Shrek the Third

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

Shrek the Third
File:Shrek the third ver2.jpg Movie poster featuring Shrek as King
Directed by	Chris Miller Raman Hui (co-director)
Written by	Screenplay: Jeffrey Price Peter S. Seaman Chris Miller Aron Warner Story: Andrew Adamson Book: William Steig
Produced by	Aron Warner
Starring	Mike Myers Eddie Murphy Cameron Diaz Antonio Banderas Justin Timberlake Rupert Everett Julie Andrews Eric Idle John Cleese Edison Chen
Edited by	Michael Andrews
Music by	Harry Gregson-Williams
Distributed by	DreamWorks Distribution through: Paramount Pictures (U.S., Canada, Australia, Brazil, France, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, UK theatrical & worldwide DVD) Universal Pictures (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, Spain and Switzerland theatrical) United International Pictures (Theatrical distribution in all other areas, directly and through various affiliates)
Release dates	May 18, 2007 (U.S.) June 7, 2007 (Australia) June 29,2007 (UK, Ireland)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	U.S.
Language	English
Budget	$160 million
Box office	Worldwide: $797.6 million

Shrek the Third, released 6 years after the first Shrek and 3 years after the second Shrek, is a 2007 animated film, and the third film in the Shrek 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 (exactly 6 years after the first Shrek).

It was produced with the working title of Shrek 3, the name being changed to avoid potential confusion with Shrek 3-D. Like the first two Shrek films, the movie is significantly based on fairy tale themes. The film was rated PG by the MPAA for some crude humor, suggestive content and emotional subjects. It was nominated for Best Animated Movie at the Kids' Choice Awards 2008.

Plot

Harold (John Cleese) has fallen ill and his ogre son-in-law Shrek (Mike Myers) and daughter Fiona (Cameron Diaz) are next in line to be King and Queen. Shrek declines, insisting that an ogre as king is a bad idea and that there has to be someone else for the job. With his final few breaths, the king tells Shrek that there is one other heir who can become the new King of Far Far Away: his nephew, Arthur Pendragon (Justin Timberlake). After a mournful (yet somewhat humorous) funeral, Shrek sets out to find this new king, along with Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). As they're sailing off, Fiona runs to the dock and announces to Shrek that he's going to be a father. Shocked, Shrek begins to have nightmares about his future children on the journey to Worcestershire Academy, where they eventually discover that "Artie," who is an academy student, is a loser picked on by the other students - even the nerds. Artie is initially thrilled to be the new king, and excited to be on his way to the throne, until Donkey and Puss inadvertently scare him by talking about things like plague and famine. Panicked, Artie tries to take control of the ship and ends up crashing it on an island where they meet Artie's retired wizard teacher, Merlin (Eric Idle).

Meanwhile, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) has gone to the Poison Apple Bar, where he encounters a slew of fairy tale villains including Captain Hook (Ian McShane), the Wicked Queen (Susanne Blakeslee), a Cyclops (Mark Valley), Rumpelstiltskin (Conrad Vernon), Little Red Riding Hood, Mabel the Ugly Stepsister (Regis Philbin), the Headless Horseman (Conrad Vernon), Stromboli the Puppet Master (Chris Miller), and an assortment of black knights, pirates, ents, and witches. Although they initially despise Charming, he persuades them 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.

Charming and the other villains invade the kingdom and pillage for a time before attacking the castle, disrupting Fiona's baby shower. They capture all of Shrek's fairy tale friends (Gingerbread Man (Conrad Vernon), Pinocchio (Cody Cameron), The Big Bad Wolf (a cross between the Three little pigs and Little Red Riding Hood's wolf) (Aron Warner), The Three Blind Mice (Christopher Knight) and The Three Little Pigs (also Cameron), Dragon, and Donkey and Dragon's children. Fiona and Lilian (Julie Andrews) try to escape through an underground passage, along with Doris the Ugly Stepsister (Larry King), Cinderella (Amy Sedaris), Snow White (Amy Poehler), Sleeping Beauty (Cheri Oteri) and Rapunzel (Maya Rudolph); the ladies are captured, however, when Rapunzel betrays them and leads them into a trap. They learn that she is in love with Charming, who plans to make her his queen once he claims the throne.

Captain Hook and some of his pirates track Shrek and company to Merlin's island, where they attempt to capture Shrek and kill the others. Shrek and Artie tag-team them effectively, however, and send the villains running, but not before Hook mentions "King Charming" and the takeover of Far Far Away. Concerned for his wife and their child, Shrek urges Artie to return to the safety of Worcestershire; Artie, however, has other ideas. He cons Merlin into coming out of retirement long enough to use his magic and send them all back to Far Far Away; the spell works, but accidentally causes Puss and Donkey to switch bodies because they were touching each other. They find that Charming is bent on revenge against Shrek for 'stealing' his "happily ever after," and plans to kill Shrek in a play later that night. Charming's men arrive shortly, but another clever ruse by Artie tricks the knights into not taking them into custody. They then break into the castle, where play rehearsal and set design are in full swing, but Charming is not good at rehearsing. He is also not good at mock battles, killing two faux Shrek in a row. In Charming's dressing room, Shrek menaces Charming but Charming is able to summon his men, who burst in and take the four captive.

Charming prepares to decapitate Artie. In an effort to save him, Shrek tells Charming that Artie was just a patsy to take his place as King of Far Far Away. Charming believes Shrek and decides not to kill the boy. Artie, who had just been growing to trust Shrek, is crushed by this and runs away. Donkey and Puss are thrown into the tower with Fiona and the other ladies, where Fiona is growing frustrated with the other princesses and their lack of initiative. Queen Lilian grows fed up when Snow White calls her an old lady, and successfully smashes the stone wall of the prison by head butting the walls. While the women launch a rescue mission for Shrek, who is being held captive elsewhere, Donkey and Puss work to free Gingy, Pinocchio, the wolf and pigs, Dragon, and the Dronkey. As they prepare to enter the castle and join the ladies, they encounter Artie, and Puss and Donkey explain to him that Shrek lied so Charming wouldn't kill him. Artie seems hesitant to believe them.

As the kingdom watches, Charming stages a theatrical performance in which he heroically rides to the rescue of Rapunzel in her (fake) tower and sings, somewhat badly. To Charming's profound annoyance, the chained Shrek wins the audience's support by ridiculing his singing and acting. Just as Charming is about to kill Shrek, Fiona and her friends, along with Puss, Donkey and the Fairy Tale characters, leap onto the stage to confront the villains. It goes awry, however, as the villains largely outnumber the heroes and take them prisoner again. In the nick of time, Artie arrives and convinces the villains to stop and turn over a new leaf, proving himself to possess effective leadership skills. He says a word of wisdom-"Just because some people treat you like a loser, it doesn't mean you are one. The thing that matters most is what you think of yourself. If there is something you really want or someone you really want to be then it's only you yourself standing in your way." The villains drop their weapons and release their captives. Charming, furious at having been thwarted by this boy, lunges for him with his sword. Shrek blocks the blow and appears to take it in his own chest, leading Charming to exult; the attack missed, however, and the sword is lodged harmlessly under Shrek's arm. Shrek informs Charming that he needs to keep looking for his own happily ever after, "because I'm not giving up mine." Dragon slyly knocks over Rapunzel's tower, which lands on Charming, and the crowd cheers. ( he may have lived because the glassless window is seen in the movie lands on him.) Charming's crown is sent rolling across the stage by the impact and is caught by Artie. Shrek tells him that the throne is his if he wants it, but it is his decision to make. Artie lifts the crown toward the audience, who cheer him loudly, then sets it on his own head. While the kingdom celebrates their new monarch, Merlin appears and restores Puss and Donkey to their proper bodies, though their tails remain switched.

As Far Far Away is left in the capable hands of young King Arthur, Shrek retires with Fiona to their swamp, having three ogre babies.

Cast

Main characters

• Mike Myers as Shrek
• Eddie Murphy as Donkey
• Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona
• Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots
• Justin Timberlake as King Artie Pendragon
• Rupert Everett as Prince Charming
• Julie Andrews as Queen Lillian

Other characters

See also: List of fairy tale characters in Shrek

• Eric Idle as Merlin
• Conrad Vernon as Gingerbread Man, Rumpelstiltskin, the Headless Horseman, and Gollum
• Cody Cameron as Pinocchio, the Three Little Pigs, Ogre Babies, and Bohort
• Larry King as Doris the Ugly Stepsister
• Amy Poehler as Snow White
• Maya Rudolph as Rapunzel
• Megan Hilty as Snow White (Singing Voice)
• Amy Sedaris as Cinderella
• Aron Warner as Big Bad Wolf
• Cheri Oteri as Sleeping Beauty and Actress
• Ian McShane as Captain Hook
• Susanne Blakeslee as Wicked Queen
• Seth Rogen as Ship Captain
• Kari Wahlgren as Old Lady
• John Cleese as King Harold
• Jim Cummings as Shrek (ADR work)
• Maurice LaMarche as Donkey (ADR work)
• David Kyle as Puss in Boots (ADR work)
• Samantha Bond as Princess Fiona (ADR work)
• Simon Callow as Artie (ADR work)
• John Lithgow as Lord Farquaad (laugh in one scene only) (flashback from Shrek)
• John Krasinski as Lancelot
• Regis Philbin as Mabel the Ugly Stepsister

Release dates

Region	Release date
United States	May 18, 2007
Australia	June 7, 2007
Philippines	June 11, 2007
Turkey	June 15, 2007
Hong Kong	June 28, 2007
Ireland	June 29, 2007
United Kingdom

Reception

Critical reception to Shrek the Third since its release has been mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently garners a 49% rating from critics and a 49% from users. Critical reaction was more negative than that of 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." 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.

Despite these criticisms, Shrek the Third, which opened in 4,122 North American cinemas on May 18, 2007, 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. As of November 30, 2007, Shrek the Third has grossed $321 million in the United States and $473.4 million overseas, bringing its cumulative total to $794.4 million. Shrek The Third was the fourth highest grossing film worldwide in 2007, only behind Spider Man 3, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. It was also the second-highest grossing movie in the United States in that year, behind Spider-Man 3. In addition, it was the highest-grossing animated movie worldwide of 2007. Compared to its predecessors, the film also had an unusually short box office lifespan. Shrek the Third spent only 12 weeks in theaters, while Shrek and Shrek 2 were respectively in release for 29 and 21 weeks, respectively.

In addition, the film won the 2007 People's Choice Award for "Favorite Family Film".

Previews

Before the theartical release, the previews are the same to Bee Movie, but in the "Nickelodeon Favourites" ad, Avatar: The Last Airbender is added as well as a trailer for Charlotte's Web is added.

Soundtrack

Main articles: Shrek the Third: The Motion Picture Soundtrack and Shrek the Third: Original Motion Picture Score

Sequels

Peter Zaslav said in an interview that the Christmas special Shrek the Halls will pick up from where Shrek the Third left off. The film will also be followed by another sequel, Shrek Goes Fourth which will be released in theatres on May 21, 2010. In an interview with Antonio Banderas, a spin-off film entitled Puss in Boots: The Story of an Ogre Killer (to be released in 2011), was confirmed. The spin-off will take place between Shrek Goes Fourth and Shrek 5, with the latter final film being set for release in 2013.

Home Video release

File:Shrekthethird hddvd.jpg

Shrek the Third HD DVD retail packaging

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

The film and special features on the HD DVD version were presented in 1.85:1 widescreen high definition 1080p and feature a Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio soundtrack.

In addition, this film is expected to be released on BD on September 16, 2008.

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 an 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.

Homage to Monty Python

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.

Grassroots Marketing Effort

Adult Swim comedy team Tim and Eric were such big fans of the first two Shrek films that they decided to independently promote Shrek 3 in a series of internet videos as well as appearances on television and radioin order to encourage people to really get out and see the movie. In publicity appearances, when asked about their television series Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, they resisted discussing it altogether because they didn't want to take the focus away from Shrek 3. They apparently wanted to make sure people didn't wait for the DVD or TV releases and instead to support Shrek 3 on its opening weekend--to maximize box office revenue.

See also

• List of animated feature films
• List of computer-animated films

External links

• Official Site and Trailer
• Dreamworks Fansite
• BBC's The Film Programme interviews Shrek 3's composer Harry Gregson-Williams
• Template:Bcdb title
• Shrek the Third at IMDb
• Shrek the Third Reviews at Metacritic
• Shrek the Third at Rotten Tomatoes