How do the makers of Shrek subvert the usual conventions of a fairytale using presentational devices?

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 How do the makers of Shrek subvert the usual       conventions of a fairytale using presentational     devices?

        In this essay I am going to discuss how the makers of Shrek overturned the expected characteristics of a fairytale. They do this by using presentational devices such as lighting, music, camera angles and visual effect. In my opinion if the film did not use these presentational devices the way they did, it would not be as successful and people would see it in a totally different way.

         The producers of Shrek took conventional well-known fairytale characters and changed them to make them humorous, for example the three little pigs were given stereotypical homosexual voices. Other characters in the film were Tinkerbell, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Bears and many more. They also added and changed well known phrases from fairytale films. For example the Three Little Pigs don’t say, “ He huffed and he puffed and blew the house down” they say, “He huffed and he puffed and signed the eviction notice” When they do this I think it adds a lot of humour to the film. With the phrases they don’t change they put them into a different context. For example when Donkey is trying to get out of trouble he says ”oh! What big eyes you have” and so on, which is from Little Red Riding Hood. When Donkey is complementing Dragon she starts to fall for his charm, and their relationship grows stronger throughout the film. We see this when Donkey needs to help Shrek and he whistles for Dragon and she is there willing to help. Also on the special features at the end of the film they sing together looking at each other lovingly. I think it is very humorous and Dragon turns into someone special for Donkey, as at the beginning of the film neither Shrek nor Donkey have anybody unique for them, until Shrek falls in love with Fiona.

       I will now talk about how factors from the conventional fairytale is used and changed in the film. From knowing how the conventional fairytale goes Shrek knows he will find Princess Fiona in the “Highest room in the tallest tower” However Shrek is not a conventional hero. We see this when Shrek finds the princess and is supposed to wake her with a kiss, however Shrek shakes her franticly. We all know you are supposed to slay the dragon before you save the princess, whereas Shrek doesn’t even do that. This is when Princess Fiona knows something is wrong and says, “This isn’t right” and she later says, “Should it not be a wonderful, romantic moment?” At this point in the film we think Princess Fiona is a conventional princess and wants it to go the way she has planned for many years.

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             Later on in the film we find out that Princess Fiona is not the conventional princess we thought she was. As she was bad mannered, fought Robin Hoods merry men and ate rats, which makes her very different from other fairytale heroines, as they are very polite, very pathetic and wouldn’t dream of touching a rat.

        I will now analyse the presentational devices used in the film. The Presentational devices are some of the things that subvert Shrek from being a conventional fairytale and adds brilliant effects. ...

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