It is a little-known fact that in the early years of Dreamworks Animation,
Shrek was the ugly duckling, while other projects like
The Prince of Egypt and
The Road to El Dorado got all the attention. However, this ogre tale eventually became the studio's major breadwinner, spawning a billion-dollar four-part franchise that is coming out on Blu-ray, under the title
Shrek: The Whole Story. Blu-ray.com now has an extensive
review of that BD box set.
Staff reviewer Martin Liebman praises the movie saga by saying, "Shrek is a magically timeless series that emphasizes good, wholesome values, even through a plethora of generally kid-friendly but subtly adult humor and dark plot structures that incorporate Fairy Tale cliché to unbelievably unique and effective results." The lead characters, he adds, "represent a new take on the classically beautiful Fairy Tale heroes and heroines, allowing the stories to more easily but without much additional pomp and circumstance celebrate the true meaning of love and the joys of the Happily Ever After ending by emphasizing that true beauty is not merely skin deep."
As to video quality, the first movie is restrained only by "the CGI technical limitations of the time period in which the film was made." The color palette is a standout, with "a vibrant yet steady appearance that allows reds, blues, and greens to practically leap off the screen." Later parts of the franchise improve noticeably from
Shrek 2 onwards, with "massive amounts of intricate eye candy." Audio quality, on the other hand, is flawless across the board.
Regarding extras, special mention is made of
The Animators' Corner, a picture-in-picture commentary/behind-the-scenes track offered with each movie that offers "both the average fan and the hardcore enthusiast alike an incredible amount of information."
Marty concludes that
Shrek: The Whole Story is "one of the year's finest box sets" that "should be atop every Blu-ray Christmas wish list."