Harold's funeral when Queen Lillian pushes the box away it says "Ye Olde Foot Locker".
* Before Arthur is dragged out of the assembly by Shrek, he mentions that he will build a city on rock and roll. This is a reference to Jefferson Starship's "We Built This City".
* In the scene where Shrek and Arthur are having a conversation by the fire outside Merlin's house, the stars to the right of Shrek's ear form the Southern Cross, a reference to Shrek 1 and 2 director, Andrew Adamson, who is a New Zealander.[citation needed]
* When Charming is about to kill Shrek during the play, Camille Saint-Säens's Danse Macabre is being played in the background. Viewers in the UK would relate part of this piece to the theme of the BBC hit show Jonathan Creek.
* In the final confrontation scene between Shrek's comrades and Prince Charming during the performance, there is a short refrain that borrows from Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (a song that was brought back to the charts thanks to Mike Myers' Wayne's World).
* In an earlier scene during the same village performance, a song played during the pirate characters' appearance on the stage while rowing a ship sounds similar to the theme song from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
* When Puss in Boots and Shrek talk about fatherhood on the ship leaving Far Far Away (middle of the film), there is a short refrain from Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle" sung by Donkey.
* Just before the final show, there are trees dressed like characters of A Chorus Line, while you hear "One" in the background.
* When Shrek enters the high school, two characters can be seen falling out of a carriage, with whispers of smoke pouring out behind them. This is a parody of Fast Times at Ridgemont High in which Sean Penn's character falls out of his car after smoking pot.
* During the Far Far Away invasion, Australian band Wolfmother's song "The Joker & the Thief" was played briefly.
* At Worcestershire, the Cheerleaders start their chant with "Ok, let's go!" An allusion to Bring it On
* When the ladies escape from their prison with Fiona leading them through the sewers, there is a brief overhead shot of the characters running over a narrow bridge. The composition of the shot is a direct reference to the Fellowship running from the Balrog in Moria in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
* During the prison scene, as Donkey and Puss are explaining their predicament, Donkey (in Puss) says "And it was a lot of "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo", a reference to the Disney Cinderella.
* During the scene where the Princesses are preparing for battle, the background music resembles the soundtrack from the movie "Kill Bill"
* Just before leaving for Far, Far Away, Artie turns to the popular girl and says, "Gwen, I've always loved you." This is a reference to Guenivere, Arthur's queen.
* When the ladies are on their quest to retrieve Shrek, the ugly step sister sticks her leg out at a guard. This is a reference to the Graduate when Mrs Robinson does this to Ben to be seduced.
* When the princesses are locked in the tower, Cinderella can be seen neurotically scrubbing the floor whilst talking to herself. She can be seen in the now reflective floor as coversing with herself like Gollum in the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
* When Snow White starts singing after they had escaped from the jail cell they had been locked in, animals come out, two of those animals happen to be from Bambi, Bambi and Thumper.
* In all three Shrek movies, Shrek repeats this line, "Better out than in I always say". In Shrek 1 when they were walking through the forest after breakfast, in Shrek 2 when they were having dinner with the parents, and in Shrek the Third, when the baby happens to burp.
* One of the seven dwarves painting the set of Prince Charming's show is asleep; an allusion to Sleepy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film).

[edit] Foreign Versions

* In Germany the leading roles are dubbed by stars like Sascha Hehn (as Shrek), Esther Schweins (as Fiona), Marie-Luise Marjan (as Queen Lillian) and Benno Fürmann (as Puss in Boots).
* In France, Alain Chabat voices Shrek. The French version has been highly criticized by the Quebec Action Democratique party leader Mario Dumont, because it uses Parisian slang and accents that are incomprehensible to most Quebecers including Dumont and his children (whom he took to see the movie). This has led him to issue a bill (affecting the Province of Quebec) stating that all movies must be shown either in Quebec French or not at all in French.
* In the Latin American Spanish dubbed version, as in the first two movies, Shrek was voiced by Alfonso Obregon, Fiona by Dulce Guerrero, Puss in Boots by Antonio Banderas (who also played him in English), Donkey by Eugenio Derbez and Artie by Enzo Fortuny.
* In Portugal, the lead characters are voiced by José Jorge Duarte (Shrek), Cláudia Cadima (Fiona), Rui Paulo (Donkey) and Paulo Oom (Puss in Boots). Other characters voiced by well-known Portuguese celebrities are Mabel the Ugly Stepsister (Manuel Luís Goucha) and Sleeping Beauty (Patrícia Bull). Paulo Oom doubles as a falsetto Gingerbread Man.
* In Spain, the Shrek and Donkey are voiced by comedians Cruz y Raya, while Antonio Banderas himself re-dubbed Puss in Boots. The Ugly Stepsister is dubbed by the former soccer player and notorious pundit Michael Robinson.
* In Japan, the leading roles are dubbed by comedian Masatoshi Hamada (Shrek), seiyū Kōichi Yamadera (Donkey), actress Norika Fujiwara (Fiona) and actor/comedian Naoto Takenaka (Puss in Boots). Other many characters are acted by professional voice actors (seiyūs), Prince Charming by Unshou Ishizuka, Queen Lillian by Toshiko Sawada and King Harold by Takeshi Aono, one of the most respected voice actors in Japan at that time. Artie Pendragon is dubbed by Keita Tachibana, a pop idol just like Justin Timberlake.
* In Poland Shrek is dubbed by very well-known actor Zbigniew Zamachowski, and Donkey by legendary comedian Jerzy Stuhr
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