Caden Wentworth, 4 February 2019

Pixar’s Shrek has a soundtrack that accomplishes something that not many soundtracks can do: it gives the film character. It seems as if each song was gathered and the story was written to fit them. Shrek, a reclusive ogre and Donkey, an outgoing donkey, need to retrieve a princess from a faraway castle. This film features a blend of original pieces as well as several songs that were released prior to its conception.

Starting off with the original scoring, I can say with confidence that these songs are beautifully crafted to fit each scene they are placed in. They seem to perfectly capture the settings they are in and add to them without holding the scenes hostage with in-your-face accompaniment. Some may say the songs are humble in the way they add just enough to bring out the feelings the director wants you to feel and make the scene stand out when compared to the rest of the film.

Shrek is a fantasy film, and the opening scene is Shrek reading a fairy tale out of an old book to the viewer. The music behind this calming story is a simple melody, played by a lone flute. Supporting this flute is the faint call of choral singers holding out soft chords, turning this simple melody into ballad of nostalgia and tranquility. A fleeting image of a happily-ever-after fading into a sunset. The melody concludes and without a second to waste a soft crescendo welcomes in the same melody, but this time played by a group of classical stringed instruments. The strings make this melody float above the accompaniment and bring in more volume and power without sacrificing the heart of the song.

Moving on, the preexisting songs tend to steal the spotlight away from the movie’s visuals in a very entertaining way. My favorite example is the use of Smash Mouth’s song All Star (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_jWHffIx5E) during the opening credits. It is a song that carries energy to spice up a scene that otherwise would just be Shrek’s morning routine and pastimes. The guitars playing power-chords and the drums keeping everything tight truly makes this song a gem of 1999. Shrek’s feeling of freedom in his swamp would not come through without All Star, making it almost a necessity for the scene. The visuals in this scene even matches up to the music. This small detail does not mean a lot to the plot or the quality of the film, but it adds character to the movie. Shrek really was a unique film, and this audio-visual- partnership just solidifies that a little bit more.

While this soundtrack does so many things right, I cannot excuse the few times that the director used the music too harshly in order to make the scene work. It was never a crutch for a broken scene, but I feel as if the music was just a little bit over the top, and a slightly different approach could have made the scene work a little bit better. My main example is the use of Hallelujah to bring some extra sorrow into the scene, when an instrumental or choral piece could have been a better option. It feels almost forced. This does not ruin the soundtrack, but it does take away from the overall score.

I have only provided three examples, but this soundtrack really does stand out. It gives the film life and heart. I really can’t stress how amazing that opening track is. If you haven’t seen Shrek, I would recommend you do so. Overall, this soundtrack is getting an 8/10 from me.