Donkey! Merry Christmas…
Shrek has finally settled down to family life. His kids are happy, his wife is happy and life in general seems to be falling the route of happy. What could he possibly be missing? How about Christmas? Shrek discovers the true meaning of Christmas through the help of his friend Donkey, Puss and everyone else in the fairy-tale world. In Shrek style, he doesn’t go quietly and he tries to learn it on his own terms.
There are two amazing things about Shrek the Halls. The first amazing thing is that the short television show is funny. Rarely does a movie translate well to a a 22-minute show, but surprisingly it does. Shrek contains the rudeness that qualifies him as an ogre and the wittiness that qualifies him as Shrek. Also, his supporting cast brings their quips and nuances that make them who they are. For example Pinocchio, hangs an actual stocking from the fireplace. That was a reference from a previous Shrek movie (can’t remember which one, but it keeps the gagging rolling). Another example, one of the gross style, comes when Gingerbread man squirts out a piece of chocolate, which Donkey eats up. Supporting humor from his cast, helps make Shrek the Halls extremely funny. On the flip-side to that coin, you also get a very healthy moral about Christmas and celebrating with friends. A bit worn, but still helps keep the show on the right track.
The second, and final, amazing thing about Shrek the Halls is that they kept the cast together for this one. Myers, Murphy, Diaz and even Banderas come back to reprise their roles from the movies. Getting top-notch actors to do that is nearly a miracle. For something so lowly as television, which usually means the end of an actor’s career, it’s impressive for the players to be passionate about their roles.
Overall, the 22-minute feature isn’t a holiday classic, but it’s still entertaining, especially for the kids in the household.
Green with features
The features in Shrek the Halls are good, nothing great particularly. You get a nice bit of sing alongs with the DVD, which made the movies fun at the end, and you get some clever games for the younger folks in the household (like the Gingerbread man matching game). It’s a good set of features for the young ones in the household, but nothing for adults to flip out about. Here’s a list:
– 12 Days of Christmas Sing Along
– Deck the Halls Sing Along
– Gingy’s Dunking Game
– Shrek Carnival Craze Video Game Demo & Cheat Code
– DreamWorks Animation Video Jukebox
I have to admit, the jukebox feature is neat. It allows you to view some popular songs from Dreamworks animated features. Good stuff, kids will love it.