Some Myths Remain
The characterization of Farquuad, who is voiced by John Lithgow, is also interesting, as it plays on conventional stereotypes of masculinity. He has the so-called 'Napoleon complex,' being a short man who needs to compensate by dominating everyone around him. In terms of masculinity, shortness applies in more than one context to a lack of virility. A short man cannot physically dominate a tall woman, so how can he keep her in line? Farquuad compensates with leg extensions, and as some 'short men' might do with a padded, well, you know (Fiona and no doubt countless others were shocked when the poser's real stature was revealed). My point is that Farquuad's shortness is a clear indicator of his 'difference' and overall unsuitability as a partner for the tall and lovely Fiona. While many other 'myths' are being pulled apart, this myth of masculinity is vital in Farquuad's caricature.

The voices behind the frivolity: Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and John Lithgow.

I can see how these characters were determined by the film industry as much as the film's running time was. It is hard to imagine a 45-minute mini-feature or a 3-hour epic animation being screened in theaters; likewise, I can hardly see producers agreeing to an ugly female romantic lead. Even in a film about the need to see beyond the surface of a person, Hollywood makes sure there is a beautiful princess to admire. The fact that she is rendered so realistically, while the other characters are so clearly caricatures makes her 'perfect' appearance stand out in the film all the more. While the film tears at so many fond memories of childhood tales, it is nice to know that some things never change -- isn't it?

Ultimately, the film's ability to question tradition is bound into its status as a commercial product within the highly competitive, ultra-risky industry of animated features. With performances of a 20-minute musical version of Shrek performed daily at Universal Studios through summer, a 3D version planned for IMAX theaters to coincide with the fall release of Shrek on video, and plans for a Shrek 2 already under way, clearly the road to success is not in deviation as much as repetition. Since the film contains innovative technological achievements, interesting characters, great performances and wonderful writing to delight us, at least the second-third-fourth-and-so-on times around should be pleasurable.

Maureen Furniss, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor and Program Director of Film Studies at Chapman University in Orange, California. She is the founding editor of Animation Journal and the author of Art in Motion: Animation Aesthetics (John Libbey, 1998).