Padme's Library: Friday's Film Adaption: Shrek! by William Steig

Friday, August 4, 2017

Friday's Film Adaption: Shrek! by William Steig

Summary:
Before Shrek made it big on the silver screen, there was William Steig's SHREK!, a book about an ordinary ogre who leaves his swampy childhood home to go out and see the world. Shrek, a horrid little ogre, goes out into the world to find adventure and along the way encounters a witch, a knight in armor, a dragon, and, finally, a hideous princess, who's even uglier than he is!

Film
Once upon a time, in a far away swamp, there lived an ornery ogre named Shrek whose precious solitude is suddenly shattered by an invasion of annoying fairy tale characters. There are blind mice in his food, a big, bad wolf in his bed, three little homeless pigs and more, all banished from their kingdom by the evil Lord Farquaad. Determined to save their home--not to mention his own--Shrek cuts a deal with Farquaad and sets out to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona to be Farquaad''s bride. Accompanying him on his mission is wisecracking Donkey, who will do anything for Shrek... except shut up. Rescuing the Princess from a fire-breathing dragon may prove the least of their problems when the deep, dark secret she has been keeping is revealed.

Release Date: May 18, 2001
Release Time: 90 minutes

Cast:
Mike Myers as Shrek
Eddie Murphy as Donkey
Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona
John Lithgow as Lord Farquaad
Vincent Cassel as "Monsieur" Robin Hood
Conrad Vernon as Gingerbread Man
Chris Miller as Geppetto / Magic Mirror
Cody Cameron as Pinocchio / The Three Little Pigs
Simon J. Smith as Three Blind Mice
Christopher Knights as Three Blind Mice and Thelonius
Aron Warner as Big Bad Wolf
Jim Cummings as Captain of the Guards
Kathleen Freeman as Old Woman (Donkey's ex-owner)
Andrew Adamson as Duloc Mascot (a man dressed in a suit that looks like Lord Farquaad)
Bobby Block as Baby Bear from the Three Bears
Michael Galasso as Peter Pan
Elisa Gabrielli as additional voices

Awards:
74th Academy Awards
Best Animated Features - Won
Best Adapted Screenplay - Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, Roger SH Schulman - Nominated

55th BAFTAs
Best Film - Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson - Nominated
Best Voice-Over Performance - Eddie Murphy - Nominated
Best Visual Effects - Ken Bielenberg - Nominated
Best Sound - Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, Wylie Stateman, Lon Bender - Nominated
Best Film Music - Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell - Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay - Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, Roger SH Schulman - Won

Author Bio:
William Steig (1907-2003) was a cartoonist, illustrator and author of award-winning books for children, including Shrek!, on which the DreamWorks movies are based. Steig was born in New York City. Every member of his family was involved in the arts, and so it was no surprise when he decided to become an artist. He attended City College and the National Academy of Design. In 1930, Steig’s work began appearing in The New Yorker, where his drawings have been a popular fixture ever since. He published his first children's book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968. In 1970, Steig received the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. His books for children also include Dominic; The Real Thief; The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor Book; Amos & Boris, a National Book Award finalist; and Abel's Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor Books. Steig's books have also received the Christopher Award, the Irma Simonton Black Award, the William Allen White Children's Book Award, and the American Book Award. His European awards include the Premio di Letteratura per l'infanzia (Italy), the Silver Pencil Award (the Netherlands), and the Prix de la Fondation de France. On the basis of his entire body of work, Steig was selected as the 1982 U.S. candidate for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Illustration and subsequently as the 1988 U.S. candidate for Writing. Steig also published thirtAbout People in 1939, and including The Lonely Ones, Male/Female, The Agony in the Kindergarten, and Our Miserable Life. He died in Boston at the age of 95.