SHREK is to today’s kids what Charlie Brown was to other generations.
And, like Charlie Brown, what would an animated icon be without his own TV Christmas special?
So DreamWorks, creators of the insanely profitable “Shrek” movie series (based on William Steig’s book), jumps into the crowded TV space tomorrow night with “Shrek The Halls” – their first Shrek Christmas special featuring all the starring voices from the “Shrek” movies.
Simple and fun, if not exactly memorable, the half-hour show revolves around Shrek’s (voiced by Mike Meyers) need to learn the real meaning of Christmas – which means friends, family and, of course, love.
Seems that with Shrek being an ogre and all, he’s never celebrated Christmas and, in fact, as he says to Donkey (Eddie Murphy), he’s never celebrated anything ever.
Donkey, of course, is all about Christmas and starts bugging Shrek about it way back in the summer when Shrek is happily enjoying the hot weather with his cool little ogre triplets on his lap.
Annoyed, irritated and otherwise ticked-off at the disturbance, Shrek kicks Donkey to the curb, or, in this case, to the floor of the forest. Relentless, Donkey shows up again 100 days later to remind him there’s only 52 days left.
Finally Donkey returns, undaunted, the day before Christmas Eve, and Shrek tries to kick him (again). But Fiona, (Cameron Diaz), who is all about Christmas, steps in. Turns out she expects that they’ll be decorating and having a big visit from Santa.
This sets the panicky Shrek on a last-minute holiday shopping and decorating frenzy – since he wants now to create a great holiday for his family.
He doesn’t realize, however, that “family” at Christmas is not just well, family, it’s family – you know, everyone!
The Shrek house becomes Christmas Central on Christmas Eve with Donkey, Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas) and the rest of the cast of characters, including the German Three Little Pigs and the Gingerbread Man, showing up uninvited to dance, sing and wreck the joint.
Shrek goes ballistic and throws everyone out, which causes Fiona and the babies to go out in the snow to find the outcasts – teaching Shrek, of course, the true meaning of Christmas. This little Christmas tale may rattle some cages, since Shrek keeps referring to the Christmas story as the one that begins ” ‘Twas the night before Christmas.”
There actually is another real Christmas story, but hey – since Christmas is now as ecumenical and amorphous a holiday as say, President’s Day, (with sales to match!) perhaps the true story is the one about the fat man in the red suit who spurred the economy.
“Shrek the Halls”
Tomorrow at 8 p.m. on Ch. 7