ok
so i know what you’re thinking “oh i remember that scene i don’t need to click on the video to recall it”. But you should. Like… if you’re anywhere near your mid-twenties, chances are that you watched shrek (1) when you were a kid and maybe a few times again in your late teens, but your memory absolutely doesn’t do it justice.
The comedic timing through this whole movie is insane. Also, the fact that the animation style is aging literally just adds to the hilarity instead of poorly dating it. The nuance of every gesture is so well done and specific.
I am literally convinced that this movie is a masterpiece and that will be historically relevant maybe 100 years from now as a perfect time capsule of our culture.
This scene in particular illustrates it especially well; particularly for being only like 1 minute long.
Highlights/Breakdown
- The timing in the way Robin says savior and the way he says beast.
- the character solidifying disregard and disrespect of “Please! Monster!”
- Fiona’s sheer brute strength when she pokes him in the shoulder so hard it spins him around–strength that he disregards which is why hes surprised as hell when he gets his ass beat
- Just the entire french accent that isn’t even a good french accent at all.
- The accordion man in the tree, the prop bushes. that one of the prop bushes falls down to reveal that its a wood cut-out subtly in the background
- Shrek and fiona watching with horror as he begins his song. Donkey never cracking his excited smile, fully immersed in the Lore™; which is actually part of a longer running joke through the film which is that occasionally when certain characters do things would be reacted to poorly irl, the surrounding characters react like you would if you saw that irl not like characters in a story. Like instead of getting drawn into the lore of their circumstances they just stand there, staring like “yikesssss”
- shrek’s exhaustion and impatience when the song goes into the “saucy little maid” bit.
- “what hes basically saying is he likes to get paid.” the chaos of that statement. combined with shrek and fiona having a eye contact conversation above the performance, exchanging “wtf” gestures.
- When the song escalates into a dance fight, Shrek’s exhaustion turns into general mounting amusement like “wow is this really turning into a dance fight. wow hes really snapping in unison” which is additionally apart of the above long running joke
- Fiona interrupting robin with a kick.
- the fuckin sound his head makes when it hits the rock.
The fight after isn’t as dynamic timing wise, just a classic animated fight scene but that song though. *kisses fingers like a chef*
I watched Shrek when it came out and it didn’t really make much of an impression (I Am Old), but it has grown on me so much since. Also of note:
- By his unconvincing French accent and the mu-mu-mu sounds he makes on Fiona’s arm, Robin seems like he watched Pepe Le Pew and decided the repellent aggressor was the hero. That adds some extra texture when he calls Shrek “monster”, since the specific monster type he has in mind is the kind that accosts young women and consumes them, which, y’know.
- This Robin’s minstrel band is much more loyal than that other Robin’s.
- You can easily forget mid-scene that the accordion on screen is providing the soundtrack until it gets broken.
The accordion thing was such an incredible bit.
The bard had one job and by God he was going to do it.
DarkestElemental616 