The Shrek franchise has explored beloved fairytales that most audiences know and love, but as it turns out, the ogre himself is also based on a story, though not many have actually heard of it before. Shrek is a Dreamworks animated film following an antisocial ogre who goes on a quest to save a princess with the help of a talkative donkey. The 2001 film became a franchise with four films in total and two spin-offs.
Among the many eccentric characters in Shrek there are those who are recognizable as treasured fairytale characters, although they are not always as sweet as they appeared in childhood stories. For example, Shrek 2's Fairy Godmother isn't very generous, and The Gingerbread Man plays roles both small and large in this world of storybook creatures. However, when it comes to Shrek's protagonist, the leading ogre is very similar to how he was originally depicted by William Steig.
Shrek Is Based On A Children's Book
The character of Shrek is based on a children's book entitled "Shrek!" The book was published in 1990 and was written by cartoonist William Steig. After working as a cartoonist for the New Yorker for thirty years, Steig decided to abandon advertisements and instead create children's stories. He was in his eighties when he wrote "Shrek!" The book follows a disgusting green monster named Shrek who leaves his home to travel the world, and in the process, falls in love with an ugly princess. Steig's Shrek is something of an antihero, but his story offers themes of self-esteem and satisfaction in life.
Steig's Shrek received very positive reviews and was cited as a simple yet abundantly cheery book. Therefore, the year after "Shrek!" was published, Steven Spielberg purchased the rights to the book and planned to make a traditional, 2-D animated film starring Bill Murray and Steve Martin. However, the story was later bought out by Dreamworks, who put the project into motion and released the finished product, 2001's Shrek starring Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy.
How Is The Shrek Movie Different From The Book?
Dreamworks' Shrek varies from Steig's original source material in terms of plot, however, the themes and ambiance remain virtually the same. In the book, Shrek's parents kick him out, and he encounters a variety of creatures from witches to dragons. He then teams up with a donkey and the two fight a knight in order to save an ugly princess. Shrek ultimately falls in love with the princess. The most obvious differences between book and movie Shrek are that the movie's plot and characters are expanded to create a longer, more dynamic story. Additionally, movie franchise Shrek is an adult who does not breathe fire like book Shrek.
Although Shrek seems like a fairytale character that would never actually exist, the Dreamworks film certainly had its inspiration like any other fairytale movie. Shrek can even attribute some of its success to William Steig's book because of his original idea of writing a fairytale that is not entirely pleasant and beautiful. In this way, both "Shrek!" and Shrek have remained as unorthodox yet amazing examples of what a fairytale can be.