#i want to write about that scene where shrek overhears fiona as she’s talking to donkey about her curse | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

orpheus-type-beat · 5 years

Text

shrek

1. Before I came to college I had never moved before. When I woke up on my last day at home, I remember thinking that what was so uncanny was how normal of a day it was. I woke up in the same bed and got ready in the same way I always did. It was a completely normal day except that it was also the last day where this routine would be what I considered normal. Even when I went back home, I knew there would be a different idea of “normal.” It was a very uncanny feeling, knowing that what normal meant to me was about to completely change.

This is also how I feel about watching Shrek.

2. Ew

3. Also what a cast tho

4. We’re starting in the 3rd act of beauty and the beast.

5. This is maybe a commentary on late stage capitalism and maybe like weirdly the scalping of Native Americans? And like systemic genocide/internment camps? This is a high concept movie.

6. I get it, donkey’s singing is like a parody of Disney musicals and the unreality of breaking into song.

7. “Doesn’t that bother you?” “Nope”. Wow, true friendship

8. Where did the name Shrek come from? No one knows. They walked into work one day, and every whiteboard was erased except for one, with the name “SHREK” written on it in huge block letters. The security footage from that night was mysteriously corrupted. All attempts to erase that whiteboard since have failed.

9. Farquaad = Fuckwad in a Mike Myers accent. Cool

10. Also, Google Chrome autocorrected Farquaad for me, because that name is just part of the English language now.

11. Farquaad’s got an impressive chin.

12. And commentary on waterboarding? George Bush doesn’t care about gingerbread people?

13. The Muffin Man thing was a good joke.

14. The Bachelorette thing is pretty funny too.

15. She’s a female werewolf basically.

16. The compensating joke is also pretty good.

17. His castle is like the magic kingdom? I never knew that this is an interesting development.

18. “Where is everybody?” Everybody’s at Universal because of Harry Potter land.

19. The thing about perfection is interesting. It’s like celebration / disney land all at once which is interesting. This is not the angle I was expecting. I was expecting a parody of Disney movies, not the theme parks.

20. The champion will have the “opportunity” to rescue the princess. We love corporate speak.

21. This soundtrack is pretty fire too. My favorite part so far.

22. This is also maybe about indigenous peoples land rights? (Editor's Note: not really)

23. “Ogre’s are like onions. They have layers.” It is so surreal to see the origin of this meme.

24. Haha the location. Property values. Curb appeal. I have watched too much HGTV.

25. As someone with a fear of heights, that was rough.

26. I know so many lines from this movie out of context wow.

27. “She’s inside, waiting for us to rescue her” “I was talking about the dragon, Shrek” We see you Donkey, ok. I know you and the dragon have kids I’ve seen the merchandising.

28. Guys gender and femininity are a performance, as evidenced by the princess performing the damsel in distress role.

29. “You’ve had a lot of time to think about this haven’t you”

30. Donkey, with Dragon, is a bottom, which is funny because he’s also an ass (see I can make edgy puns too Dreamworks)

31. Poor dragon just wants some love.

32. It’s super obvious that Shrek’s an ogre. How can she not know that. He has green skin. And looks like an ogre. It’s obvious.

33. “Take it off”

34. “Measuring” == Farquaad’s short and has a small penis.

35. Fiona should lean into the assertive thing.

36. This takes place in the Minecraft universe, which is why Fiona puts a door on a cave to spend the night.

37. Why Do We Build the Wall? To keep the fairy tale creatures out. The enemy is poverty.

38. Shrek has attachment issues (feel u bud).

39. Aww poor Shrek. There’s real pathos in this movie!

40. Farquaad drinks martinis in bed. Just an observation

41. Donkey remains a bottom, and an ass. I’m just saying I called it.

42. I prefer the fox Robin Hood.

43. Badass Fiona is way cooler than boring princess Fiona.

44. “Hold the phone” == PG “What the fuck”

45. Now Fiona is going to build a crafting table to make a healing potion.

46. Fiona and Shrek’s first alone moment occurs over an object that is inserted in Shrek’s butt. No other comment.

47. Soundtrack remains fire af.

48. Donkey is third wheeling hard rn. He’s finna drunk text Dragon

49. Aww she’s gonna visit him. Adorable. Farquaad is a side piece at best.

50. Shrek lost the courage because of a history of abuse. There is real pathos in this movie!!!

51. Wake up and smell the pheromones haha

52. There is a lot you could do with a queer studies reading here, with both Shrek and Fiona.

53. “This is not how a princess is meant to look” see (52)

54. Noo!! An overhearing misunderstanding plot that actually makes sense and isn’t totally stupid (still kinda stupid but).

55. The misunderstanding plot still actually works ok... wtf

56. It’s not like it has feelings ouch oof ouchie

57. He’s so short

58. Damn Hallelujah is used pretty perfectly.

59. “I used to live alone before I knew you” Did they write this movie around that line lol

60. Ooh that table fade transition between Shrek eating alone and Fiona eating alone is fantastic.

61. This last scene is basically the ending to the Princess Bride

62. The crowd laughing at him HURTS ouch

63. Wait Farquaad dies?? The dragon just eats him?? Wtf that’s pretty intense

64. Awwwww

65. The Monkees???? Great choice. Though why the cover lol. Is Eddie Murphy singing? That would make sense since Donkey’s been trying to have a musical number the whole movie and now finally does, confirming that this is a happy fairy tale despite the subversions.

67. This movie is about the way that monomythic fiction affects the way that we relate to other people, and ultimately hurts real connection. Huh. Not the theme I was expecting.

68. I liked it.

2 notes · View notes

monkey-network · 5 years

Text

Good Stuff: I Talk About Shrek (and I Bet No One Will Read This)

WARNING: If anyone actually reads this, please grade this fairly. I’m hoping for a solid B or C+ average at best. Thank you, take care out there, and enjoy.

Shrek was and is a popular animated film, dating back to 2001, about a green ogre that sets out to rescue a princess in exchange for getting his land back from an vindictive king after said king essentially banished a majority of fairy tale beings to his land. For the longest time, people have heralded it as an internet punchline since the movie itself is a punchline to Disney being the fairy tale movie to stand up to Disney’s more clean cut and whimsical ideals. It’s a subversive take on the prince charming getting the girl to then live happily ever after with her with our protagonist being a green, fat, gross monster that nobody wants around. Though considering this, why do so many like this movie? How did this have such a lasting impact when we’re praising a lot of animated movies after this that broke new ground in varied ways? Well, I say that while the movie gets its kudos from people for its meme-making legacy, there is some truth in the thought that this movie has pretty timeless writing. Many have talked excessively before about how it’s timeless, but I want to focus on one aspect that never left my mind as I started to think critically about this film: how it handles interpersonal relationships. Specifically, how the characters help the titular character not only have a better sense of self but also have the thought that being accepted and forming social bonds is achievable.

Initially, the movie is about Shrek being reminded repeatedly that he is unworthy of love or acceptance. Society hates and berates him for existing and he is generally content with it all. Image management comes into play here as Shrek has adjusted himself to be the being everyone has contempt over. It can be implied that he is grown up with this mindset, and he seems initially happy with being alone and hated. We can say this sense of misanthropic exclusion is deep down sad or downright depressing from the get go, but the character, the universe he’s in, and the movie itself makes it appear like this is okay scenario to be in, cause as long as he’s happy we have no reason to think otherwise. This all changes when he meets Donkey, the one character that, above all else, treats him more like a normal being. Even when Shrek tries a few times to scare him off, Donkey looks past this facade Shrek built in the efforts to befriend him since Shrek saved him from being captured. In addition, with Donkey’s presence, the movie offers a simple yet vital question: so Shrek is generally a lonely and antisocial being, how can he be lonely if he doesn’t want to be around people? Loneliness and misanthropy are inherently contradictory, and the movie shares explicitly that Shrek doesn’t like being alone because he hates people, but because society constantly judges him based on appearance and fear him before he can have a word in edgewise.

This is where the friendship between the two characters makes a third of this film work so well, Donkey is a genuine friend to Shrek, not out of obligation or to take advantage of him, but because he sees the ogre as a competent and reasonable person. Regardless of the ogre’s appearance, Donkey is the only character actually treats Shrek like a person and not just someone to be feared or berate. This in turn makes Shrek earnestly surprised that someone gave him a chance off the bat and for a good couple of scenes, the big guy lets his guard down and opens up to his insecurities about never being accepted to the one being that doesn’t see him for the beast he thinks he’ll always be. Heck, it is because of Donkey that snaps Shrek back to his senses when he doubles down on his reclusiveness in the third act. Donkey is a good example of Floyd’s general definition of a communicative friend, someone who is supportive, provides help and guidance voluntarily, and is generally approachable, even to aloof beings like Shrek.

Then when Princess Fiona is introduced, originally she is blown aback by Shrek’s presence. However, she doesn’t at first fear Shrek as she was annoyed at the thought that an ogre is the one that rescued her from imprisonment and not a dashing Prince Charming like the one she thought would come. While Shrek [the character] undergoes this somewhat, Fiona’s character is where the uncertainty reduction theory, the idea that the more we know about someone, the more we will like that person, comes heavily into play. After having been rescued and forcefully taken back to the villain Lord Faarquad, and overhearing Shrek’s conversation with Donkey about his insecurities, she lowers her contempt and shows some gratitude for the person for going through all the trouble to get her. Then after beating up some thugs, she hangs out with Shrek for a bit, getting to know him as a person to where they mutually develop feelings for each other. While having a rough start, this takes after Knapp’s model of relationship development. Shrek and Fiona build a slow bond over time when the latter’s egocentrism towards Shrek diminishes while the big guy gets to be around another person that actually likes him, lowering his misanthropic barrier ever further, all the while Donkey being the key voice of reason between the two. This bonding culminates in the two confessing their love for each other, with Shrek seeing Fiona’s real form as an ogre, and get married knowing they fell in love with each other in spite of appearance. Thanks to Shrek, Fiona is more comfortable with her true self after getting to know someone that already felt that way regardless of who said otherwise. They got the chance to validate each other’s conflicting existence in an organic way.

Taking all of this into account, what does this say about Shrek himself? Well, there’s an underlying sad truth that while Shrek has not only found somebody that treats him like a person, but one who actually loves him for him, the rest of society’s prejudice towards him hasn’t truly been erased. The sequel perfectly expands on this as society is not ready to face him and despite gaining someone’s affection, he is still not accepted and he believes he still doesn’t deserves acceptance. However, in the end of that movie, he finds content with which is because the ogre is the one that the princess has married. With that, the original movie gives people the thought that, regardless of how they appear among people, they are worthy of being loved. The thought that no one is incapable of belonging or having any kind of relationship just because not everyone thinks that’s achievable. I believe that’s why many may relate to Shrek personally, he’s somebody that wishes to be a welcomed member of society, that wants to be seen as more than what everyone perceives him to be, but doubts himself because he exists outside of an ideal mold. As such, the movie offers him the opportunity to dilute that self-doubt and be open with characters that actively gave him a chance to speak. His perspective was finally heard and appreciated, and that is something many people strive to achieve. This film may now be considered a joke by the masses, but underneath its comedic value lays a comforting ideal that no matter how you appear among people, there will be someone out who will listen to your story and provide you some sense of belonging.

#shrek #dreamworks #analysis #movies #animation #characterization

7 notes · View notes