Shrek has become a cultural icon known to kids and adults alike. In a world where appearances seem to be society’s focus, Shrek 2 reminds us that it’s the inside that counts. The 2004 sequel continues to follow Shrek the ogre, on his journey in the kingdom Far Far Away as he tries to acquire the approval of his human parents-in-law. The movie is able to depict a fantastic children’s romantic fairytale by teaching a life lesson in the use a medieval style with numerous references to pop culture and iconic soundtrack.
Although seemingly set in medieval time, Shrek 2 actually presents modern references as a form of satire and parody on today’s world. Knowing that Fiona is a princess as well, we instantly know that Far Far Away is where the royals
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These little tidbits do not add much to the storyline until later when Shrek goes to the fairy godmother asking about what he can do to make Fiona happy. Shrek has been out of his swamp for too long and is letting the land of Far Far Away get the better of him. Already doubtful from the beginning, peoples’ thoughts and opinions have slowly affected his mindset and made him unhappy. When Shrek resorts to the fairy godmother, he is willing doing anything to not only win back Fiona’s love, but also gain the favor of Far Far Away. However, the fairy godmother clearly explains that Fiona could never be happy due to the fact that “happily ever afters” have no ogres, such as stories in Cinderella or the Little Mermaid. DreamWorks uses the side by side comparison of fairy tales to Shrek because they are tales that today’s children grow up or are at least familiar with. However, this supports the point that society focuses too heavily on looks rather than what is on the inside. Children know these tales well and as a recurring theme they may start to think that this is how life ought to be. Fairytales stereotypically known to always have a ‘pretty princess’ who needs saving. There is no additional character development once we notice that the princess can never save herself. Shrek and Fiona, however, act as the anomaly where two ogres can …show more content…
As the characters ride into town for the first time, Shrek’s worries about meeting Fiona’s parents are quickly forgotten as Funky Town by Lipps Inc. plays in the background. Shrek’s doubts of not being able to gain the approval of his in-laws are out the window and give way to the luxurious lifestyle of Far Far Away. However, upon entering the gates of the castle, the music comes to a screeching stop and we are back to reality. Funky Town welcomes us into the city, but Jennifer Saunders’ rendition of Holding Out for a Hero rescues us from the pits of this medieval Hollywood. As Holding Out for a Hero plays in the background during the utmost climatic fight sequence in the film, it pulls the audience out of its daze and realize that they too need to get out of the land that is Far Far Away. The much more upbeat tone of Holding Out for a Hero erases the Hollywood illusion and brings us back to reality. DreamWorks chooses this song carefully for its peak and embodiment of the scene with Fiona is waiting for Shrek’s arrival and will not let Prince Charming kiss her. She truly is holding out for her hero, which is still Shrek and she concludes that Far Far Away is not worth her time and does not allow the illusion of sunny skies get to
Film analysis with a critical eye can give the viewer how animation giant Disney uses literary element to relay key messages to the audience. Walt Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog” is a perfect example how different literary theories like ‘the Marxist theory’ and ‘Archetypal theory’ can be embedded in the simplest of the fairy tales. The different literary elements in the movie, shows a person how characters like ‘the banker’ and the setting of the houses helps to portray the socio-economic differences in New Orleans at that time. Applying ‘the Marxist theory’ and ‘the Archetypal theory’ to the plot, characters and the setting, shows how movies can be a medium to confront social issues and to prove that all fairy tales are of the same base.
Social Psychology is the scientific study of how we influence, affect, and relate to one another. Social psychology is studied to see how the influence of others can impact how we act. This can be seen in many aspects in life. Most specifically, social psychology can be seen in movies. Recently, I have viewed the movie Shrek which was released in 2001. Shrek is a kid’s movie about an ogre named Shrek who rescues a princess from a castle for Lord Farquaad in order to regain his swamp and privacy. During this process, however, Shrek falls in love with the princess and discovers a secret about her. While watching Shrek, I have noticed that many theories and concepts from social psychology were apparent in the film.
The creators of films Shrek and Mulan have clearly shown us the hero's journey step by step through the different film techniques and effects used to represent the hero's journey. This has shown us how Shrek and Mulan formed into hero's through the events of call to adventure, crossing the threshold, challenges, the abyss, transformation, revelation, atonement and the
The costumes in Shrek The Musical were the cherry on top of an already well produced play. Shrek and Fiona looked like actual ogres and looked very realistic with the green face and body paint. From head to toe, Shrek looked like a real life ogre. His clothing topped of him ogre like look and made him look very far from human. Similarly, when Fiona turned into an ogre she envisioned an ogre from head to toe. Donkey’s costume was also very realistic. He looked very similar to Donkey in the movie and his ears brought the whole costume to life. Lord Farquaad’s costume was the most interesting in my personal opinion. His costume was made very creatively to make him look oddly short. He was left walking on his knees throughout the show and there was a black piece of fabric with short legs on the front to hide his actual legs. His makeup, especially his eyebrows made him look more sassy which fit his character very well. The flashy gems and fabric of his costume made him look like royalty which was very well fitting since he is a king in the play. Another costume that stood out to me was Pinnochio’s. His nose that lengthened when he lied was very creatively made and also very realistic. The body paint on his face and arms made him look like a real life doll and his shoes were a good touch in my opinion to the costume.
We all grew up hoping that we were the princesses who met the dreamy prince and lived ‘happily ever after’ like in a fairytale.People debate over whether or not Disney fairytales are beneficial for children. Like Melissa Taylor the author of the piece ‘10 reasons why kids need to read non disney fairy tales’, I am against disneyfied fairy tales. In this essay I will argue on why kids should not only watch disney fairytales but also the real versions.
If children or adults think of the great classical fairy tales today, be it Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, or Cinderella, they will think Walt Disney. Their first and perhaps lasting impression of these tales and others will have emanated from Disney film, book, or artefacts (Zipes 72)
In addition to the previously mentioned elements, Shrek's unusual plot provides entertainment for almost everyone. Shrek combines average fairy-tale stories and adds its own twist. The comedy has been described as "a wonderful parody of every fairytale story that you can think of." The characters in Shrek are classic heroes, heroines, sidekicks, and antagonists, yet their wit and humor save the film from being just another children's movie. Shrek's plot aims to keep its audience engaged with every twist and
Presentational Devices of Shrek and Reversal of Traditional Roles In this essay, I am going to analyse the characters in 'Shrek'. I will mainly focus on Shrek and Lord Farquuad. I will also write about how the film makers use different presentational devices to create an unusual film. Stereotypically the prince is good and the ogre is evil. In traditional fairy tales ogres are pictured as man-eating beasts, while the Princes are tall, handsome and save the Princess.
The Reversal of Traditions in Shrek In traditional fairy tales ogres are man-eating beast. The prince usually rescues the princess; they marry and live happily ever after. How do the makers of 'shrek' use presentational devices to reverse this tradition to reveal the ogre as good and the prince as evil?
Mad Magazine, The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live. In our society, satire is among the most prevalent of comedic forms. This was not always true, for before the 18th century, satire was not a fully developed form. Satire, however, rose out of necessity; writers and artists needed a way to ambiguously criticize their governments, their churches, and their aristocrats. By the 18th century, satire was hugely popular. Satire as an art form has its roots in the classics, especially in the Roman Horace's Satires. Satire as it was originally proposed was a form of literature using sarcasm, irony, and wit, to bring about a change in society, but in the eighteenth century Voltaire, Jonathan Swift and William Hogarth expanded satire to include politics, as well as art. The political climate of the time was one of tension. Any criticism of government would bring harsh punishments, sometimes exile or death. In order to voice opinions without fear of punishment, malcontented writers turned to Satire. Voltaire's Candide and Swift's Modest Proposal are two examples of this new genre. By creating a fictional world modeled after the world he hated, Voltaire was able to attack scientists, and theologians with impunity. Jonathan Swift created many fictional worlds in his great work, Gulliver's Travels, where he constantly drew parallels to the English government.
Even though fairy tales don’t always end the way we want them to, we usually expect them to end with prince charming saving a princess. However, according to the Grimms Brothers version, “The Frog King,” the princess actually saves the prince. An innocent naive princess comes across a frog that once was a prince. Therefore, the only way he can overcome this curse is to ask a princess to fully have her assurance into becoming his companion. The moral of this fairy tale is express how appearances are deceiving. We don’t fully have an understanding what true beauty looks like until it is standing in front of us. The three main symbols that emphasize the true beauty in this fairytale is the frog, the fountain, and the golden ball.
Satire is defined as “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues” (Oxford). The best satirical writers can make the readers believe that an idea is “logical and practical.” This is seen in great abundance in Aldous Huxley’s novel, Brave New World. Through his writing, Huxley uses satire to effectively point out the flaws of society at the time. Even though Brave New World was written in 1931, the satirical points Huxley makes are still relevant in today’s world.
The original Disney fairytales portray their princesses as beautiful, elegant, and very ladylike. Although this is portrayed in most fairytales, it is not a qualifying factor to determine if a film is a fairytale or not. In the movie Shrek, Princess Fiona starts out as a very stereotypical girl, but as the movie progresses, she becomes more comfortable and starts to break these stereotypes. For example when Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey are walking back through the woods Fion...
In today’s modern age, young children are being raised by their TV screen. Reining from the original tales of Perrault and the Grim Brothers, the Disney princess line has been a staple on the screens since the 1930s (Do Rozario 1). However, these princesses have gone through dramatic changes to remain relevant to todays youth. The effects that can be influenced by the roles expressed in these types of films send mixed messages to the audience, causing them to ask themselves whether or not they should believe what the princess is expressing on the screen.
A person can take a story and look at it from many ways. Fairy tales represent the transformation of young people. Beauty is transformed into a young woman; she passes through the stages successfully and in turn is able to love. Every story teaches a lesson and in this case more than one lesson is taught. Not only is the lesson of sexuality and maturity taught, an even more important lesson is taught. Beauty and the Beast shows that true love comes from within the inside and if it is meant to be it will prevail.