We've seen them all, all of those fairy tales with the same plots, same themes, and same "happily ever after "endings. And then you see Shrek, and your perspective on fairy tales changes. You notice that this movie is not exactly your average fairy tale. While the story line is much the same as countless others, there are some major differences that completely alter the meaning of the words "fairy tale." So, does Shrek teach the same lesson as most other fairy tales, or is it saying something different?.
Disney movies are known for happy endings and teaching lessons. Though there is nothing wrong with that, it seems that the makers of Shrek are very much anti-Disney. There is countless evidence of this throughout the movie. The very beginning of the movie makes fun of the Disney movie Sleeping Beauty, a movie that starts off with a fairy tale book about a princess trapped in a castle which is guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. Sound familiar? It should, but the difference between Sleeping Beauty and Shrek is that while Sleeping Beauty goes into the story after this introduction, Shrek (Mike Myers) tears out a page of this book and uses it to wipe himself.
This anti-Disney sentiment is carried on throughout the movie. Disney World itself is mocked by Shrek's portrayal of Duloc, the kingdom of Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow). When Shrek and Donkey (Eddie Murphy) arrive, we see a sign in the parking lot that says "You are parked in Lancelot," mimicking the same types of signs you see in Disney lots. Once they get past the entrance, we find that Duloc actually looks a lot like Disney. The information center is a song that sounds much like "It's a Small World," a famous Disney tune, and the souvenir shop in Duloc reminds us of those you see in Disney World, where you can buy several different sizes of Mickey Mouse dolls. These mockeries seem to imply that Disney takes things too far and are excessive in the way they handle things.