Shrek Movie Analysis Essay Example

How can a film perfect its craft through its use of prestigious film techniques? Shrek, produced by John H. Williams, is a classic animated film that portrays the quest of the protagonist, Shrek, embarking on a journey to complete his quest of retrieving a princess. Like most creative films, this movie applies several film techniques that not only enhance the viewer’s experience but also subtly shine out details that contribute to the overarching plot. In addition, there are several other factors to culminate to this film’s success since its production such as character design and contrasts. 

Shrek uses dramatic and film devices to develop its characterization. We see this in the very beginning of the movie, where Donkey is introduced as being a fun-loving, talkative, and funny mule while Shrek is portrayed as this grumpy, isolated, and brute-like monster. Furthermore, Shrek and Princess Fiona first appear as complete opposites at first. Shrek is unorthodox and rather ugly, but princess Fiona is quite classy and gorgeous. The point of these characters in stark contrast to Shrek is to emphasize his personality and character, making him appear as an even bigger jerk to the viewers. His appearance in general also promotes this emphasis on the terrifying individual he is starting from the clothes, ending on his minute facial details. Shrek wears a dirty white shirt that is complemented by a brown vest that is too small for him, showing ugliness and disgustingness. The use of close-up shots and low-angle shots provide perspective as to how other people feel about Shrek, which is feeling horrified and in nasty awe. We often see these shots at the very beginning of the movie, where Shrek tries to fend off against rebellious villagers. These shots also support his incredibly exaggerated, intimidating appearance because we often get to see his drool, crooked and stained teeth, and ugly-textured ogre skin. Moving aside from the nasty ogre himself, Donkey’s character is strengthened through his polarized, yet uplifting personality. At some points of the film, dramatic irony is most associated with him to show his vibrant personality that’s unique in comparison to other characters. During other moments, he sometimes goes into a monologue that expresses his true compassion towards the stability and connection of friendship with others. For example, Donkey expresses his true feelings towards the loss of his greatest companion, Shrek, near the climax of the film. It truly goes to say that Donkey’s character is fun-loving, but he is also always willing to lend a hand in need for his peers. 

Not only does Shrek do a great job at fortifying their characterization with how each character acts, looks, and is shot, they also carry this exact magic towards their plot as well. Previously mentioned, Shrek is often portrayed as this hideous beast that follows his standards and expectations. The fact that Shrek can eventually learn to love by the end of the movie despite the extreme attitude he possesses heightens the resolution. Props also assist a much more powerful resolution several times throughout the film. Onions, our first significant prop, appears when Donkey and Shrek officially adventure out into the wild. It provides a visual representation of how Shrek appears to the world. Onions contain several layers, but people only judge off their surface. A mundane sunflower symbolizes happiness and love, so when Shrek dropped this item on the ground after hearing what princess Fiona had to say about “him”, it further divides their strengthened bond after all the connection they shared throughout their entire journey. The use of props in both scenarios is to help create a more impactful resolution that conveys a deeper message to the readers about the power of true love and friendship beyond superficialness. 

Moving beyond the horizon of plot influence, mood and tone are two major aspects of filmmaking that are commonly overlooked in the grand scheme of production. Shrek, despite this common habit, builds up these pieces by using even more meaningful shots that allow the viewer to visualize this firsthand. When Shrek and Fiona depart from one another at the near end of the movie, several match cuts are used to display a disconnection between the two. These two dynamic characters are continuously performing similar actions, yet they aren’t doing them together, thus making the mood rather discontent and disconnected. For tone, you could say it’s quite apologetic and ungrateful. It’s also worth noting that this scene has Hallelujah, by Rufus Wainwright, playing in the background. This song is often used in other works to display a feeling of lament, sorrow, and grief. Earlier than this, establishing shots are used to portray a patronizing tone and frightening mood. This type of film technique is seen when Shrek and Donkey first take a glance at the castle. The castle walls appear gargantuan and intimidating in comparison to the duo, thus showing that they are ultimately puny and inferior to Farquaad’s reign over Duloc, the movie’s totalitarian city. When Shrek notices all the fairy tale characters domesticating his swamp, Shrek loudly yells to assert his dominance. An aerial shot is used to reinforce his fiery rage during a heated tension because it shows that his yelling was incredibly loud, and the fairy tale characters all have likely heard this enraged fury. The mood in this situation is aggressive and irritated.

If Shrek can show us anything, it’s that cinematography can be adequately executed despite breaking common storytelling norms. Shrek can use an array of film and literary techniques without making it seem too excessive and unoriginal. They make use of several techniques such as the foil and costumes to convey a deeper contrast between two characters, which also additionally develops the plot. With props, these differences are conveyed to help build a deeper and happier resolution. Mood and tone are primarily shown by a series of different shot angles. With that said, now we know how a film like Shrek can perfect its craft by its use of prestigious film techniques.