This blog post explores how Shrek, who defied the typical hero narrative upon his arrival, overcame prejudice, grew, and ultimately established himself as a true hero.
Prologue
“Shrek” made a huge splash in the global animation world when it arrived in May 2001. The film garnered widespread acclaim from both critics and audiences, and after its release, it earned the honor of winning major awards at ceremonies including the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, the British Academy Film Awards, the Academy Awards, and the Golden Globes. It was also exceptionally invited to the competition section at the Cannes Film Festival as an animated film, receiving recognition for its artistic merit. Since then, the “Shrek” series has produced and released four films, with additional sequels currently in the planning stages. Why did this story of a green monster—which could seem quite childish to some, or even clichéd to others—gain such fervent global popularity and achieve such resounding success? The genre characteristics of “Shrek” and the resulting subversion of everyday norms, which we will examine next, may well be the crucial foundation underpinning this film’s success.
Fantasy
The film reveals a strong fantasy element simply through its premise of featuring a “monster.” Its basic flow adopts the format of a journey fantasy centered around the monster’s (or hero’s) travels and quests. While it appears to depict a hero’s journey on the surface, the real charm of “Shrek” lies in its distinctly different format compared to typical hero-centric fantasy. Therefore, we will first compare the structure of a typical hero fantasy with that of “Shrek.”
The Format of a Typical Hero Fantasy
The Hero’s Appearance
In typical fantasy, a hero with exceptional looks or special abilities appears. He possesses an extraordinary quality that sets him apart from ordinary people and becomes an object of admiration from the start.
Assignment of the Quest
The hero is given a quest to resolve a problem or dangerous situation threatening the people. This could be a monumental task affecting the nation’s fate or a smaller event like rescuing the royal family or the weak. The crucial point is that the quest’s purpose lies in “achieving social justice.”
The Journey or Adventure
To solve the task, the hero undergoes various adventures. During this time, an ally appears—someone slightly less capable than the hero but more skilled than ordinary people—to aid the hero’s journey. Various temptations and dangers are placed along the way, repeatedly testing the hero and their companions.
Confrontation with the Ultimate Evil
They face a powerful villain or a catastrophic situation. This could be a dragon-like monster or a catastrophic event. At this stage, the hero experiences crisis or suffers defeat.
Eradicating Evil and Resolving the Quest
Overcoming defeat, the hero eliminates the threat and resolves the quest. This might involve rescuing the weak or restoring society to its normal state. Ultimately, this process signifies the realization of social justice.
Return
Once the resolution is complete, the hero returns to their original place. The people welcome them, and the hero gains wealth and honor. Most often, they marry a beautiful woman, concluding with a happy ending.
The “Shrek” Format
Hero Appears
While the hero’s appearance is the same, the crucial difference is that this hero is not an object of admiration but a “monster,” an object of disgust. Socially shunned, the monster is seen as a dangerous presence by the residents and is always a target for expulsion.
Assignment of the Task
The monster is also given a task, but its purpose is not the realization of social justice. The task arises from highly personal motives. The lord demands the monster complete the task to satisfy his personal desires and pursuit of power, while Shrek accepts it to expel the intruders who invaded his home. The problem is that these intruders are socially vulnerable. Having been driven out by the lord, they have made Shrek’s space their temporary refuge.
The Quest or Adventure Process
This process is significantly condensed or omitted compared to typical heroic narratives. The adventures the ogre endured to reach the perilous object are scarcely revealed. The helper who appears is also not an extraordinary being, merely the cheerful and emotional Donkey. While a sword fight scene with knights does occur, it is easily resolved by Shrek’s innate strength.
Confrontation with the Monster
Initially portrayed as an absolute villain, the monster soon transforms into an emotional being. The monster falls in love with the sidekick and ultimately shifts into a role assisting the hero. Furthermore, the narrative progresses not by Shrek defeating the monster outright, but by escaping temporarily and then rescuing the princess.
Resolving the Quest
Rescuing the princess seems to resolve the quest, but a transformed situation soon unfolds. Shrek, who lived alone and knew no love, begins to feel affection for the princess, creating an element that actually complicates the resolution of the quest.
The Return
Shrek also returns with the princess, but unlike typical heroes, he is not welcomed. He remains just a green ogre. Nevertheless, after various trials, he marries the princess. However, there’s a twist: though the princess’s curse was supposed to break when she found true love, her transformed form after the spell was lifted was not a beautiful human, but a monster resembling Shrek. This moment highlights the film’s humor. Ultimately, the union of two monsters leads to a happy ending.
As this comparison makes clear, “Shrek” is a film that breaks free from the typical framework of the journey/hero fantasy narrative. At the same time, the fact that Shrek undergoes internal growth through his journey aligns with the tradition of other fantasy hero narratives. Shrek, who had no friends and was always rejected by people, meets Donkey and Fiona, learns about friendship and love, and comes to understand the meaning of communal life. This transforms him into a completely different being. Furthermore, Lord Farquaad is portrayed not as an implementer of social justice, but as a villain who excludes the weak and pursues his own desires for personal gain. Perhaps the true adversary Shrek had to confront was not the dragon, but Lord Farquaad.
Comedy
The reason many audiences found this film deeply entertaining and cathartic lies in its comedic elements. The comedy genre provides liberation by subverting and satirizing oppressive, rigidly held universal beliefs. “Shrek” does the same. While humor arises from the characters’ mistakes, puns, and absurd situations, the biggest laughs come from satirizing established fantasy conventions.
Though filmmakers Andrew Adamson and Vicki Jenson stated they had no parody intent aimed at Disney animation, many viewers felt this work directly subverts Disney-style fantasy. From the film’s opening, Disney’s iconic characters are arrested by royal decree. In the scene where Lord Farquaad selects a bride, Cinderella and Snow White are portrayed negatively and rejected. The ending presents a structure reminiscent of “Beauty and the Beast,” but the outcome is entirely different. Instead of the princess transforming back into a beautiful human, she becomes permanently transformed into a monster resembling Shrek. This subversion shatters audience preconceptions and creates fresh humor.
Schematically, it can be represented as follows:
Conventional fantasy tropes → Critique and subversion → Satire and parody
Furthermore, the film’s comedy is also evident in the relational structures operating outside the heroic narrative. Shrek and Princess Fiona’s relationship is initially based on a “sort of contract” with Lord Farquaad. To Shrek, the princess was merely an object of exchange. Yet the moment true love is realized, the story twists once more. This functions as a rebuttal to modern society’s notion that one cannot be loved because of their appearance. It can be summarized as follows:
True love → Empowerment → Shattering existing conventions → Fulfillment
Epilogue
“Shrek” achieved great success, earning both critical acclaim and massive popular appeal. Its outstanding 3D CG technology delivers vivid visuals, while characters capable of hundreds of expressions and movements convey a lifelike quality. The involvement of renowned actors like Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz as voice actors further enhanced the film’s appeal. This also proved highly beneficial for promotion, reaping the full benefits of star power marketing.
However, above all, the reason many love this film is precisely because, as previously discussed, it subverts and shatters the preconceptions inherent in traditional genre films. Its strength lies in defying genre conventions while maintaining the core framework, allowing audiences to embrace the film with laughter and without burden. We eagerly anticipate how the upcoming new “Shrek” story will subvert and twist conventions next.
