Well, this is a hard one. With so many quality animation films to choose from, finding the one that impacted me most is very difficult. A long long time ago I would say that Toy Story would be a top film that brought animations to back to the forefront of cinema with the great visuals, story, and of course, characters that were brought to life by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen.
However, since then, new contenders have stepped up to the plate to dethrone the former champion and in my eyes and that is not Hotel Transylvania with the hilarious character Drac and his catchy singing in the Zing Song, although it is close :
The champion for me is Shrek!
Shrek had the most impact on me because it has it all. Watching a good animation film I want to be entertained with laughs, maybe some crys and for sure some good entertainment with a twist.
Shrek has provided all this and more and that is why it is very memorable to me, even as a grown adult. I would not normally watch many animated films but when you have kids, you tend to watch them.. A LOT! hehe
What I loved about the Shrek films is that they had some great characters. The main ones were Shrek himself, a grumpy Scotsman. A talking donkey. A princess and a talking cat or better known as Puss-in-boots. But what was often hilarious throughout the films was how they modernised some of the characters from my childhood and they appeared in the films with some funny scenes.
I really like Mike Myers who does the voice of Shrek. It is a pretty poor Scottish accent, but he is still somehow likeable and plays the grumpy, moody Shrek really well. Shrek seems to be often grumpy and down on his luck and you find yourself always rooting for him.
I love also Eddie Murphy who plays Donkey. I loved the stand-up comedy from Eddie in the past and his humour is brilliant in Donkey. He is often very selfish and this you see in some hilarious moments. But when push comes to shove, he is always there for his friends.
Shrek wouldn't be so good without the great catchy songs too. I loved particularly the use of the Bond song Live and Let Die by The Wings. It was really cinematic and brought the scene to life. There are other great tunes too.
But what stands out for me the most is the constant running gags, in the characters, visually, and also the storylines. From Pinocchio lying, to the interrogation of the Gingerbread Man and letting slip about the Muffin Man.
All your childhood characters are brought somehow to life but with some funny twist that will bring a smile to your face. The voice-over characters are also well-known from my childhood so I recognise them instantly. From John Cleese as the king (Faulty Towers fame) to Joanna Lumley, what was she in again! lol She was a famous Bond girl, but that was before my time. I remember her from Absolutely Fabulous.
Shrek had me laughing and chuckling all the way through. Watching Shrek was not at all painful like when watching Peppa Pig with the kids and I can heartily recommend it. Maybe not 24/7 on loop, but I can recommend it.
Thanks for reading
Resources:
Title image created in Canva using image source and source and source