Ogres, fairies, witches, talking donkeys and other supernatural creatures are stuff that childhood dreams are made of. To add to childhood fantasies and blend in a few adult themes of self-discovery, self-acceptance, confidence and self-love, the Dreamworks film franchise has won hearts since 2001.
Netflix has recently added the films from the Shrek franchise, of which the original 2001 film and 2004 sequel Shrek 2 have been dominating Netflix charts.
Unlike other grumpy fuzzy green monsters like that of the Grinch, Shrek is a personable green ogre living in a muddy swamp. While people are initially apprehensive of him due to the infamous reputation of ogres, Shrek is gentle and unique.
Voiced by Mike Myers, Shrek is joined by an annoying but loyal chatterbox donkey named Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy, as they embark on a series of adventures. In the first film, Shrek undertakes a daunting quest to save Princess Fiona from a dragon-guarded tower and bring her back for Lord Farquaad.
However, the human falls in love with the ogre and subsequently becomes one. In the second film, Fiona, voiced by Cameron Diaz, visits her kingdom of Far Far Away with her husband, Shrek, much to her father’s disdain, who is wary of the monster.
Enter Prince Charming and his mother, the Fairy Godmother who coddles her hollow but handsome son, and things go haywire for the ogre couple.
Shrek was the first-ever film to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and has always been celebrated for catering to all sensibilities. A subversion of classic fairy tales, the franchise disrupts the discourse of a handsome prince or a beautiful princess and encourages one and all to embrace themselves.
Funny, well-paced and infectiously adorable, the franchise has cemented its legacy in the history of animated films and is gaining the proper attention on Netflix yet again.
Watch the films on Netflix now.
