Shrek
FAQ
Below are Frequently Asked Questions
and Answers about Shrek.
Q:
What is Shrek rated?
A:
Shrek is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association
of America for "mild language and some crude humor."
Q:
Is this movie OK to take my children to see?
A:
This is the most frequently asked question we receive
due to the film's PG rating. Even a teacher asked if it
is safe to take her kindergarten class to view the movie.
The only way for you to determine if the movie is OK for
your children (or students) is for you to first view it
by yourself. Mild language and crude humor is the reason
for the PG rating. For some parents this may not be appropriate
and for others it may, therefore you must first view the
movie on your own to make such a determination. See our
review
for more information on the movie content.
Q:
How long is Shrek?
A:
The running time for Shrek is 85 minutes.
Q:
How much did it cost to make Shrek?
A:
Approximately $70 million. That does not include DreamWorks
marketing budget for Shrek, which was huge..
Q:
What
is the Shrek story about?
A:
Shrek is the story of an ogre whose world is turned
upside down when fairy tale characters start showing up
inside his swamp home. Banned from the evil Lord Farquaad's
kingdom, the fairy tale characters are looking for a new
home - only Shrek (the ogre) doesn't want his home to
be their home too. So Shrek seeks out the evil Lord Farquaad
to get his "pest" problem solved. Farquaad gives
Shrek a quest (rescue a princess) with the guarantee that
if the quest is successful, then Farquaad will intervene
with the pesky fairy tale character infestation that Shrek
is having.
Q:
I heard that Shrek has a lot of modern pop songs
thrown into it. Is this true and, if so, wouldn't that
ruin the movie since it is set in the past?
A:
Yes, some may be surprised that pop songs do play during
the film, however it is important that you view Shrek
in the mindset of it being a humorous parody and therefore
normal rules don't apply. Parents should also be aware
that there is crude humor in Shrek. If you can
accept this fact prior to viewing the movie (and the fact
that Ogre's, by nature, are gross creatures) then it will
make it more enjoyable.
Q:
How many people worked on Shrek?
A:
Over 275 people - including computer animators, software
developers, and engineers - spent three years to create
Shrek.
Q:
I heard that Mike Myers wasn't originally cast as the
voice of Shrek. Is this true?
A:
Yes, it is true. Chris Farley was originally cast as the
voice of Shrek, but he died while the voicing of the movie
was still in progress. This is when Mike Myers was brought
on board.
Q:
Where is the official Shrek movie site?
A:
The official movie site for Shrek is at www.shrek.com.
Q:
Can DreamWorks get away with using Disney character's
in its movie? Aren't the characters copyright?
A:
DreamWorks can "get away" with it because A)
the movie is a parody and B) Disney did not create the
characters shown - they were characters (and legends)
created decades and centuries ago, many by book authors.
Q:
Is Shrek an original movie.
A:
Not exactly. Shrek is based on a children's book
by William Steig called "Shrek". Of course DreamWorks
took a lot of leeway with its version, which often pokes
fun at Disney.
Q:
The name of the voice of Monsieur Hood, Vincent Cassel,
looks familiar. Has he appeared or lent his voice to any
other films?
A:
Vincent Cassel is an actor who you may recognize from
the following two films (as well as numerous French films):
-
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc - Gilles de
Rais
- Elizabeth - Duc d'Anjou
Q:
There has been a lot of tension between DreamWorks and
Disney. Is it wise to be poking fun at your competitor?
A:
The tension is really between Jeffrey Katzenberg (DreamWorks
principal) and Michael Eisner (Disney CEO). There are
dozens of inside jokes that only people closest to the
falling out between these two people will understand and
there are dozens more based on widely publicized situations
like Eisner calling Katzenberg "a little midget".
Instead of slamming Disney in public statements, Katzenberg
has chosen a more creative release mechanism through Shrek
and it doesn't solely target Disney, either, in its jokes.
This competitive twist put into the movie has actually
increased its publicity and will likely result in more
people seeing the movie.
Q:
I've heard references from DreamWorks that Shrek
is considered to be a "Holy Grail of CG Animation."
What do they mean by this?
A:
The Holy Grail of CG Animation you've heard them use is
in reference to "creating realistic, believable human
characters; rich, organic natural environments; mixtures
of fluids that interact with characters; clothing with
detailed textures and movement; realistic hair, fur, and
fire." While all these elements are high quality
in Shrek, I don't know if I'd go as far as to call
them "The Holy Grail of CG Animation."
Q:
Is it true that DreamWorks is not releasing the background
score to Shrek?! Please tell me it is not true.
A:
DreamWorks has announced that they are releasing a soundtrack
to Shrek filled with pop songs (which appear in
the movie) from Baha Men, Smash Mouth, and other groups.
On that soundtrack will be a short "medley"
of edited background score selections (versus the complete
score). So the answer is that, unfortunately, DreamWorks
has given no indications that it plans on releasing a
background score CD with the work of composers John Powell
and Harry Gregson-Williams. We join others in asking that
DreamWorks please consider putting out a Shrek
background score CD.
Q:
What software was used to create Shrek?
A:
PDI, which created Shrek, mostly uses its own
proprietary software (like its own Fluid Animation System)
for its animated movies. However, for some elements it
also took advantage of some of the powerhouse animation
programs available to the public. This is particularly
true with Maya, which PDI used for most of its dynamic
cloth animation and for the hair of Fiona and Farquaad.
Photoshop was also used quite a bit in the art department.
There was also a touch of Softimage used in the movie.
But most of the software used was PDI exclusive, created
by its research and development team.
Q:
Did DreamWorks animate Shrek?
A:
Shrek was animated by DreamWorks subsidiary PDI,
who also did ANTZ. DreamWorks is distributing and
marketing the film. And speaking of marketing, Digital
Media FX is on the record in saying that Shrek
has been one of the best
marketed animated films ever. Kudos to DreamWorks
for doing such and excellent job (one that is costing
tens of millions of dollars).
Q:
What are the words to the "Duloc" theme park
song in Shrek?
A:
The lyrics, written by Eric Darnell, are as follows:
"Welcome
to Duloc; such a perfect town
Here we have some rules; let us lay them down
Don't make waves; stay in line
And we'll get along fine
Duloc is a perfect place.
Please
keep off of the grass
Shine your shoes; wipe your (pause) face
Duloc is; Duloc is
Duloc is a perfect place.
Q:
I have another question. Who do I ask?
A:
Send your question to joetracy@earthlink.net
with a subject header of "Shrek Question". Select
questions will be answered on this page.
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