home to himself once again.
Shrek is full of hilarious, al-
though frequently irreverent
fairytale references, including
a river-dancing Robin Hood
and his Merry Men. The movie
also stars a wolf disguised as a
grandmother, a love-sick dragon
and, of course, Shrek is accom-
panied on his quest by a very
annoying and highly talkative
sidekick, who happens to be a
donkey (Eddie Murphy).
Shrek is rated PG as it includes
some mildly unsuitable lan-
guage and occasional crude
humour.
ProductionThe success of Shrek is a com-
bination of the amazing abilities
of the voice cast and the incred-
ible achievements of the com-
puter-animation team from PDI/
DreamWorks. One of the key
breakthroughs featured in Shrek
is the creation of realistic hu-
mans and human-like creatures
that can effectively express
dialogue and emotions. This is
achieved through a complex
facial animation system devel-
oped at PDI, using special tools
called ‘shaders’ to apply interac-
tive layers of bone, muscle, fat,
skin, hair and clothing.
The storyShrek is an animated fam-
ily movie that has turned the
classic fairytale formula upside
down. Lord Farquaad (John Lith-
gow), an evil tyrant who reigns
over the kingdom of Duloc, is
paying a cash reward for people
to turn in all the fairytale char-
acters. As a result the fairytale
characters have invaded the
swamp that is home to Shrek—a
reclusive, smelly green ogre.
Following a scene in which the
wicked Lord Farquaad tortures
the Gingerbread Man, we
see him consulting
the magic mirror in
order to choose
About the Film
Background
The fi lm version of Shrek
is based on William
Steig’s book of the same
name. It came to the attention of
Producer John H. Williams when
he was reading with his two
young children. He says: ‘Even
as an adult I thought Shrek was
outrageous, irreverent, iconclas-
tic, gross and just a lot of fun.
He was a great movie character
in search of a movie.’
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‘Shrek’: A Study GuideP R I M A R Y S C H O O L T E A C H E R R E S O U R C E B Y C H R I S T I N E E V E LY
his perfect
bride. The mirror
introduces potential
brides via a TV-style
blind date show where
Farquaad meets ‘today’s eligi-
ble bachelorettes’. With some
‘audience participation’ from his
guards, Farquaad chooses
the fi ery, red-headed Prin-
cess Fiona (Cameron Diaz),
to be the ‘perfect bride’ for a
‘perfect king’.
The only catch is that Prin-
cess Fiona must be rescued
from a far-off castle guarded
by a fi re-breathing dragon.
Shrek (Mike Myers) becomes the
hero of this tale by agreeing to
rescue the beautiful princess for
the cowardly Lord, in return for
the right to have his swampy
THE VERY ANNOYING
AND HIGHLY TALKATIVE
SIDEKICK, WHO HAPPENS TO
BE A DONKEY (EDDIE MURPHY)
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slime and lava, along with real-
istic fi re that included torches,
campfi res and a fi re-breathing
dragon, were also created using
PDI/DreamWorks’ award-winning
Fluid Animation System. Instead
of compositing live-action foot-
age of fi res, motion simulation
and shading techniques were
used by the effects team to cre-
ate computer-generated fi re.
‘We wanted to make a fairytale
come to life … as if you opened
a storybook and stepped into
that world’, says Director Andrew
Adamson. One of the ways this
was achieved was through the
many other characters; the walk-
ing, clapping, cheering ‘extras’
who were brought to life. As-
sorted heads, body types, hair,
faces and wardrobes were mixed
and matched to make up crowd
scenes of 1000 or more ‘people’.
The animation of lush foliage on
28,000 trees and three billion
leaves and the creation of thirty-
six separate locations—more than
in any previous computer-animat-
ed feature—also contributed to
the real-life feel of this tale.
Animation and voicesThe recording of the voices of
characters is frequently one of
the earliest steps in the animation
production process. Following re-
records and editing of recordings
comes the big budget item—ani-
mating the characters and their
settings. Mike Myers decided he
would like to re-record his entire
portrayal of Shrek with a Scottish
accent. The extra animation re-
quired to enable this to take place
is reported to have cost about
US$4million.
Before Watching the Film
Teachers may select from the
following activities to support
students’ viewing and close
analysis of the fi lm.
Reading and defi ning fairytales
• Read a range of traditional
fairytales with the class. Use
butchers paper to record
main characters and key
events from each fairytale.
Highlight features that help to
make each one conform to
the genre of the fairytale.
• Explain to students that
fairytales have been told for a
very long time. Point out that
the Brothers Grimm, Hans
Christian Andersen, Perrault
and others, recorded tradi-
tional fairytales. Depending
on age and abilities, students
might investigate the variation
of fairytales across time and
cultures.
• Encourage class members
to share fairytales from other
cultures. Discuss: Who told
these tales? Who recorded
them and when? Why were
they told and to whom?
Facial animation begins with a
computer-generated skull based
on human anatomy. The skull is
then built up with layers refl ecting
the muscles of the face, followed
by layers of skin programmed to
respond to movements of facial
muscles, while also taking ac-
count of laugh lines, wrinkles and
facial creases. Literally hundreds
of controls are programmed to
enable animators to recreate
facial movements, which then
leads to an amazing ability to lip-
synch voices.
A shaper is a layering process
that changes the surface from
the inside out. When an inner
layer is changed, the change
extends outwards, ultimately
affecting the shape of the outer
layer. It is similar in principle to
the way muscles in your arm fl ex
when you bend your arm.
Advances in the creation of
textures in wardrobe and props
enabled animators to create
clothing that moves, with folds
and wrinkles that react to light like
real fabric. Similarly, in creating
Fiona’s braided hair, variations in
colour and highlights were able
to be created, while the irises of
characters’ eyes were animated
in such a way that they could
react to the light in a shot.
Fluids of various viscosity, in-
cluding water, mud, milk, beer,
Why tell fairytales?• Read several fairy-
tales a second time.
Before reading,
ask students to
think about who
is telling the
story, whose
point of view, or
voice, is repre-
sented? What
points of view
are not presented?
Discuss why the
story might have been told
and by whom.
• Debate: Fairytales helped
children from previous gen-
erations to learn how to
approach life. They are
still relevant to today’s
children.
Story ladder• Have students work in groups
of three or four to create a
story ladder on large sheets
of butchers paper showing
key events from the follow-
ing fairytales: Beauty and the
Beast, The Ugly Duckling and
The Frog Prince.
• Display story ladders and as
a class discuss similarities
and differences between the
fairytales.
Fairytale characters• As a class, brainstorm as
many fairytale characters as
you can. Use fl ashcards to cre-
ate a large character list. Sort
character fl ashcards into two
groups: ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’,
and display in the classroom.
• Write a letter to a fairytale
‘baddie’ telling him or her how
to improve, or what to do to
become a fairytale ‘goodie’.
• During the next few days
encourage students to suggest
other ways to sort the charac-
ter fl ashcards.
Rewriting fairytales• Rewrite a traditional fairytale
as a news report. Collate indi-
vidual news reports to make
a fairytale newspaper. Give it
a suitable name.
• It is usually clear early in
a romantic fairytale which
characters will be the ‘roman-
tic couple’. Use the character
fl ashcards to show fairytale
couples.
• Have fun rearranging fairy-
tale couples to create new
‘romances’. Use Worksheet 1
to storyboard a new fairytale
romance scene.
• Use fairytale characters
and fairytale events to write
‘fairytale’ nursery rhymes or
limericks.
Introducing the Film Version Of Shrek
Play the opening sequence up
to the scene where Shrek sits
down at his table to eat from a
bowl.
Responding • Have students
draw or write a response
to what they have seen.
Share responses as a
class.
Fairytales past and present
• List reasons
why the fi lmmakers
may have decided
to begin Shrek with a
voice reading from
a medieval style
fairytale book. Who
is reading the story?
Where is he while
he is reading? What
reaction to the
story is shown?
How is all this
important in setting
the scene for the fi lm?
Play the above opening se-
quence again. Consider the con-
trast between the opening music
and the music that plays when
Shrek comes out of the toilet.
Note also the contrast between
the light that fi lters down onto
the fairytale book and the dark
shadows as the townsfolk visit
the swamp to confront the ogre.
• List other contrasts observed
by students. As a class
discuss why you think these
contrasts are part of the open-
ing sequence.
• In pairs have students list
features of Shrek that refl ect
traditional fairytales, for ex-
ample, Shrek’s book begins
with ‘Once upon a time …
Have each pair of students
join with another pair to share
lists. Begin to develop a class
master list of traditional fairy-
tale features found in Shrek.
• Compile another class list
that records things noticed by
students that tell them Shrek
is not likely to be a traditional 72
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tales a second time.
story might have been told
• Debate: Fairytales helped
children from previous gen-
erations to learn how to
approach life. They are
still relevant to today’s
Responding • Have students
draw or write a response
to what they have seen.
Share responses as a
class.
Fairytales past and present
• List reasons
why the fi lmmakers
may have decided
to begin
voice reading from
a medieval style
fairytale book. Who
is reading the story?
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or conventional fairytale. If
necessary, view the open-
ing sequence again. Note
the scene where the talking
donkey fl ies. Ask students
to recall another fi lm that is
referred to in the soundtrack
during this moment.
• Complete Worksheet 2 using
vocabulary from Shrek to
record some things you have
found out about the opening
sequence of this fi lm.
CharactersIn a fi lm, the ‘look’
of a character tells
much about his or
her personality and
the part he or she plays
in the story. It is possible to
have a good deal of control
over the features presented
to viewers in an animated
fi lm.
Some of the visual
attributes
that
contribute to our ‘reading’ of a
character may include informa-
tion related to:
- gender
- colour and design of cos-
tume/wardrobe
- action, behaviour or move-
ments, including posture,
gestures, facial expressions
- other aspects of physical ap-
pearance
- interactions with other char-
acters.
There may also be audio quali-
ties that add to our reading of
a character, for example, in the
case of animation:
- the choice of actor who pro-
vides a voice for the character
- the gender and tone of the
voice
- dialogue or what is said
- accent
- speech impediment or other
similar qualities
- sound or music associated
with the character.
• Create a class chart (see
chart 01) and record charac-
teristics or features of Shrek.
Chart 1• As a class use
data from chart 1 to
write a detailed paragraph
describing the looks, behav-
iour and audio qualities of
Shrek.
• Create a class list of fairytales
SHREK, A RECLUSIVE, SMELLY GREEN OGRE
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with ogres, monsters or other
characters whose physical
characteristics are highlight-
ed, for example, Beauty and
the Beast, The Hunchback of
Notre Dame, Rumpelstiltsken,
Jack and the Beanstalk (the
giant), Snow White (the seven
dwarves), Cinderella (‘ugly’
step-sisters and stepmother).
• Categorize characters into
those that are and those
that are not intended to be
frightening. Discuss reasons
why storytellers may have
included characters that have
distinguishing physical char-
acteristics.
Wanted OgrePlay the opening sequence
again, this time up to and includ-
ing the sequence where Shrek
has frightened the townsfolk
away.
• Discuss the actions of the
townsfolk after they see
the ‘Wanted Ogres Reward’
poster. What do the townsfolk
think of Shrek? Why do they
have this opinion of him?
When Shrek frightens the towns-
folk, a close-up shot of his mouth
is used to suggest he is about to
eat them.
• If necessary, re-play the
scene where Shrek frightens
the townsfolk and discuss the
close-up described above.
Ask students to explain how
dark colours and other fi lmic
conventions also help to cre-
ate meaning in this scene.
• Discuss whether Shrek ap-
pears as frightening as ogres
or monsters from other fairy-
tales. Why or why not? What
qualities differentiate him
from other ‘ogre type’ charac-
ters? Make a class chart that
contrasts Shrek with other
ogres or monsters.
• With a partner write a police
report based on an eyewit-
ness account from one of the
townsfolk stating what was
seen and heard when they
visited the ogre ‘monster’.
View the next sequence where
Shrek and the Donkey meet up,
to where the Donkey lies down
outside Shrek’s door.
• As a class discuss what we
now know about Shrek’s char-
acter. What are the signs that
Shrek is in fact not a terrifi y-
ing ogre?
• What have you seen in the
fi lm so far that tells you that
creatures or people who are
different are treated poorly?
Why does Donkey describe
himself as a freak? What is a
freak? Find out how people
who were considered freaks
were treated in the past. Dis-
cuss whether this treatment
still occurs.
SettingUsually fi lms open with an estab-
lishing shot that gives viewers
an idea about when and where
the fi lm is set and often provides
some clues about genre.
CHARACTERISTICS: CHARACTER: SHREK
Gender
Physical appearance (looks, size, ethnicity, colouring)
Costume/wardrobe
Behaviour
Facial expressions
Choice of actor to provide voice
Accent
Tone of voice
Dialogue (examples of types of things the character says)
Other speech qualities
Music associated with the character
Sounds associated with the character
CHART 01
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Re-play the opening scene.
• Discuss the choices made by
the fi lmmakers. Discuss why
you think these choices were
made and how they affect
viewers’ ideas about the story
that will be told by the fi lm?
In Shrek, settings are established
though combinations of visuals
and sound.
View the scenes where the fairy-
tale characters arrive at Shrek’s
swamp, up to Shrek and Donkey
walking away from the swamp
to see Farquaad.
• Describe the setting in rela-
tion to the type of space, size
of objects within the setting,
and dominant colours. What
sounds are evident in the set-
ting? What other sounds are
associated with this setting,
for example, musical sound-
track?
• Complete Worksheet 3 to
show what you have learned
about the introduction to the
fi lm story of Shrek.
Is Lord Farquaad a ‘goodie’ or a ‘baddie’?
Play the next sequence involving
the Gingerbread Man and Lord
Farquaad without sound.
• As a class discuss
Play the next sequence involving
the Gingerbread Man and Lord
Farquaad without sound.
• As a class discuss
the fi rst clues that Farquaad
is an evil tyrant. Consider:
- the ways the camera is
used to convey this mes-
sage
- colour and design related
to characters, setting and
props.
Play the sequence again, this
time with the soundtrack.
• Discuss elements of the
soundtrack that add to the
meanings being conveyed.
Consider:
- music
- silence
- dialogue
- sound effects
In the castle sequence Lord
Farquaad plays ‘blind date’ via
the Magic Mirror that introduces
‘Today’s Eligible Bachelorettes’.
• Discuss the visual and audi-
tory clues in this sequence
that indicate Farquaad is
self-centred and unconcerned
with what others think about
situations?
• Complete Worksheet 4 to
show some of what you have
learned about characters in
Shrek.
Play the scene where Shrek and
Donkey fi rst set eyes on the
kingdom of Duloc.
• Contrast this scene with
previous scenes showing the
interior of Farquaad’s castle.
Once again consider how
the camera is used to create
meaning, the colours in the
scenes, and the soundtrack.
Age fi lm critic Tom Ryan be-
lieves the depiction of Lord
Farquaad’s kingdom ‘places it
somewhere between a sterile
Disneyland theme park and an
over-dressed, outer-suburban
property development’.
(The Sunday Age ‘Review’, 24
June 2001.)
• Discuss the meanings implied
by the comment above from
Tom Ryan.
View the scene where Shrek
and Donkey fi rst set eyes on the
kingdom of Duloc, up to
the welcome provided
at the information booth
telling us that Duloc is
the ‘perfect place’. You
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may need to view this scene
several times.
• List images, dialogue and
other aspects of the sound-
track that support or contra-
dict the comment made by
Tom Ryan.
• Consider reasons the fi lm-
makers may have decided
to represent Lord Farquaad’s
kingdom in this way. In what
way do the choices made
in depicting this setting help
provide information about
Lord Farquaad?
Play the sequence from Shrek
and Donkey’s arrival at Duloc to
the end of the ‘ogres have layers’
scene.
• How does Donkey think that
Shrek should respond to
Lord Farquaad’s challenge to
go on a quest? How would
you usually expect a hero to
meet a challenge like the one
proposed by Lord Farquaad’s
knights? How does this com-
pare with Shrek’s response?
• Complete Worskheet 5 to
show what you have found
out about Shrek, Donkey and
Lord Farquaad.
• Shrek tells Donkey there is
much more to ogres than
people think, that ‘ogres have
layers’. Explain what you
think Shrek means.
Viewing the Entire Film Version of Shrek
If possible, it is preferable for
students to view the entire fi lm in
a cinema where all of the screen
elements and the soundtrack
can be more fully appreciated.
If this is not possible, arrange
to screen the entire fi lm in one
sitting and darken the room to
recreate a cinematic atmosphere
as much as possible.
After Watching the Film
Responding to the fi lm• Seat students in a circle and
encourage students to share
their responses to the fi lm,
ask about favourite parts of
the fi lm: funniest, saddest, sil-
liest, most rude, most enjoy-
able part of the soundtrack
and so on.
Story ladder • Use the Shrek Story Ladder
(Worksheet 6) to order the
events in the fi lm.
Does it sound like a fairytale?
• As a class discuss: Is Shrek a
typical fairytale? Why or why
not? Is the soundtrack what
you would expect in a tradi-
tional fairytale? Explain your
answers.
• Imagine the voices of Lord
Farquaad, Donkey and Shrek
have been swapped. In what
ways would the use of differ-
ent voices change each of
these characters? How might
such changes affect the sto-
ryline?
• Explain why the fi lmmak-
ers may have selected Mike
Myers as the voice of Shrek,
Eddie Murphy as the voice of
Donkey and John Lithgow as
Lord Farquaad’s voice. How
does each actor’s voice con-
tribute to the development of
that particular character?
Does it look like a fairytale?
• Write three or four sentences
that describe the animation
style used in the fi lm, Shrek.
Does the style of Shrek re-
mind you of other animated
fi lms? In what ways?
• The style of Shrek has been
described as ‘stylized real-
ism’. What do you think this
means? Do you agree with
this description?
• Make a class list of reasons
for and against making a live-
action fi lm version of Shrek.
Camera as storytellerDuring a fi lm the camera be-
comes the narrator, telling the
viewer the story through sequenc-
es of camera shots. Of course the
story is also supported by careful
choices in the soundtrack.
• Examine the shots provided
in this study guide and ex-
plain how each one helps to
tell the story. What does each
shot contribute to the story?
Why would that particular shot
have been selected to help
tell the story? You might locate
and play the shots in order
to explain your ideas to the
class.
• View part or all of Shrek and
work with a partner to fi nd
your own examples of pow-
erful shots from Shrek. Use
Worksheet 7 and Worksheet 8
to explain why you think each
shot was chosen to help tell
the story.
Supporting the story with sound
Sounds also help in the telling of
a fi lm story. Two main types of
sounds can be used in fi lms:
- diegetic sounds are part of the
action in the story. They would
be heard if you were present
in the setting; for example, the
slop of the mud when Shrek
washes in the opening se-
quence, the thumps during the
gladiator fi ght.
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- non-diegetic sounds are those
that are not part of the action,
events or setting in the story;
for example, the opening and
closing songs.
• View a favourite scene
from Shrek and identify
diegetic and non-diegetic
sounds that are part of the
soundtrack.
The soundtrack may include a
number of different layers of di-
egetic and non-diegetic sounds:
- dialogue
- voice-over
- music
- silence (can intensify or em-
phasize an emotional scene
or create suspense)
- sound effects (may be added
to complement or highlight an
action, such as bubbling lava
or crackling fi re, or to create
atmosphere or a particular
mood).
• Listen to the soundtrack of
Shrek. Why do you think mod-
ern, popular or well-known
songs were selected for this
fi lm? In what ways do they
support or interfere with the
telling of the story?
• Make a class list of other
modern songs that could
have been selected to help
tell the Shrek story. Justify
your choices.
• In small groups select a tradi-
tional fairytale then compile
a list of songs suitable for a
modern day version of the
tale.
Things are not always what they seemWhen Shrek fi nally arrives to
rescue princess Fiona he shakes
her violently.
• Find similar scenes in fi lm
versions of Snow White, Cin-
derella and Sleeping Beauty.
Compare the interactions
between the prince and the
princess with those of Shrek
and Princess Fiona.
• Complete two copies of the
storyboard (Worksheet 1) to
compare what happens when
Shrek rescues Princess Fiona
with what Princess Fiona
expected to happen.
• As a class discuss why Prin-
cess Fiona says, ‘What kind
of knight are you?’ How does
Shrek compare with knights
from other fairytales?
Following the scene where
Princess Fiona deals with Robin
Hood, Shrek expresses sur-
prise at what Princess Fiona is
like, and she says, ‘ Maybe you
shouldn’t judge people before
you know them’.
• Discuss why these lines are
so important. Find out the
meaning of the word ‘ironic’.
Explain why these lines prove
to be ironic?
The fi nal scenes of Shrek contain
many related lines, for exam-
ple, after rescuing the princess,
Donkey and Shrek are lying on
the rocks looking up at the stars
when Shrek says, ‘Sometimes
things are more than they appear’.
He goes on to say that people
‘judge me before they know me,
that’s why I’m better off alone’.
• Once again, discuss why
these lines are so important
in the fi lm and why they are
ironic?
When Lord Farquaad arrives for
Princess Fiona he says, ‘Beauti-
ful fair fl ower Fiona, will you be
the perfect bride for the perfect
groom?’
• Why does this question also
turn out to be ironic, espe-
cially since he later tells the
knights to ‘get that out of my
sight’, orders them to arrest
Fiona and Shrek and contin-
ues to proclaim himself as
King.
Rhymes were often woven into
traditional fairytales as spells.
The fi lmmakers decided to
weave this traditional element
into Shrek by including the fol-
lowing rhyme:
By night—one way; By day—an-
other.
This shall be the norm.
Until you fi nd true love’s fi rst kiss;
Then take love’s true form.
• Discuss as a class: What do
you think the rhyme means?
What other fairytales include
such spells? How do the
outcomes in those fairytales
differ from the outcomes in
Shrek? Why do you think the
rhyme or spell was included
in Shrek? How does the spell
turn out to be ironic?
You said it!• List traditional and modern
fairytales where a character
might be likely to say some-
thing like, ‘They judge me
before they even know me’.
• Create an illustrated book of
sayings related to looks and
beauty. Use calligraphy to
write the sayings and illustrate
with references to traditional
fairytales, Shrek or to other
modern books or fi lms. Saying
may include the following:
- Beauty is only skin deep.
- Don’t judge a book by its
cover.
- Accept me for who I am.
- It’s not easy being green.
Heroes and villains• Imagine you are working for
an advertising company. In
groups of four, plan, design
and create a billboard adver-
tisement that portrays Shrek in
a positive way. Your brief is to
take a large sheet of butchers
paper, and use colour, words
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and images to convince peo-
ple that Shrek is a hero.
• Who was the ‘baddie’ in Shrek?
What characteristics does he
have that tell you he is a ‘bad-
die’? Design a ‘Wanted’ slide
that will be shown on televi-
sion after the news to alert
citizens to be on the lookout
for this ‘baddie’. Be sure to
describe his physical charac-
teristics and ‘bad’ qualities.
• Compare and contrast the
Shrek ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’
with those from a number of
fairytales such as Beauty and
the Beast, Cinderella, Sleeping
Beauty, Snow White, Rumpel-
stiltsken and The Frog Prince.
Messages and themes
Shrek Producer and DreamWorks
principal, Jeffrey Katzenburg, de-
scribes the fi lm version of Shrek
as having at its core an incred-
ible heart. He says,
The story really is an allegory in
which we can fi nd some thing
about our own lives. Each of our
characters comes to understand
that there is something wonder-
ful—warts and all—about who
they are. I think that’s true for all
of us; that people who ultimately
come to know and love us, see
the strengths inside of us. Wheth-
er you’re a princess, a donkey,
or even a big, green stinky ogre,
you can fi nd love and happiness.
• As a class discuss Katz-
burg’s ideas. Do you agree or
disagree? Share your opinion
by standing on an imaginary
line in your classroom that
represents a continuum,
with ‘Agree’ at one end of the
room and ‘Disagree’ at the
other end. Each person must
give a reason for their posi-
tion. Participants can change
positions as many times as
they like, but must explain
their reason for moving.
• Discuss: Shrek is not your
usual fairytale ogre or mon-
ster. While he’s green and can
be scary, underneath he has a
kind heart. Now that you have
seen the fi lm, compare Shrek’s
characteristics with other fairy-
tale monsters and ogres.
• Work with a partner to make
a concertina book explor-
ing the idea that ‘ogres have
layers’. What are the different
layers that become evident in
Shrek’s personality or charac-
ter by the end of the fi lm?
• Have each class member cre-
ate a personal shield with six
to eight motifs representing
his or her ‘layers’ or personal
strengths or qualities.
How real is Shrek?The character of Shrek has many
layers that contribute to the
storyline. The fi lm itself also has
many layers.
• Identify as many layers of
meaning as you can within
the fi lm. Create a large dis-
play to show the layers in the
fi lm. You might want to use
Donkey’s parfait idea!
Shrek is an animation that has
some realistic looking settings
and characters. However there is
more to a good fi lm story than ‘the
look of the fi lm’. While viewers are
watching a good fi lm, a ‘suspen-
sion of disbelief’ allows them to
enter the world of the fi lm. This
means that although they know
the fi lm is actually only a ‘repre-
sentation of reality’ they perceive
it as ‘real’ while they are viewing.
As a class discuss the following:
- Is Shrek fact or fi ction?
- Does Shrek represent real
life? If so, in what ways?
- Are there characters in Shrek
that can be described as ar-
chetypes?
- What are the elements of
Shrek that enable many view-
ers to ‘suspend disbelief’?
Traditional versus modern fairytalesFew traditional fairytales involve
‘fairies’, although elements of ‘a su-
pernatural world’ often creep into
what appears to be a convention-
al world. This may be via magic or
transformations. They are usually
set in some indeterminate time to
help us accept or imagine that ‘un-
believable’ things might happen.
Traditional fairytales may involve a
quest, the return or recovery of an
object or person, and frequently
a giant, ogre, supernatural beast
or evil character may need to be
overcome. Fairytale characters
can usually be described as stock
characters, or archetypes, portray-
ing ‘good’ or evil’.
Traditional fairytales often have
a theme that revolves around a
usually young main character
who has problems with his or
her family, who is separated
from his or her family, or who is
unhappy about some aspect of
his or her life or self. Often the
situation becomes worse during
the story or the character has
to overcome greater challenges
or obstacles. These frequently
involve supernatural, magical,
beastly or fantasy elements.
However the story inevitably
ends with the diffi culties re-
solved and the main character
living happily ever after—often
with some romantic solution.
Shrek is a modern fairytale with
many references to traditional
fairytales.
• List as many of these refer-
ences as you can and in
particular references found
in fi lm versions of traditional
fairytales.
• Discuss why you think the
fi lmmakers included such
references, for example, lines
such as Shrek saying, ‘What
were you expecting—Prince
Charming?’
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Taking Ideas Further
What’s green and scary?
• Create an ‘ogres and mon-
sters joke book’, for example,
- What’s green, three metres
tall and mopes around all
day?
- Answer: The Incredible
Sulk
Shrek Trivia• Create a Shrek trivia game.
Categories of questions might
include:
- Who said it?
- Where were they?
- Which fairytale?
- Which song/music?
Board game
• Work in groups of four or fi ve
to create a quest or journey
type board game based on
Shrek or your own ‘new’ or
‘fractured’ fairytale. Players
may have to cross a lava-fi lled
canyon, fi ght dragons, avoid
hungry crocodiles. You might
include cards with ‘fairytale
dangers’ or ‘magic’ tokens.
Shrek tech• Visit the Shrek web site,
www.Shrek.com or play
extras on the Shrek DVD to
fi nd out as much as you can
about the technology be-
hind Shrek. List two or three
features that were created
especially for Shrek.
• Create a poster, PowerPoint
presentation or other visual
display to share your discov-
eries about the animation and
technology behind Shrek.
• Write a job application ex-
plaining why you should be
given a job helping to make
the next Shrek fi lm. Think
about the type of job best
suited to you, given your
skills and talents.
Giant storyboard• Use Worksheet 1 to develop
a storyboard for an animated
story for the following idea: ‘I
woke to fi nd everyone in my
family had been turned into
giants.’ Show one or two key
shots for each scene in your
animated story.
Goldilocks—take two!• Work in small teams to role-
play the story of Goldilocks.
• In the same teams rescript
Goldilocks as a courtroom
drama where a jury decides
whether or not Goldilocks is
guilty of ‘breaking and en-
tering’, ‘vandalism’ or some
other crimes you think relate
to the traditional fairytale.
• You might consider story-
boarding and fi lming your
dramatization. Each team
could take turns to perform
the roles of ‘crew’ to help an-
other team fi lm their drama.
Fairytale chat• Imagine you have created a
new fairytale set in today’s
world. As part of the story,
characters ‘chat’ to one anoth-
er using the Internet. Create a
poster showing the design of
a fairytale ‘chat’ room. Leave
some space in the middle
that will fi t an A4 page.
• Develop a scene in your fairy-
tale where characters ‘chat’
with each other. Think care-
fully about what they would
say to each other? Type up
the ‘chat’ and include it in the
space on your fairytale chat
room poster.
Web quest• Engage in a web quest that
explores the question: Is
Shrek a hero?
http://coe.west.asu.edu/stu-
dents/kgorzen/webquest/
heros2.htm
• Visit www.bfi .org.uk/disa-
blingimagery to fi nd out how
Shrek can be used to explore
issues related to self-esteem,
disability and equality.
• Visit http://www.teachit.co.uk/
index.asp?QS=1 to learn how
to construct an essay that
provides a close analysis of
the characters of Shrek and
Lord Farquaad.
Shrek Worksheet 1(see Worksheet 1, overleaf)
Shrek Worksheet 2 Watch the opening scenes up to
the scene where Shrek is eating.
Write these words in alphabeti-
cal order, then write each one
in a sentence to tell something
you found out while viewing
the opening scenes of Shrek:
fairytale, setting, swamp, ogre,
enchantment, giant, princess,
knights, reward. (See Worksheet
2, overleaf)
Shrek Worksheet 3 Write these words and the phrase
in alphabetical order, then write
each in a sentence to tell some-
thing you have learned about the
introduction to the fi lm Shrek.
• Donkey, friends, freak, fairy-
tale characters, hero, sound-
track, setting, army, sound
effects
Shrek Worksheet 4 Watch the fi lm up to when Lord
Farquaad selects his perfect
bride.
Characters: List the characters
you have met so far in Shrek.
Choose a character from your
list that you think is a main char-
acter. Draw the character then
describe the character.
- What does your character
look like?
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Primary School | Teacher Resource
- How does your character act?
- How does your character
speak?
Shrek Worksheet 5Watch the scenes showing Shrek
and Donkey’s arrival at Duloc to
the end of the ‘ogres have layers’
scene.
Setting: List the places, or set-
tings, where action takes place.
Plot: What happens in these
scenes? Try to use the words cas-
tle, tournament, tyrant and quest
in your description of the plot.
- Which part did you enjoy
most?
- Why did you enjoy this part?
- What do you think will hap-
pen next?
Shrek Worksheet 6Story Ladder: Cut and paste the
following to show the order of
events in the fi lm Shrek. (see
Worksheet 6)
Shrek Worksheet 7 Draw examples of powerful cam-
era shots in Shrek. (See Work-
sheet 7). Explain why you think
each shot was selected.
Shrek Worksheet 8Draw examples of powerful cam-
era shots in Shrek. (See Work-
sheet 8). Explain why you think
each shot was selected.
Christine Evely is Education Program-mer at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). •
SHREK VOCABULARY
WORKSHEET 3 NAME: ________________________ DATE: ________
CHARACTER DRAWING DESCIPTION
WORKSHEET 4 NAME: __________________________________________________________________________________ DATE: ______________
SETTINGS PLOT COMMENTS
WORKSHEET 5 NAME: __________________________________________________________________________________ DATE: ______________
SHREK VOCABULARY
WORKSHEET 2 NAME: ________________________ DATE: ________
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Long shot
Medium or mid shot
Close-up shot
WORKSHEET 7 NAME: _______________________________________ DATE: ______________
High angle shot
Low angle shot
Extreme close-up shot
WORKSHEET 8 NAME: _______________________________________ DATE: ______________
Princess Fiona and Shrek live happily ever after.
Shrek tells Princess Fiona he loves her.
Shrek agrees to rescue Princess Fiona from the dragon’s keep, so Lord Farquaad can become King; and in return Farquaad will ensure Shrek has his swamp to himself once again.
Shrek ‘rescues’ Fiona from the tower guarded by the dragon.
Donkey discovers Princess Fiona has a secret about her true form.
Shrek meets Donkey.
The fi re-breathing dragon falls in love with Donkey.
Shrek, Donkey and Princess Fiona begin the return journey to Duloc.
Princess Fiona becomes her true self.
Fairytale characters move to Shrek’s swamp.
Shrek goes to Duloc to tell Far-quaad he wants his swamp back to himself.
Shrek defeats Lord Farquaad’s knights in a tournament.
Donkey and Shrek begin a quest to rescue Princess Fiona.
Lord Farquaad and Princess Fiona are getting married.
WORKSHEET 6STORYBOARD WORKSHEET 1 NAME: __________________________ DATE: ______________