Shrek Forever After
Encyclopedia
Shrek Forever After, taglined as The Final Chapter, is a 2010 animated fantasy-comedy film, and the fourth and final installment in the Shrek film series, produced by DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Glendale, California that creates animated feature films, television program and online virtual worlds...

. The film was released by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...

 in cinemas on May 20, 2010 in Russia, and on May 21 in the United States. It was also released in 3D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...

 and IMAX 3D format. Like the first three Shrek films, the film is a parody of fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...

 themes.

Although the film received mixed reviews from critics and opened lower than expected, it remained as the #1 film in the United States and Canada for three consecutive weeks and has grossed a worldwide total of over $752 million, making it a commercial success. Additionally, the film is DreamWorks Animation's highest-grossing film at the foreign box office.

Plot

The film begins just before Shrek
Shrek (character)
Shrek is a fictional character from the children's book Shrek! and the Shrek films. He is the main protagonist of both the book and the films...

 and Donkey
Donkey (Shrek)
Donkey is a fictional talking donkey from the Shrek series of films and he serves as the deuteragonist of the films, voiced by Eddie Murphy. The character has also featured in the original story Shrek!...

 rescue Princess Fiona
Princess Fiona
Princess Fiona is the princess and the tritagonist in the films Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After. Actress Cameron Diaz provides her voice to the character, and Fiona's singing is provided by Renee Sands of Kids Incorporated and Wild Orchid.-Shrek:In Shrek, Lord Farquaad sends...

 in the first film
Shrek
Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...

. Desperate to lift their daughter's curse, King Harold and Queen Lillian meet with con artist
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...

 Rumpelstiltskin, who wishes to become King of Far Far Away in exchange for helping them. But before the deal is contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...

ed, the king and queen learn that Fiona has been rescued. Rumpelstiltskin is then shown to have become washed up as a result and subsequently bitter towards Shrek for inadvertently ruining his plans.

Shrek has steadily grown tired of being a family man and celebrity among the local villagers, leading him to yearn for the days when he felt like a "real ogre
Ogre
An ogre is a large, cruel, monstrous, and hideous humanoid monster, featured in mythology, folklore, and fiction. Ogres are often depicted in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings, and have appeared in many classic works of literature...

". He takes his family to Far Far Away to celebrate his children's first birthday. Shrek gets annoyed when the three little pigs eat the kids' cake along with most of the other party food. A boy named Butterpants (who is said to be a "big fan" of Shrek) demands that Shrek roars. After he lets out a frustrated roar the entire crowd cheers, reinforcing his belief that no one considers him to be a true ogre. This coupled with the fact that the birthday cakes were decorated with a "cute" Ogre named "Sprinkles" finally makes Shrek snap and he smashes the new birthday cake in anger. He and Fiona argue outside about his reaction which ends with Shrek saying that he wished he had never rescued her.

After storming off, Shrek encounters Rumpelstiltskin. Rumpel, who had observed Shrek's angry outburst with Fiona, seizes his chance. He follows Shrek and arranges what appears to be an accident where he is trapped under his carriage. Shrek helps him and Rumpel being "grateful", gives Shrek a ride and a meal. When Shrek voices his frustrations, Rumpel offers to give Shrek a day to live like a real ogre in exchange for a day from his childhood, he would not remember being erased from existence. Shrek signs the contract and appears in a reality where he is still feared by villagers. He takes the opportunity to cause some light hearted mischief until he finds wanted posters for the ogress Fiona and his home deserted and desolate. He is kidnapped by witches
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...

 and taken to Rumpelstiltskin, now the King of Far Far Away and possibly Emperor of a good deal more, which has become derelict and run down. Rumpelstiltskin uses ogres and some of Shrek's friends as slave labor
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...

.

The day Rumpelstiltskin erased was the day that Shrek was born. He therefore never saved Fiona, never met Donkey, consequently getting Rumpelstiltskin to Harold and Lillian to sign their kingdom away, and then causing them to disappear. When the day ends, Shrek will fade from existence. Shrek escapes Rumpelstiltskin's castle with Donkey. Initially terrified of Shrek, Donkey decides to trust him after seeing Shrek cry over his lost past, something he had never seen an ogre do before. After Shrek explains the situation, Donkey helps him find a loophole
Loophole
A loophole is a weakness that allows a system to be circumvented.Loophole may also refer to:*Arrowslit, a slit in a castle wall*Loophole , a short science fiction story by Arthur C...

: the contract will be nullified if Shrek and Fiona share true love's kiss. Shrek and Donkey first travel to the dragon's keep where Fiona was kept and find the place deserted. They soon encounter a band of ogres who are resisting Rumpelstiltskin. The ogres are led by Fiona, who is still cursed after escaping from the tower where she was held captive, and keeps the retired and overweight Puss in Boots
Puss in Boots (Shrek)
Puss in Boots is a fictional cat and a supporting character in the Shrek film series, as well as the primary protagonist of the 2011 spin-off prequel Puss in Boots. He is voiced in English and both Spanish versions by Antonio Banderas...

 as a pet.

Shrek does everything he can to gain Fiona's love, but she is too busy preparing an ambush on Rumpelstiltskin. She is also bitterly cynical and disillusioned about the power of true love and throws herself into planning Rumpelstiltskin's capture. While sparring with her, Fiona begins to like Shrek, but stops short of kissing him. Shrek is discouraged, but Puss encourages him to continue pursuing Fiona.

During the ambush, the ogres are captured by the Pied Piper. Shrek insists Fiona kiss him, saying it will fix everything, but because Fiona does not truly love him it is ineffective. Upon hearing that Rumpelstiltskin is offering anything desired by the one who captures Shrek, Shrek surrenders himself in exchange for all the ogres being released. Fiona remains in custody because she is only an ogre by night (as Stitltskin himself points out). Shrek and Fiona are to be fed to Dragon, but Donkey, Puss and the ogres raid Rumpelstiltskin's castle, allowing Shrek and Fiona to both subdue Dragon and capture Rumpelstiltskin.

As the sun rises, Shrek begins to fade from existence. But Fiona, having fallen in love with him, kisses him just before he disappears, thereby voiding the contract and restoring the world to just before Shrek originally lashed out at everyone. Shrek embraces his friends and family with a newfound appreciation for everything he has, truly living happily forever after.

Main

  • Mike Myers
    Mike Myers (actor)
    Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...

     as Shrek
    Shrek (character)
    Shrek is a fictional character from the children's book Shrek! and the Shrek films. He is the main protagonist of both the book and the films...

  • Eddie Murphy
    Eddie Murphy
    Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....

     as Donkey
    Donkey (Shrek)
    Donkey is a fictional talking donkey from the Shrek series of films and he serves as the deuteragonist of the films, voiced by Eddie Murphy. The character has also featured in the original story Shrek!...

  • Cameron Diaz
    Cameron Diaz
    Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...

     as Princess Fiona
    Princess Fiona
    Princess Fiona is the princess and the tritagonist in the films Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After. Actress Cameron Diaz provides her voice to the character, and Fiona's singing is provided by Renee Sands of Kids Incorporated and Wild Orchid.-Shrek:In Shrek, Lord Farquaad sends...

  • Antonio Banderas
    Antonio Banderas
    José Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...

     as Puss in Boots
    Puss in Boots (Shrek)
    Puss in Boots is a fictional cat and a supporting character in the Shrek film series, as well as the primary protagonist of the 2011 spin-off prequel Puss in Boots. He is voiced in English and both Spanish versions by Antonio Banderas...

  • Walt Dohrn
    Walt Dohrn
    Walter "Walt" Dohrn is an American writer, director, artist, actor, animator, musician, screenwriter, and voice artist. He is best known as the voice of Rumpelstiltskin in Shrek Forever After. He also provided the voices of a van student, Xavier, Principal Pynchley, a nanny dwarf, an evil knight,...

     as Rumpelstiltskin
  • Conrad Vernon
    Conrad Vernon
    Conrad Vernon IV is an American director, writer, and voice actor, best known for his work on the DreamWorks animated films Shrek 2 and Monsters vs...

     as Gingy (Gingerbread Man)
  • Aron Warner
    Aron Warner
    Aron J. Warner is an actor and producer. He won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature as a producer of the animated blockbuster Shrek, in which he also voices Big Bad Wolf.- Life and career :...

     as Wolf
  • Christopher Knights
    Christopher Knights
    Christopher Knights is an English voice actor, editor and camera operator best known for providing the voice of Private the Penguin in Madagascar , also, he worked on several DreamWorks films Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and Shrek 4-D...

     as Three Blind Mice
  • Cody Cameron
    Cody Cameron
    Cody Cameron is an American voice actor, writer, animator, director, artist, and screenwriter, best known for voicing Pinocchio, the Three Little Pigs, and an Ogre Baby in the Shrek series.-Career:...

     as Pinocchio, Three Little Pigs

Supporting

  • Jon Hamm as Brogan the Ogre
  • Craig Robinson as Cookie the Ogre
  • Jane Lynch
    Jane Lynch
    Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...

     as Gretchen the Ogre
  • Julie Andrews
    Julie Andrews
    Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...

     as Queen Lillian
  • John Cleese
    John Cleese
    John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...

     as King Harold
  • Chris Miller
    Chris Miller (animator)
    Chris Miller is an American animator, director, screenwriter, storyboard artist, and voice actor. He studied animation at the California Institute of Arts, and joined Dreamworks SKG in 1998 as a storyboard artist for the studio's first animated comedy, Antz...

     as Magic Mirror, Mr. Geppetto
  • Kristen Schaal
    Kristen Schaal
    Kristen Schaal is an American actress, writer and comedienne, best known for her role as Mel in the HBO series Flight of the Conchords, as Louise in Bob's Burgers and as a contributor on The Daily Show.-Early life:...

     as Pumpkin Witch, Palace Witch
  • Mary Kay Place
    Mary Kay Place
    Mary Kay Place is an American actress, singer, director and screen writer. She is best known as portraying Loretta Haggers on the television series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, a role which won her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Comedy Series in 1977...

     as Guard Witch
  • Meredith Vieira
    Meredith Vieira
    Meredith Louise Vieira is an American journalist, television personality, and game show host. She is best known for her roles as the original moderator of the ABC talk program The View and co-host of the long-running NBC News morning news program, Today...

     as Broomsy Witch
  • Kathy Griffin
    Kathy Griffin
    Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...

     as Taran
  • Lake Bell
    Lake Bell
    -Early life:Bell was born in New York City, the daughter of Robin Bell, owner of the design firm Robin Bell Design, Inc. in New York, and Harvey Siegel. Her father is Jewish and her mother is Protestant, and Bell has stated that she was raised in a "comically dysfunctional family".Bell attended The...

     as Patrol Witch, Wagon Witch #2
  • Jeremy Steig
    Jeremy Steig
    -Biography:Steig is the son of New Yorker cartoonist William Steig,At age 19 Steig was involved in a motorcycle accident which left him paralyzed on one side...

     as Pied Piper
  • Larry King
    Larry King
    Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....

     (US)/Jonathan Ross
    Jonathan Ross
    Jonathan Ross may refer to:* Jonathan Ross , English television and radio personality* Jonathan Ross , United States Senator, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court* Jonathon Ross , former Australian rules footballer...

     (UK) as Doris the Ugly Stepsister
  • Regis Philbin
    Regis Philbin
    Regis Francis Xavier Philbin is an American media personality, actor and singer, known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s. Philbin is often called "the hardest working man in show business" and holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera...

     as Mabel
    Mabel
    Mabel is an English female given name derived from the Latin amabilis, "lovable, dear". Amabilis of Riom was a French male saint who logically would have assumed the name Amabilis upon entering the priesthood: his veneration may have resulted in Amabilis being used as a female as well as male name...

     the Ugly Stepsister
  • Ryan Seacrest
    Ryan Seacrest
    Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...

     as Butter Pants' father.
  • Mike Mitchell
    Mike Mitchell (director)
    Mike Mitchell is an American film director, producer, actor and former animator. He is well known for directing the films Surviving Christmas, Sky High and Shrek Forever After.-Life and career:...

     as Butter Pants

Production

Tim Sullivan
Tim Sullivan (British filmmaker)
Tim Sullivan is a British film and television director and screenwriter, known for his work with Granada Television and his feature film Jack and Sarah .- Background :...

 wrote the original story Shrek Goes Fourth, but Darren Lemke and Josh Klausner made the rewrites, and Mike Mitchell
Mike Mitchell (director)
Mike Mitchell is an American film director, producer, actor and former animator. He is well known for directing the films Surviving Christmas, Sky High and Shrek Forever After.-Life and career:...

 directed the new installment, replacing Chris Miller
Chris Miller (animator)
Chris Miller is an American animator, director, screenwriter, storyboard artist, and voice actor. He studied animation at the California Institute of Arts, and joined Dreamworks SKG in 1998 as a storyboard artist for the studio's first animated comedy, Antz...

, who directed the previous film
Shrek the Third
Shrek the Third is a 2007 American animated film, and the third film in the Shrek series. It was produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg for DreamWorks Animation, and is distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was released in U.S. theaters on May 18, 2007...

, while Shrek
Shrek
Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...

 and Shrek 2
Shrek 2
Shrek 2 is a 2004 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film, produced by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon. It is the second installment in the Shrek film series and the sequel to 2001's Shrek...

 were both directed by Andrew Adamson
Andrew Adamson
Andrew Ralph Adamson, MNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer and screenwriter based mainly in Los Angeles, where he made the blockbuster animation films, Shrek and Shrek 2 for which he received an Academy Award nomination. He was director, executive producer, and scriptwriter for C. S....

. Also, all the principal cast members reprised their roles.

On November 25, 2009, DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Glendale, California that creates animated feature films, television program and online virtual worlds...

 announced that the Shrek series would conclude with Shrek Forever After.

Music

Critical reception

Shrek Forever After received mixed reviews with several critics claiming that the film is better than Shrek the Third
Shrek the Third
Shrek the Third is a 2007 American animated film, and the third film in the Shrek series. It was produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg for DreamWorks Animation, and is distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was released in U.S. theaters on May 18, 2007...

 but lacking the story-rich detail as Shrek
Shrek
Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...

 and Shrek 2
Shrek 2
Shrek 2 is a 2004 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film, produced by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon. It is the second installment in the Shrek film series and the sequel to 2001's Shrek...

. Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...

 reported that 58% of critics have given the film a positive review, based on 187 reviews, with an average score of 5.9/10. Its consensus states "While not without its moments, Shrek Forever After too often feels like a rote rehashing of the franchise's earlier entries." Among Rotten Tomatoes' Cream of the Crop, which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television, and radio programs, the film holds an overall rating of 41% based on 32 reviews. Another review aggregator, Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...

, which assigns a normalized
Normalization (statistics)
In one usage in statistics, normalization is the process of isolating statistical error in repeated measured data. A normalization is sometimes based on a property...

 rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated an average score of 58 based on 34 reviews.

Pete Hammond of Boxoffice
Boxoffice (magazine)
Boxoffice is a film industry magazine dedicated to the movie theatre business published by Boxoffice Media LP. It started in 1920 as The Reel Journal, taking its current name in 1931 and still publishes today, with an intended audience of theatre owners and film professionals.Boxoffice is the...

 gave the film 4.5 stars out of 5 writing "Hilarious and heartfelt from start to finish, this is the best Shrek of them all, and that's no fairy tale. Borrowing liberally from Frank Capra
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...

's It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....

, this edition blends big laughs and emotion to explore what Far Far Away might have been like if Shrek never existed." James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...

 of Reelviews awarded the film 3/4 stars stating "Even though Shrek Forever After is obligatory and unnecessary, it's better than Shrek the Third
Shrek the Third
Shrek the Third is a 2007 American animated film, and the third film in the Shrek series. It was produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg for DreamWorks Animation, and is distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was released in U.S. theaters on May 18, 2007...

 and it's likely that most who attend as a way of saying goodbye to the Jolly Green Ogre will not find themselves wishing they had sought out a more profitable way of spending 90-odd minutes." Writing her critique for Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

, Lisa Schwarzbaum graded the film a B- claiming "Everyone involved fulfills his or her job requirements adequately. But, the magic is gone, and Shrek Forever After is no longer an ogre phenomenon to reckon with." Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

 film critic Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Peter Travers is an American film critic, who has written for, in turn, People and Rolling Stone. Travers also hosts a celebrity interview show called Popcorn on ABC News Now and ABCNews.com.-Career:...

 wrote "This is a fun ride. What’s missing is the excitement of new interpretation." Mary Pols, film critic for Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...

, concluded her review with "Can an ogre jump a shark
Jumping the shark
Jumping the shark is an idiom used to describe the moment in the evolution of a television show when it begins a decline in quality that is beyond recovery....

? I think so." Giving the film 1 star out of 4, Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith is an American critic, novelist and essayist. He is a staff film critic for the New York Post. His film reviewing style has been called "an exercise in hilarious hostility" by Entertainment Weekly....

 of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...

 wrote that "After the frantic spurt of fairy-tale allusions and jokes in the first three Shreks, this one inches along with a few mostly pointless action scenes and the occasional mild pun."

Box-office performance

Shrek Forever After earned $238,736,787 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 and an additional $513,864,080 overseas giving the film a worldwide gross of $752,600,867. This makes Shrek Forever After the second-highest grossing animated film of 2010 worldwide, behind Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film, and the third installment in the Toy Story series. It was produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Lee Unkrich. The film was released worldwide from June through October in Disney Digital...

, and places it as the 37th highest-grossing film of all time worldwide as well as the fifth highest-grossing film of 2010 worldwide behind Toy Story 3, Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a 2010 American computer-animated/live action fantasy adventure film directed by Tim Burton, written by Linda Woolverton, and released by Walt Disney Pictures...

, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, and Inception
Inception
Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19...

. Its worldwide total is much higher than the original Shrek, which grossed $484.4 million worldwide. Additionally, in the foreign box office, having made $511.4 million it has out-grossed its two predecessors, Shrek the Third
Shrek the Third
Shrek the Third is a 2007 American animated film, and the third film in the Shrek series. It was produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg for DreamWorks Animation, and is distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was released in U.S. theaters on May 18, 2007...

 which grossed $476.2 million and Shrek 2
Shrek 2
Shrek 2 is a 2004 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film, produced by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon. It is the second installment in the Shrek film series and the sequel to 2001's Shrek...

 which grossed $478.6 million becoming the highest-grossing Shrek movie overseas. It is also Dreamworks Animation
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Glendale, California that creates animated feature films, television program and online virtual worlds...

's biggest foreign hit at the box office as well as the fourth highest-grossing animated film at the overseas box office.

United States and Canada
Having it as the widest release for an animated film playing in 4,359 theaters (later expanded to 4,389) on May 21, 2010, on opening day in the U.S. and Canada, the film took #1, grossing $20,802,341. This was far less auspicious than the opening days of the last two Shrek films. The film then opened in three days with $70,838,207, lower than box-office analysts predictions of a $105 million opening and also lower than the two previous films, Shrek 2, which opened with $108 million back in 2004 and Shrek the Third, which opened with $121 million back in 2007. However, it's far bigger than the original Shrek, which opened with $42 million back in 2001, and is also the fifth-biggest opening for a 2010 film in the United States and Canada behind Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2 is a 2010 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the sequel to 2008's Iron Man, the second film in a planned trilogy and is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jon...

, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, Alice in Wonderland, and Toy Story 3. Anne Globe, head of worldwide marketing for DreamWorks Animation, said they were happy with the film's opening since it debuted at #1 and also had the fifth best opening for an animated film at the American and Canadian box office behind Shrek the Third, Toy Story 3, Shrek 2, and The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...

.

In its second weekend, Shrek Forever After dropped only 38.9%, the third smallest second-weekend drop for the franchise (behind the original Shrek which gained 0.3% and Shrek 2 which dropped 33.2%) and was #1 for two weeks in a row with $43,311,063, ahead of the two highly-anticipated films Sex and the City 2
Sex and the City 2
Sex and the City 2 is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Michael Patrick King. It is the sequel to the 2008 film Sex and the City, which is based on the HBO TV series of the same name....

 and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (film)
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a 2010 sword-and-sorcery action film written by Jordan Mechner, Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard; directed by Mike Newell; produced by Jerry Bruckheimer; and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures...

. The film then grossed $13,749,371 on Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...

 bringing its four-day weekend total to $57,060,434. In its third weekend Shrek Forever After dropped only 41.2% and was #1 for the three weeks in a row with $25,486,465, beating out the new releases Get Him to the Greek
Get Him to the Greek
Get Him to the Greek is a 2010 American comedy film written, produced, and directed by Nicholas Stoller and starring Jonah Hill and Russell Brand. The film was released on June 4, 2010. Get Him to the Greek is a spin-off sequel of Stoller's 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, reuniting director...

, Killers
Killers (2010 film)
Killers is a 2010 American romantic comedy action film starring Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Tom Selleck and Catherine O'Hara. The film was released in the United States and Canada on June 4, 2010...

, Marmaduke
Marmaduke (film)
Marmaduke is an American live action film adaptation of Brad Anderson's comic strip Marmaduke. The film centers on a rural Kansas family and their pets – a Great Dane named Marmaduke and a Balinese cat named Carlos – as the family relocates to California.-Plot:Marmaduke is a Great Dane living in...

, and Splice
Splice (film)
Splice is a 2009 Canadian/French science fiction horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali and starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley. The story concerns experiments in genetic engineering being done by a young scientist couple who attempt to introduce human DNA into their work of splicing animal...

. Shrek Forever After came in third place to The Karate Kid
The Karate Kid (2010 film)
The Karate Kid is a 2010 American martial arts film and remake of the 1984 film of the same name. Directed by Harald Zwart, produced by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, the film stars Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan...

 and The A-Team
The A-Team (film)
The A-Team is an American action film based on the television series of the same name. It was released in cinemas in the United States on June 11, 2010, by 20th Century Fox. The film was directed by Joe Carnahan and produced by Stephen J. Cannell and the Scott brothers Ridley and Tony...

 during its fourth weekend at the box office, but it delivered a higher-grossing weekend than Shrek the Third. The film made $15,770,491, down only 38.1%, compared to Shrek the Thirds $15,317,614 and also had the franchise's smallest fourth-weekend drop.

Its $238.7 million total makes it the eighth highest-grossing film of 2010 in the U.S. and Canada, though Shrek Forever After still remains the lowest-grossing Shrek film in these regions. Executives at Dreamworks Animation were also impressed with the film's $238.7 million gross in North America since it was the fourth film in a series seemingly outgrown by its fans.

Other territories
In Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 and the Commonwealth of Independent States
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....

, its highest-grossing market after the U.S. and Canada, it had a $19,655,930 opening weekend -second on the all-time chart behind Avatar's $19,732,998- and earned $51,362,770 in total, again ranking second on the all-time chart behind Avatar's $117,051,365. Third in terms of total earnings came the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 and Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

, where it opened with £8,955,554 ($13,609,851) and finished its box-office run having grossed £31,106,087 ($51,056,068) and landing in fifth place for 2010 after Toy Story 3, Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Alice in Wonderland and Inception. In France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and the Maghreb
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...

 region, it had the fourth-best opening for a 2010 movie ($11,470,044) and ultimately earned $46,616,337 to become 2010's second highest-grossing movie behind Deathly Hallows: Part 1. It also ranked #1 among 2010 films in many territories around the world, especially Europe. Some of these countries are Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 ($17,262,308), Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 ($6,323,776), Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 ($3,255,213), Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

 ($1,570,982), Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

 ($710,999), Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

 ($675,504), Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

 ($606,649), Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

 ($582,385) and Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

 ($499,121).

Awards and nominations

Award Category/Recipient(s) Result References
Teen Choice Awards 2010 Choice Movie: Animated Film
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2010
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2010
The 8th annual Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards was held on Friday 8 October 2010 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Nomination entries closed on 1 August 2010 and the nominees for this year's season, were revealed on 15 August 2010...

Fave Movie
37th People's Choice Awards
37th People's Choice Awards
The 37th People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in popular culture for 2010, were held on January 5, 2011 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and were broadcast live on CBS at 9:00 pm ET...

Favorite Family Movie
38th Annual Annie Awards Animated Effects in an Animated Production
Music in a Feature Production
Voice Acting in a Feature Production (Cameron Diaz)
Storyboarding in a Feature Production
Production Design in a Feature Production
2011 Kids' Choice Awards
2011 Kids' Choice Awards
Nickelodeon's 24th Annual Kids' Choice Awards were held on April 2, 2011 at 8 p.m. ET at the Galen Center at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles's University Park neighborhood due to renovations disallowing use of traditional venue Pauley Pavilion until at least 2013. Jack Black...

Favorite Animated Film
Favorite Voice From An Animated Movie (Eddie Murphy)
Favorite Voice From An Animated Movie (Cameron Diaz)
37th Saturn Awards
37th Saturn Awards
The 37th Saturn Awards, honoring the best in science fiction, fantasy and horror film and television in 2010 were held on June 23, 2011.-Best Science Fiction Film:*Inception*Hereafter*Iron Man 2*Never Let Me Go*Splice...

Best Animated Film

Home media

The film was released on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack on December 7, 2010. As of March 13, 2011 the DVD has sold 3,438,198 copies and has made $57,634,242. Shrek Forever After is also included in Shrek: The Whole Story, a box set released on the same day that included all four Shrek films and additional bonus content.

Video games

Shrek Forever After is an action-adventure video game based on the film of the same name. It was released by Activision on May 18, 2010.

Spin-Off

Puss in Boots is a computer-animated feature film that was released on October 28, 2011. The movie is based on and follows the character of Puss in Boots
Puss in Boots (Shrek)
Puss in Boots is a fictional cat and a supporting character in the Shrek film series, as well as the primary protagonist of the 2011 spin-off prequel Puss in Boots. He is voiced in English and both Spanish versions by Antonio Banderas...

 on his adventures with Kitty Softpaws and mastermind Humpty Dumpty before his first appearance in Shrek 2
Shrek 2
Shrek 2 is a 2004 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film, produced by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon. It is the second installment in the Shrek film series and the sequel to 2001's Shrek...

.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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