Released in 2001, *Shrek* is an American computer-animated fantasy film that draws inspiration from William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book of the same name. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson—marking their debut as directors—the film features the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. It serves as a playful parody of traditional children's fantasy films, especially animated Disney classics. The story centers on Shrek, an ogre voiced by Myers, whose peaceful swamp is invaded by fairy tale creatures banished there by the villainous Lord Farquaad, voiced by Lithgow. To reclaim his home, Shrek strikes a deal with Farquaad to retrieve a queen—Princess Fiona—as part of a bargain to regain ownership of his swamp. Accompanied by a talkative Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy, Shrek embarks on a journey to find Fiona, played by Cameron Diaz. Although their initial intent is to deliver Fiona to Farquaad for marriage, Shrek gradually falls for her and uncovers a surprising secret about her. The rights to Steig's book were first purchased by Steven Spielberg in 1991, before the founding of DreamWorks, with plans for a traditionally animated adaptation. However, in 1994, John H. Williams persuaded Spielberg to shift the project to DreamWorks, which was then launched. Jeffery Katzenberg accelerated development upon acquiring the rights in 1995. Initially, Chris Farley was cast as Shrek and recorded approximately 80-90% of his lines before his untimely death in 1997. Subsequently, Mike Myers took over the role and, after initial recordings, decided to voice Shrek in a Scottish accent. Originally, the film was intended to utilize motion capture technology, but due to unsatisfactory results, DreamWorks enlisted Pacific Data Images to help realize Shrek's final computer-animated appearance. The film established DreamWorks Animation as a major competitor to Pixar in feature animation, earning $484.4 million worldwide on a $60 million budget. Acclaimed for appealing to adult audiences with its humor and themes while remaining accessible to children, *Shrek* was awarded the inaugural Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and received a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. It also garnered six BAFTA nominations, winning for Best Adapted Screenplay and earning a Supporting Actor nod for Eddie Murphy. The film's success led to three sequels—*Shrek 2* (2004), *Shrek the Third* (2007), and *Shrek Forever After* (2010)—along with two holiday specials, *Shrek the Halls* (2007) and *Scared Shrekless* (2010), and a spin-off, *Puss in Boots* (2011). Although a fifth film was originally planned as the conclusion of the series, it was canceled in 2009; however, development resumed in 2016 with a projected release around 2019 or 2020. Beyond films, *Shrek* inspired a wide range of merchandise, including video games, a stage musical, and a comic book adaptation by Dark Horse Comics. The character of Shrek himself was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in May 2010.
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