It has probably been 25 years since I watched Shrek. I’ve owned it on DVD and Blu-ray and saved it in case I have kids one day, but I haven’t yet. So revisiting the original after all this time, as a fifth film is in the works, is quaint. Of course many things have become entrenched in pop culture like “I’m making waffles” or the Gingerbread Man saying “Eat me.”
The film remains a clever take on fairy tales, lampooning public domain ones that happen to have been turned into iconic Disney versions. Making the ogre the hero is itself irreverent and the twist ending is kind of how Beauty and the Beast should have ended.
Even ‘90s computer animation looks great in 4K, but you can see the early stages of it from 2001. Fluids like mud and swamp water, ale from the casks, et. al. look a little gloppier than they would now. In distant crowds, humans look rougher but still better than current AI.
The animated world is sharp and vivid, full of detail. The forest at night is really evocative with shadows, forest coverings, the corners of Shrek’s hut. Even Farquad’s torture chamber is ominous in a family-friendly way.
Surround sound works too. The dragon stomps in 360 and her flames reach both rear speakers. The Merry Men backup dancers sing their lyrics behind you and birds flutter outside the barn.
A new 30-minute making-of covers the legacy of the film, and its troubled production with the late Chris Farley originally cast, and Mike Myers redoing the entire film with a Scottish accent. One Shrek line in Myers’ normal voice is presented. Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy all speak, as it looks like they are recording Shrek 5.
Then of course all those other bonus features from those previous editions I saved for my future kids are also available.