Shrek

In May 2001, DreamWorks released the movie Shrek to adoring audiences worldwide. This computer-animated gem tells the tale of a grumpy green ogre, voiced by former Saturday Night Live veteran, Mike Myers. Shrek ends up meeting the human princess Fiona, voiced by bombshell Cameron Diaz, and cavorting around with a yapping donkey voiced by Eddie Murphy.

Originally, the character of Shrek was to be played by the comedian Chris Farley. After Farley's untimely death, Myers took over the voice role and gave Shrek a Scottish accent. The story of the green ogre with the big heart is actually an adaptation of a book written by William Steig in 1990. It won the Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2002--the first film ever to do so.

Part of Shrek's appeal is its simple but earnest story. Shrek also draws upon the musical talents of pop stars such as Rufus Wainwright and Smash Mouth. In 2004, DreamWorks released the sequel, Shrek 2, which broke all sorts of box office records during its opening weekend. The Shrek franchise will soon expand--Shrek 3 and Shrek 4 are currently in development.

DreamWorks enjoyed so much success with Shrek that the company adopted the ogre as its logo. In many ways the franchise is a repudiation of Disney's take on animated pictures. Indeed, Shrek's commercial success helped position DreamWorks as a real competitor to Disney--Shrek 2 even outgrossed Disney's amazing underwater adventure, Finding Nemo, in 2004. Due to its unending popularity with kids and adults alike, Shrek merchandise is easy to find online.