Helped fairy tale

The beautiful princes on white horses were replaced by green cannibals on donkeys

Three years ago, the world saw the computer animated tape “Shrek” (Shrek) about the adventures of a large green, but not at all a terrible cannibal and his companion, who speaks a donkey. At first, the film was treated as the next computer brainchild, with square models of characters moving with the grace of the fallen logs.

However, after watching, Kinomir was amazed at the new technology of creating computer graphics (for which the cartoon was awarded Oscars) and incredibly funny heroes. The plot of the picture made many look differently at the fairy tales about the princesses awaiting when a beautiful prince comes to them, with whom they will live happily ever after, and instead their savior from a fire -breathing dragon is a green cannibal.

The film raised more than $ 250 million at the box office and received a cult status. Many were not even worried about the insignificant flaws that the authors allowed, trying to make something more out of the “Shrek” than just a cartoon for family viewing (there are clearly no jokes for children's ears). Someone is trying to quote him, like Tarantino paintings, phrases bringing the interlocutors to a frenzy in the manner of replicas of the donkey: “Is it true? True, true! Is it true?! True, the truth. "

After such success, no one doubted the appearance of the continuation, the preparation for which began immediately after the release of the first film, back in 2001. It was planned to release the sequel (continued) in May 2004, starting with a demonstration in Cannes. They say that critics gathered half an hour before watching Schrek-2, which did not even before showing the works of Lars von Trier. The very fact of the presence of the second “Shrek” in the official program of the Cannes Film Festival was amazing, since the continuation usually does not fall into the Cannes competition. Moreover, after participation, three years earlier than the first “Shrek”.

Nobody gave the second film “The Golden Palm Branch”, but the audience appreciated the zeal of the DreamWorks Pictures Spielberg studio. Directors Andrew Adamson, Conrad Vernon and Kelly Asbury and the scriptwriters William Steig and J. David STEM did everything possible so that Shrere-2 turned out to be the way. At least in the spirit of the first film, that is, they did not let the public be disappointed in continuation, which in itself has a big plus.

From here everything that is connected with the fees and the attraction of new stars-actors for the voicing of the third, fourth, and, perhaps, the fifth “shreaks”, follows. At least, Shrek-3 is exactly at the implementation stage.

The main characters were the same actors as in the first “Shrek” on the “votes”: Mike Myers (Mike Myers, Schrek's Voice), Eddie Murphy, Kameron Diaz's voice, Antonio Bandras, who voiced the new The hero is the hired killer of cannibals, a cat in boots. The actor of Spanish origin got into the role of the cat so that, according to Konrad Vernon, he jumped around the studio to match his agent character, hissed and snorted at the film crew.

The fact that each actor in the cartoon was a prototype of the character, whom he voiced, proved Eddie Murphy, outraged that the directors put a video camera and shot how he grimaced during his voice recording, then Murphy recognized all his gestures and grimaces in a donkey. Whoever saw at least one film with Eddie Murphy will certainly recognize his facial expressions in the hero voiced by him, the benefit of technology allowed to accurately depict the movements of the muscles of the face.

Especially for Schrek-2, completely new programs of computer management of a painted crowd were developed, animated muscles, facial expressions and gestures, a global lighting program was created and the “deep scattering” technology was introduced, which ensured the natural lighting of the “leather” of the characters.

The face of the green hero alone is controlled by 218 virtual muscles that allow you to reflect a complete gamut of emotions. The three -dimensional image is distinguished by such a relief of details that in some places a feeling is created as if you were watching an ordinary film. The characters in the second “Shrek” became completely alive, and the fairy tale is indeed by the past.

For these purposes, very expensive equipment was purchased. The budget of the animation film amounted to $ 75 million, and this is tantamount to the cost of an average blockbuster like “people x”.

The second film begins with the honeymoon of lovers: the shrek and the Nates, who got married at the end of the first tape. A meeting with the parents of the princess takes place, each of whom in its own way perceives the marriage of his daughter with a green monster. Although the daughter in beauty has not far away from her narrowed.

In the conflict of cannibal and man, green and non-green passes the entire cartoon. However, if the first “Shrek” frankly mocked the fairy -tale canons, parodizing the characters known to each child since childhood, then a clear irony was added to the bright world of Hollywood to the fabulous parody, and the famous fairy -tale motifs are already anti -excessive.

The princess prefers the green cannibal who saves her from the beautiful prince (character name), and the first two are insanely happy from the done. The good fairy became in the “Shrek” an evil intriguer, living at a mechanized factory for the production of magical potions, and its carriage vaguely resembles a car of the “Hammer” brand.

For rude humor and slang, the cartoon received the PG category, which does not allow American children to go to a movie show without parents freely.

In view of the same rudeness and parody, the anti-scab “Shrek-2” became a kind of successful cartoon of the once popular cinema, a parody comedy (“Airplane”, “Naked Pistol”, “Very Scary Cinema”, etc.), in which, since the 1980s, the unforgettable Leslie Nielsen (Lesley Nielsen) is still shining.

Shrek also parodies the last films, in a sense, which became iconic. More than once in the cartoon, the re -played scenes from the Lord of the Rings are played, as well as a parody of the documentary “Police”, where the cat in boots is arrested for illegal storage of valerian.

However, neither a parody, nor rude humor, and, moreover, the anti -excess of the second “Shrek” made it uninteresting for family viewing. Like the first film, it is watched by both adults and children, everyone finds something of his own. Children are funny characters and a beautiful graphics. Adults are humor “on the verge”, the unusualness of the characters and the winding storyline.

Positive emotions are provided with spectators of all ages, in addition, Shrek-2 is deprived of edification and pathos characteristic of Disney ribbons. The manifestation of anti -scability is affected; Even the mermaid, which inadvertently fell into the arms of the shrek, immediately “flies away” into the sea, promoted by the tail of his bride. And the Udolbaysky lifestyle of the newlyweds leaves much to be desired.

Now green color is associated not only with the color of American cash and no less popular serpent. Apparently, this is a kind of lifestyle, accessible not only to green representatives, but also by mere mortals. According to the authors of the cartoon, Shrek lives in every person, and a person in every Shrek. Which of these two states is closer to you, you yourself decide.

Artem Koryushkin

Watch cinemas since August 2004.