Shrek Forever After

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

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Mike Mitchell
Produced by Gina Shay
Teresa Cheng
Written by Josh Klausner
Darren Lemke
Based on Characters 
by William Steig
Starring Mike Myers
Eddie Murphy
Cameron Diaz
Antonio Banderas
Julie Andrews
John Cleese
Walt Dohrn
Music by Harry Gregson-Williams
Cinematography Yong Duk Jhun
Edited by Nick Fletcher
Production
company
Distributed by Paramount Pictures1
Release dates
Running time
 93 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $135[1][2]–$165[3] million
Box office $753 million[3]

Shrek Forever After is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated fantasy comedy film. It is the fourth installment in the Shrek series, produced by DreamWorks Animation. The film premiered on April 21, 2010 at the Tribeca Film Festival, and was theatrically released by Paramount Pictures1 on May 21, 2010 in the United States. It was also released in 3D and IMAX 3D formats.

Taking place after Shrek the Third, Shrek is now a family man and beloved among the local villagers. Yearning for the days when he was feared, he makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin and accidentally wipes out his entire existence. To restore his existence, Shrek has to regain Fiona's love and kiss her before the sun rises, or he will disappear forever.

The film was the #1 film in the United States and Canada for three consecutive weeks and grossed a worldwide total of over $752 million. Additionally, Shrek Forever After is DreamWorks Animation's second highest-grossing film at the foreign box office.[4]

Plot

Shrek has grown steadily tired of being a family man and celebrity among the local villagers, leading him to yearn for the days when he felt like a "real ogre". When he takes his family to Far Far Away to celebrate his children's first birthday, a series of mishaps further injure his ego, causing him to lose his temper and walk out in anger.

Shrek encounters Rumpelstiltskin, who seizes his chance, having observed Shrek's angry outburst. He follows Shrek and arranges for Shrek to appear to save his life. To "thank" him, he gives Shrek a day to live like a real ogre, in exchange for a day from his childhood that he would not remember being erased.

Shrek signs the contract and appears in a reality where he is feared by villagers. He takes the opportunity to cause some lighthearted mischief until he finds "WANTED" posters for Fiona and his home deserted and desolate. He is kidnapped by witches and taken to Rumpelstiltskin, now the King of Far Far Away, which has become derelict and run down.

Upon inquiry, Rumpelstiltskin reveals that the day he erased was the day of Shrek's birth. Therefore, Shrek never saved Fiona, never met Donkey, and consequently Rumpelstiltskin was able to get King Harold and Queen Lillian to sign their kingdom away, making them both disappear. When the day ends, Shrek will disappear as well. Shrek escapes Rumpelstiltskin's castle with Donkey. Initially terrified of Shrek, Donkey decides to trust him after seeing Shrek cry over his erased history, something he had never seen an ogre do before. After Shrek explains the situation, Donkey helps him find a hidden exit clause: the contract will be nullified if Shrek and Fiona share true love's kiss.

They soon encounter a band of ogres who are resisting Rumpelstiltskin. The ogres are led by a still-cursed Fiona who, after escaping from the tower where she was held captive, keeps the retired and overweight Puss in Boots as a pet. Shrek does everything he can to gain Fiona's love, but she is too busy preparing an ambush on Rumpelstiltskin. She is also bitterly cynical and disillusioned about the power of true love and throws herself into planning Rumpelstiltskin's capture. While sparring with her, Fiona begins to like Shrek, but stops short of kissing him. Puss encourages him to continue pursuing Fiona.

During the ambush, the ogres are captured by the Pied Piper, though Shrek and Fiona escape with the intervention of Puss and Donkey. Shrek insists Fiona kiss him, saying it will fix everything, but because Fiona does not truly love him, the kiss does not work. When he hears that Rumpelstiltskin is offering the "deal of a lifetime" (where all wishes come true) to the one who brings him Shrek, Shrek turns himself in and uses the deal to free the other ogres, who then storm into the castle, battle the witches, and capture Rumpelstiltskin.

As the sun rises, Shrek begins to fade from existence. But Fiona, having fallen in love with him, kisses Shrek just before he disappears, thereby voiding the contract and restoring Shrek to his world, just before he lashed out at the party. Shrek embraces his friends and family with a newfound appreciation for everything he has, truly living happily forever after.

Cast

Production

Following the success of Shrek 2, a third and fourth Shrek film, along with plans for a fifth and final 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] In October 2006, DreamWorks Animation revealed that the fourth film will be released in 2010.[6]

In October 2007, Katzenberg announced a title for the fourth film, Shrek Goes Fourth,[7] explaining that "Shrek goes out into the world, forth!"[8] In May 2009, however, DreamWorks Animation retitled the film to Shrek Forever After, indicating that it would be the last in the Shrek series.[9] In November 2009, Bill Damaschke, head of creative production at DreamWorks Animation, confirmed with "All that was loved about Shrek in the first film is brought to the final film."[10]

Tim Sullivan was hired to write the script in March 2005,[11] but was later replaced by Darren Lemke and Josh Klausner. Klausner said about the script's evolution: "When I first came onto the project, it wasn't supposed to be the final chapter – there were originally going to be 5 Shrek movies. Then, about a year into the development, Jeffrey Katzenberg decided that the story that we'd come up with was the right way for Shrek's journey to end, which was incredibly flattering."[12] In May 2007, shortly before the release of the third film, it was announced Mike Mitchell would be on board to direct the new installment.[13] Much of the film was written and recorded in New York City.[14]

Soundtrack

Similar to most of the other Shrek films, the film's original score was composed by British composer Harry Gregson-Williams.

Release

Shrek Forever After premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 21, 2010.[15] It was publicly released on May 20, 2010, in Russia, while the American release followed the next day. The film was also released in IMAX 3D format.[16]

Home media

Shrek Forever After was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 7, 2010.[17] As of March 13, 2011, the DVD has sold 3,438,198 copies and has made $57,634,242.[18] The film is also included in Shrek: The Whole Story, a box set released on the same day that included all 4 Shrek movies and additional bonus content.[17]

Reception

Critical response

Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 58% based on 189 reviews; the average rating is 5.9/10.[19] Its consensus states: "While not without its moments, Shrek Forever After too often feels like a rote rehashing of the franchise's earlier entries."[19] Another review aggregator, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score, gave the film a score of 58 out of 100 based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[20]

Pete Hammond of Boxoffice gave the film 4.5 stars out of 5, writing, "Hilarious and heartfelt from start to finish, this is the best Shrek of them all, and that's no fairy tale. Borrowing liberally from Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, this edition blends big laughs and emotion to explore what Far Far Away might have been like if Shrek never existed."[21] James Berardinelli of Reelviews awarded the film 3/4 stars and wrote, "Even though Shrek Forever After is obligatory and unnecessary, it's better than Shrek the Third and it's likely that most who attend as a way of saying goodbye to the Jolly Green Ogre will not find themselves wishing they had sought out a more profitable way of spending 90-odd minutes."[22]

Writing her critique for Entertainment Weekly, Lisa Schwarzbaum graded the film a B−, saying, "Everyone involved fulfills his or her job requirements adequately. But, the magic is gone, and Shrek Forever After is no longer an ogre phenomenon to reckon with."[23] Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers wrote, "It's a fun ride. What's missing is the excitement of a new interpretation."[24] Mary Pols, film critic for Time, concluded her review with, "Can an ogre jump a shark? I think so."[25] Giving the film 1 star out of 4, Kyle Smith of the New York Post wrote, "After the frantic spurt of fairy-tale allusions and jokes in the first three Shreks, this one inches along with a few mostly pointless action scenes and the occasional mild pun."[26]

Box office

Shrek Forever After earned $238,736,787 in North America, and $513,864,080 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $752,600,867.[3] It is the 52nd highest-grossing film,[3] the 12th highest-grossing animated film, the fifth highest-grossing of 2010, the second highest-grossing 2010 animated film (behind Toy Story 3)[27] and the second lowest-grossing Shrek film.[28]

Shrek Forever After had the widest release for an animated film (4,359 theaters - later expanded to 4,389) in North America. On its opening day (May 21, 2010) it took first place, grossing $20.8 million, which was lower than the opening days of the last two Shrek films. The film then opened in three days with $70,838,207, lower than box office analysts predictions of a $105 million opening[29] and also lower than the two previous films of the franchise. Anne Globe, head of worldwide marketing for DreamWorks Animation, said they were happy with the film's opening since it debuted at #1 and also had the fourth best opening for an animated film, at the time, at the American and Canadian box office.[30] Shrek Forever After was in first place for three consecutive weekends.[31][32][33]

In North America, it was the eighth highest-grossing film of 2010,[34] the fourth highest-grossing DreamWorks Animation film, 2010's third highest grossing animated film, trailing Toy Story 3 and Despicable Me and the lowest-grossing Shrek film. Executives at DreamWorks Animation were impressed because the film earned $238.7 million in North America, although it was the fourth film in the series, seemingly being outgrown by its fans.[35]

Having made $513.9 million in other continents, it is the highest-grossing Shrek film, DreamWorks Animation's second biggest hit (behind Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted), and the seventh highest-grossing animated film.[36] It topped the weekend box office once, on July 16–18, 2010, with $46.3 million.[37][38] In Russia and the CIS, its second highest-grossing country, it had a $19.7 million opening weekend which was a record among animated films. It earned $51.4 million in total.[39] Third in total earnings came the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta, where it opened with £8.96 million ($13.6 million) and finished its box office run with £31.1 million ($51.1 million).[40]

Accolades

Award Category/Recipient(s) Result References
Teen Choice Awards 2010 Choice Movie: Animated Film Nominated [41][42]
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2010 Favorite Movie [43]
37th People's Choice Awards Favorite Family Movie [44]
38th Annie Awards Animated Effects in an Animated Production [45]
Music in a Feature Production
Voice Acting in a Feature Production (Cameron Diaz)
Storyboarding in a Feature Production
Production Design in a Feature Production
2011 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Animated Film [46]
Favorite Voice From An Animated Movie (Eddie Murphy) Won [47]
Favorite Voice From An Animated Movie (Cameron Diaz) Nominated [48]
37th Saturn Awards Best Animated Film
[49]

Video game

Shrek Forever After is an action-adventure video game based on the movie of the same name. It was released by Activision on May 18, 2010.

Possible sequel

Following the success of Shrek 2 in May 2004, Jeffrey Katzenberg revealed that the Shrek story had been outlined into five films almost from the beginning. "Before the first one was finished we talked about what the whole story of Shrek is, and each of the chapters answers questions about the first movie and gives us an insight," said 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."[50] After the release of Shrek the Third in June 2007, Katzenberg announced that the fifth film would be released in 2013.[51]

In May 2009, DreamWorks Animation (DWA) announced that the fourth film's title would be Shrek Forever After, indicating that it would be the last in the Shrek series.[52] Later that year, that was confirmed by Bill Damaschke, head of creative production at DWA, with him saying: "All that was loved about Shrek in the first film is brought to the final film."[53]

Josh Klausner, one of the writers of Shrek Forever After, explained in 2010 the script's evolution: "When I first came onto the project, it wasn't supposed to be the final chapter — there were originally going to be 5 Shrek movies. Then, about a year into the development, Jeffrey Katzenberg decided that the story that we'd come up with was the right way for Shrek's journey to end..."[54]

In February 2014, in an interview with Fox Business Network, Katzenberg hinted that the fifth film still may be made. "We like to let them have a little bit of time to rest," he said of the characters. "But I think you can be confident that we'll have another chapter in the Shrek series. We're not finished, and more importantly, neither is he."[55]

Spin-off

Puss in Boots is a computer-animated feature film that was released on October 28, 2011.[56] The movie is based on and follows the character of Puss in Boots on his adventures with Kitty Softpaws and mastermind Humpty Dumpty before his first appearance in Shrek 2.[57]

Notes

  1. ^ In July 2014, the film's distribution rights were purchased by DreamWorks Animation from Paramount Pictures and transferred to 20th Century Fox.[58]

References

  1. ↑ Goodman, Dean (May 23, 2010). "UPDATE 1-'Shrek' sequel underperforms at box office". Reuters (Thomson Reuters). Retrieved August 16, 2010. "Shrek Forever After," with the voice cast including Michael Myers, Antonio Banderas, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, cost about $135 million to make. Worldwide marketing costs will be about $165 million, Globe said.
  2. ↑ DiOrio, Carl (May 23, 2010). "'Shrek' underwhelms but tops boxoffice". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 23, 2014. Produced for an estimated $135 million,...
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Shrek Forever After (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  4. ↑ Heath, Paul (September 7, 2010). "Shrek Forever After becomes Dreamworks Animation's biggest release". The Hollywood News.
  5. ↑ Linder, Brian (May 17, 2004). "More Shrek". IGN. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Shrek 4 Coming to Theaters in 2010". ComingSoon.net. November 1, 2006. Archived from the original on November 25, 2006. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  7. ↑ "DreamWorks Animation Announces Fall 2010 Title". ComingSoon.net. October 31, 2007. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  8. ↑ Bartyzel, Monika (November 20, 2007). "Katzenberg Talks 'Shrek Goes Fourth' and 'Bee Movie 2'". CineMatical. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  9. ↑ "DreamWorks Animation Announces Plans to Release Five Feature Films Every Two Years". DreamWorks Animation. May 28, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  10. ↑ Wloszczyna, Susan (November 26, 2009). "First look: 'Shrek Forever After': Fourth, final film is first in 3-D". USA Today. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  11. ↑ "DreamWorks plans 'Shrek 4'". Variety. March 6, 2005. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  12. ↑ Eckerling, Debra (May 18, 2010). "We Asked ... Josh Klausner and Darren Lemke, "Shrek Forever After"". Storylink. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Mike Mitchell to Direct Shrek 4". Coming Soon.net. May 7, 2007. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
  14. ↑ Aaron (April 22, 2010). "Interview with Shrek Forever After Director Mike Mitchell". Lineboil. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  15. ↑ McCracken, Kristin (March 1, 2010). "Shrek Forever After to Open TFF 2010". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Shrek Forever After: An IMAX 3D Experience". IMAX. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  17. 1 2 Juan Colange (October 8, 2010). "Shrek Forever After and Collection Blu-ray in December". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Shrek Forever After - DVD Sales". Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  19. 1 2 "Shrek Forever After Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Shrek Forever After reviews at Metacritic.com". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  21. ↑ Hammond, Pete (May 5, 2010). "Shrek Forever After Movie Review". Boxoffice Media, LLC. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  22. ↑ Berardinelli, James (May 19, 2010). "Shrek Forever After - A movie review by James Berardinelli". Reelviews. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  23. ↑ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (May 20, 2010). "Shrek Forever After – Movie – EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  24. ↑ Travers, Peter (May 20, 2010). "Shrek Forever After". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
  25. ↑ Pols, Mary (May 20, 2010). "Shrek Forever After: An Ogre in Midlife Crisis". Time, Inc. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  26. ↑ Smith, Kyle (May 21, 2010). "Fourth 'Shrek' is pure drek". The New York Post (NYP Holdings, Inc.). Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  27. ↑ "2010 WORLDWIDE GROSSES". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Franchises - Shrek". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  29. ↑ "'Shrek' kicks off the sure-to-be successful summer kid flick biz". EW.com. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  30. ↑ "'Shrek Forever After' roars to top of box office". msnbc.com. May 23, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  31. ↑ "'Shrek' better than 'Sex' with $43M at box office". abcnews.com. May 30, 2010. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
  32. ↑ "'Sex' no match for 'Shrek' at box office". msnbc.com. May 31, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  33. ↑ ""Shrek" laughs its way past two new comedies". reuters.com. June 6, 2010. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
  34. ↑ "2010 DOMESTIC GROSSES". Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  35. ↑ "Summer movie report card: Most pass after a rocky start". Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  36. ↑ Lodderhose, Diana (September 7, 2010). "'Shrek 4' is DWA's biggest foreign hit". Variety Magazine. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
  37. ↑ "Shrek Forever After - International Box Office Results". Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  38. ↑ Subers, Ray (July 20, 2010). "Around-the-World Roundup: 'Shrek' Is King At Last". boxofficemojo.com. Amazon.com. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  39. ↑ "RUSSIA - CIS ALL TIME OPENINGS". boxofficemojo.com. Amazon.com. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  40. ↑ "United Kingdom and Ireland and Malta Box Office Index". boxofficemojo.com. Amazon.com. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  41. ↑ "First Wave of "Teen Choice 2010" Nominees Announced". The Futon Critic. June 14, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  42. ↑ "Winners of ‘Teen Choice 2010‘ Awards Announced; Teens Cast More Than 85 Million Votes".
  43. ↑ Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Nominations - Australia 2010! Take40 Australia. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  44. ↑ "2011 People's Choice Awards Nominations". Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  45. ↑ "38th Annual Annie Nominations". The Annie Awards. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
  46. ↑ Kids' Choice Awards 2011 Nominees: Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez lead Retrieved February 11, 2011.
  47. ↑ 'Kids' Choice Awards': Goo had it coming, Jim Carrey and Russell Brand! Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  48. ↑ Cameron Diaz Is 'Flattered' By Kids Choice Nomination Retrieved February 11, 2011.
  49. ↑ "37th Annual Saturn Award Nominations". SciFi Mafia. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  50. ↑ Linder, Brian (May 17, 2004). "More Shrek". IGN. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  51. ↑ Partridge, Des (June 7, 2007). "More Shrek set to roll". The Courier Mail. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  52. ↑ "DreamWorks Animation Announces Plans to Release Five Feature Films Every Two Years". DreamWorks Animation. May 28, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  53. ↑ Wloszczyna, Susan (November 26, 2009). "First look: 'Shrek Forever After': Fourth, final film is first in 3-D". USA Today. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  54. ↑ Eckerling, Debra (May 18, 2010). "We Asked ... Josh Klausner and Darren Lemke, "Shrek Forever After"". Storylink. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  55. ↑ McNary, Dave (February 24, 2014). "DreamWorks Animation CEO Hints at Another 'Shrek' Movie". Variety. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  56. ↑ "Holiday Movie Release Date Moves: A Recap". Deadline. September 30, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  57. ↑ "DreamWorks Animation Announces Feature Film Release Slate Through 2014". DreamWorks Animation. March 8, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  58. ↑ 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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