In 1957, my family moved from New York to Phoenix, Arizona. It was a tough choice for my parents to make. It meant leaving all our family and friends behind. My father was already 57, and now he would have to start over, trying to build a better financial life for my mom, my brother, and me. We even gave our beloved dog, Duchess, to my aunt and uncle. I remember being scared and excited all at the same time. I was eight. What did I know? I never thought about how my parents must have felt. They didn’t share any thoughts or feelings about why they moved so far away from everything familiar and comforting. How brave my mom was to leave her elderly dad and two sisters. I never told her. It was a different time, and this type of conversation was not the thing to do.
We knew one distant cousin and his family in Phoenix. We stayed with them for a while. I remember seeing my mom with very sad, puffy, red eyes. Looking back, I believe she was lonely. My mom was a people person. She needed to be the center of attention. It was who she was. She had an outgoing personality with a huge desire to sing and entertain. She was very talented. She decided to join a local synagogue and sing in its choir. This decision changed our lives for the better.
Immediately my mom enrolled my brother and I in Hebrew School and Sunday School. She made my quiet, shy dad volunteer in the Parent Teacher Organization and the Men’s Club. We went to services each week and on all holidays. Strangers became familiar faces. They sought my family out and invited us into their homes for dinners and activities with their own children. We reciprocated. Our circle grew and grew. My mom and dad knew everyone. She had friends who considered us as a part of their family. We felt the same way about them. They were there for us for over forty years until death quietly took everyone. This wonderful, giving community became like sisters and brothers to my parents. They were my aunts and uncles. We all felt connected and loved. Even one of my mom’s sisters moved four blocks away from our home in Arizona. We were whole again.
I have often thought about those beautiful, cherished days from decades ago. It isn’t easy to uproot, and it isn’t always a choice. Life just happens, but it can close a person off from others. It can become a lonely, unhealthy habit, no matter how many times you try to convince yourself that everything is okay.
Holiday time is especially hard on those separated by miles. We are trained to define the word ‘family’ as blood relatives. I beg to differ. People are scattered more and more, and they don’t always end up where they were born or where they have roots. Sometimes we all must look outside the box, stretch, and reach through our comfort zones while creating new communities of loved ones, families, and friends. It becomes imperative not to judge anyone by their cover, whether you are green-skinned, short, four-legged, or fire-breathing. All that matters is to take a chance like SHREK did, and an entirely new paradigm will appear and blossom. Being open to love and friendship is always the answer. In 2001, the film SHREK led the way.
SHREK changed everything for animated movies. It won the Oscar for a new category, Best Animated Film. It also received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. It laid the foundation for DreamWorks Pictures to gross close to half a billion dollars worldwide while costing the studio only $60 million to produce. It took 4 1/2 years from start to finish the final frame. Animators were often “banished” to work on this movie if they made a mistake on another project. They were said to be “Shrekked.” Many talented artists were needed and Shrekked to bring this brilliant, computer-generated, animated fairy tale to the big screen.
Andrew Adamson and Vickie Jenson led the massive team as directors. Both have strong, impressive resumes in directing animated films. They also had to control a colorful cast of characters, voiced to life by a fantastic ensemble that included Mike Myers as SHREK, Eddie Murphy as Donkey, Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona, and John Lithgow as Lord Farquaad. None of them were ever in the sound booth at the same time. In fact, they never worked together on any scene. Each actor was fed their cues and lines by a stagehand. This takes SHREK to even new heights. How incredible to get the timing of every joke and action so perfectly aligned and in sync. It boggles the brain. These are actors of the highest quality, not only able to see and imagine each moment in their minds but also to deliver the words and even improvise hilarious lines that made it into the final cut. Truly astounding.
There were many riffs, songs, and themes taken from other movies and placed subtly and blatantly within SHREK. Some of my favorites were:
- Do you know the muffin man?
- Once upon a time…with the “S” in the title, Dreamworks frame transforming just like Fiona does each night.
- Robin Hood and his extremely Merry Men
- The Three Blind Mice bickering as The Three Stooges
- Farquaad compensating
- The parody of the Dating Game TV show
- All the fairy tale characters and their outrageous schtick
- Girl power demonstrated by Fiona
- The idea of being a perfect human
- The marionettes
- The line “Well done, Donkey, well done,” taken from the movie BABE
- The homage to Small World in Disneyland and the weaving lanes of how everyone waits in line to enter a ride
- The HALLELUJAH montage featuring Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, and the Dragon
- Everything about the Gingerbread Man
- Helmet hair and noble steed
- The improvised line “Can we just settle it all over a pint?”
Oh, I could go on and on. SHREK is so well conceived and illustrated. Most people don’t even realize the title SHREK is actually a Yiddish word meaning “monster.” Yet, the concept connects the dots on how we sometimes view ourselves and our world while still inviting nonstop giggles and laughter. It is a magical, extraordinary experience showcasing meaningful life lessons.
SHREK is genuinely a family film masterpiece. It is an ingenious, hilarious comedy cartoon classic that doesn’t miss a beat. It whisks audiences deep into the swamp where anything can happen. It makes us believe that love and acceptance are all around us. It gives us courage to love ourselves exactly as we’re born or drawn. It places people of like minds at every corner, so we will no longer feel alone or different. It sends a message to everyone to be more open to change and to grow stronger together. What a perfect Thanksgiving message, especially this year. My family didn’t know what to expect when we made our big move. I am so thankful we did.
SHREK is available on Peacock.
