Shrek the Third
Shrek the Third (also known as Shrek 3) is a 2007 American computer animated comedy movie loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book Shrek! by William Steig and produced by DreamWorks Animation. Directed by Chris Miller and written by Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman, Miller, and producer Aron Warner, it is the sequel to Shrek 2 (2004) and the third installment in the Shrek film series. The film features Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett, Julie Andrews, and John Cleese reprising their voice roles from the previous films, along with new additions Justin Timberlake as Arthur Pendragon and Eric Idle as Merlin. In the film, Prince Charming is plotting to overthrow Shrek and Fiona, who have inherited the throne following King Harold's death. Shrek has no interest in ruling the kingdom and attempts to convince Fiona's underachieving 16-year-old cousin Artie to reign instead.
| Shrek the Third | |
|---|---|
 Official Logo | |
| Directed by | Chris Miller |
| Produced by | Aron Warner |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Story by | Andrew Adamson |
| Based on | Shrek! by William Steig |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Harry Gregson-Williams |
| Edited by | Michael Andrews |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures[a][2] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $160 million[4] |
| Box office | $808.3 million[4] |
Shrek the Third premiered at the Mann Village Theatre, Westwood in Los Angeles on May 6, 2007,[5] and was theatrically released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on May 18, 2007. Despite mixed reviews, the film was a commercial success, grossing $808.3 million worldwide on a budget of $160 million, becoming the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2007. It was nominated for Best Animated Film at the 61st British Academy Film Awards. A sequel, Shrek Forever After, was released on May 21, 2010.
Plot
Prince Charming performs onstage in a bar, vowing that he will become King of Far, Far Away and avenge the death of his mother, the Fairy Godmother. Meanwhile, King Harold is dying and his ogre son-in-law Shrek and daughter Princess Fiona are to become King and Queen of Far Far Away. Shrek, who is having difficulty serving as Regent during the King's medical leave, insists that an ogre as king is a bad idea and that there must be someone else for the job. Before dying, Harold tells Shrek that there is another heir: his nephew and Fiona's cousin, Arthur Pendragon. Prince Charming goes to the Poison Apple tavern, where he persuades numerous fairy tale villains to fight for their "happily ever after" by appealing to their tragic defeats given in their stories. Shrek, Donkey, and Puss in Boots set out to retrieve Arthur; as they are sailing away, Fiona yells to Shrek that she is pregnant, leaving Shrek somewhat shocked.
The trio journey to Worcestershire Academy, an elite boarding school, where they discover that Arthur ("Artie", as he prefers to be called) is a scrawny 16-year-old underachiever picked on by everyone. At the school pep rally, Shrek tells Artie he is going to be king of Far Far Away. Artie is excited until Donkey and Puss inadvertently frighten him by discussing the responsibilities of being king. Artie tries taking control of the ship and crashes it on an island, where they meet Artie's retired wizard teacher, Merlin.
Charming and the other villains attack the castle, but Wolfie, Pinocchio, Gingy, the Three Little Pigs and the Blind Mice stall them long enough for Fiona and her mother Queen Lilian to escape along with Snow White, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Doris the Ugly Stepsister. Unfortunately, one of the Pigs accidentally blurts out that Shrek has gone off to bring in Arthur, and Prince Charming sends off Captain Hook and his pirates to track down Shrek. Even worse, the ladies are captured when Rapunzel betrays them because she is in love with Charming.
Captain Hook and his pirates track Shrek and his friends to Merlin's island, where they attempt to capture Shrek alive and kill the others. Shrek and Artie send the villains running, but not before Hook mentions Charming and the takeover of Far Far Away. Concerned for his wife and future children, Shrek urges Artie to return to Worcestershire. Instead, Artie cons Merlin into using his magic to send them all to Far Far Away. The spell works, but accidentally causes Puss and Donkey to switch bodies. They find Pinocchio and learn that Charming plans to kill Shrek in a play that night. Charming's men arrive, but Artie tricks the knights into not taking them into custody and they break into the castle during rehearsals for the play. Caught in Charming's dressing room, the four are taken captive.
Charming prepares to kill Artie, believing he is the next king. To save Artie's life, Shrek tells Charming that Artie was a pawn to take his place as King of Far Far Away. Charming believes Shrek and allows Artie to leave. Donkey and Puss are imprisoned with Fiona and the princesses, where Fiona grows frustrated with their lack of initiative. Queen Lilian smashes the stone wall of the prison by head butting the walls. While the princesses launch a rescue mission for Shrek, both Donkey and Puss free Gingy, Pinocchio, the wolf and pigs, Dragon, and her and Donkey's children. They encounter Artie, and Puss and Donkey explain to him that Shrek lied so Charming would not kill him.
Charming stages a musical in which he rescues Rapunzel. Just as Charming is about to kill Shrek, Fiona, along with Puss, Donkey, Dragon, the princesses, and the fairy tale characters confront the villains. Artie convinces the villains to give up their evil ways, saying that just because they are being treated like losers doesn't mean that they have be losers.
Touched by Artie's speech, the villains agree to give up their evil ways and become heroes, except for Charming, who is furious at being thwarted. He attempts to lunge for Artie with his sword, but Shrek blocks the blow, so Charming lunges at him instead. Shrek, who at first seems fatally injured, informs Charming that he missed and that the Prince needs to keep looking for his own happily ever after, "cause I'm not giving up mine.". As Shrek pushes him aside, Dragon knocks Rapunzel's tower on Charming, presumably killing him. Shrek then tells Artie the throne is his if he wants it, and Artie decides to accept it. While the kingdom celebrates, Merlin restores Puss and Donkey to their proper bodies, accidentally switching their tails temporarily (they are changed back to normal later). Shrek retires with Fiona to their swamp, becoming the parents of ogre babies.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Shrek the Third (2007)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Shrek the ThirdAFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
- ↑ Chney, Alexandra (July 29, 2014). "DreamWorks Animation Q2 Earnings Fall Short of Estimates, SEC Investigation Revealed". Variety. https://variety.com/2014/biz/news/dreamworks-animation-q2-earnings-fall-short-of-estimates-1201271262/. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Shrek the Third (2007)Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
- ↑ Tourtellotte, Bob. Shrek box office record downplayed (May 18, 2007)Reuters. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
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