Homework: Genre & Narrative Analysis

I chose to analyse Shrek, because, well, I love this film. <3 So enjoy the trailer.





Okay, let's talk genre. It's quite obvious that Shrek is an animated film, because you can see the animation in the trailer. But it also falls into other genres, such as comedy. The one-liners, especially from Donkey - "You definitely need some Tic-Tacs or something, 'cause your breath stinks!" - reveal that the film is a comedy. Other sources of comedy include slapstick, e.g. when Gingy spits in Lord Farquaad's eye. I would also say that the film falls into the fantasy genre, mainly due to Shrek's fairytale aspect. This is done by adding in common fairytale characters, like Pinocchio, and common fairytale settings (the royal castle, the dangerous derelict castle, the woods). To sum up, I think Shrek is a film that encompasses the genres of animation, comedy and fantasy.


Shrek's narrative structure is pretty conventional. The main storyline contains many of Propp's key characters - the hero (Shrek), goes on a quest, with a helper (Donkey) to save a princess (Fiona), who a villain (Lord Farquaad) wishes to marry. Here, Todorov's narrative theory clearly applies. The equilibrium stage is set up at the start, where Shrek is alone in his swamp, happy with the way things are. However, the disruption comes when he finds his swamp invaded by evicted fairytale creatures. He is forced to go on a journey to save Fiona and deliver her to a lord, in return for his land. Adding to the complications is his growing love for the princess, conflicting with his original intentions. The resolution comes when Lord Farquaad is killed, allowing Shrek and Fiona to be united. The restoration of events sees Shrek and Fiona getting married.


Although the characters in Shrek are common archetypes, they are not stereotypical. The biggest example of this is Shrek. He is an unattractive, grumpy ogre, with no heroic qualities, yet he plays the hero role in the film. Likewise, Donkey plays the role of the helper, accompanying the hero on his quest, yet he offers no help - he is more a source of irritation to the hero. Fiona, the princess, is shown to be able to defend herself when faced with danger, challenging the common stereotype of the princess being a helpless figure. While Lord Farquaad plays the villain, he lacks the intimidation normally expected from a villain - his unusually short stature makes him physically unthreatening.


I think this combination of common character roles & sequence of events with atypical characters is effective, as it provides the audience with a fresh concept, so as not to bore them with overly-common characters. However, it also retains familiarity, so the audience can still understand the basic concept without confusion.