Shrek the Halls (Mike Myers) - 'Twas the Night Before Christmas...' - Extended Preview
| “ | Ogres don't celebrate Christmas. Ogres don't celebrate anything. | ” |
— Shrek | ||
Shrek the Halls is a Christmas special that premiered on ABC on November 28, 2007, based on DreamWorks Animation's Shrek feature film series. It features Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas reprising their roles from the feature films.
Synopsis
Santa as he appears in Gingy's flashback.
The special, which takes place between the events of Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After, opens on July 18th, 159 days before Christmas, and Donkey is already starting to prepare for it. As the holiday gradually gets closer, Donkey continues to annoy Shrek about it until the night before Christmas Eve. Shrek insists to him that nobody in his family cares that much about Christmas, but then Fiona comes outside, saying she is looking forward to Christmas. Under Donkey's urging, Shrek reluctantly promises his wife a special Christmas surprise and rushes to a bookstore in Far, Far Away. Since he does not know what Christmas is all about, the shopkeeper gives Shrek a copy of Christmas For Village Idiots, a step-by-step guide to celebrating the holiday.
Shrek proceeds to follow the book's advice by decorating the house and getting a tree so he can spend a quiet Christmas Eve with his family, but Donkey brings all their fairy-tale friends to the swamp, ruining Shrek's plans.
As Shrek tries to tell his own version of The Night Before Christmas, Gingy, Donkey, and Puss in Boots interrupt and each tell their own version of a Christmas story. Donkey tells of floats coming to the swamp. At the end, Donkey tells of licking an enormous Santa Claus figure that is made out of waffles, but in reality, he accidentally starts licking Shrek's leg. Puss tells his version of the story of Santa Claus, but he ends up playing with the ball point of his Santa hat, while in reality, he's playing with one of the baubles from the Christmas tree. Gingy's story, on the other hand, is not happy, but horrifying, as he tells about how his girlfriend Suzy got eaten by Santa. Donkey finds it unbelievable, with Gingy screaming, "You weren't there!"
Donkey finds Shrek's Christmas for Village Idiots book, and the ensuing fight over the book destroys all of Shrek's decorations, furniture and the tree (including burning Shrek's butt). Shrek ends up ejecting his friends (especially Donkey) from the house in a fit of anger, and Donkey denounces him as "Ebenezer Shrek". With the Christmas spirit ruined, Fiona and Shrek have a talk, after which she takes the children and leaves the swamp to go and apologize to their friends. Shrek feels downhearted that Christmas Eve did not go as he hoped it would.
Fiona catches up to their friends and explains to Donkey what Shrek had wanted for Christmas. Shrek catches up with the group, and apologizes for losing his temper. Donkey is shocked to learn that this is Shrek's first Christmas, because "ogres don't celebrate anything." Donkey also apologizes for being annoying, and explains that Christmas never goes as planned and, according to his mother, "Christmas ain't Christmas 'til somebody cries," and says that it's usually him.
After a snowball fight, the friends return to the swamp, and Shrek tells his story, featuring not Santa, but Ogre Claus. Soon they hear bells and go outside to see Santa and his reindeer, although Gingy runs back inside screaming in terror.
Songs
The cover to the storybook adaptation
- "Summer Breeze"
- "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"
- "Jingle Bells"
- "O Fortuna"
- "The Twelve Days of Christmas"
- "Here We Come A-Caroling"
- "Christmas Wrapping"
- "Because We Can"
- "Jin-Go-Lo-Ba"
- "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"
- "Don't Stop Believin'"
- "Hello Ma Baby"
- "Deck the Halls"
- "The Stars Shine in the Sky Tonight"
Broadcast history
The special aired annually on ABC from 2007 to 2022. Following NBCUniversal's 2016 acquisition of DreamWorks Animation, it will move to NBC in December 2023.
Availability
On November 4, 2008, DreamWorks Animation SKG Home Entertainment released the special on DVD, both as an individual release and in a 2-pack with the DVD release of Shrek the Third. It was later featured on the DreamWorks Holiday Collection compilation DVD and Blu-ray, released on October 30, 2012. A new DVD release was put out on October 1, 2013. The DVD was later reissued by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment in a Holiday Double Feature set, which paired it up with the original Shrek, released on October 2, 2018. It was next released as part of the Shrek: The Ultimate Collection DVD and Blu-ray sets and the DreamWorks Ultimate Holiday Collection DVD and Blu-ray sets, released on October 15, 2019. Most recently, it was included on the bonus disc on the 20th Anniversary Edition DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray of the original Shrek, released on May 11, 2021.
November 4, 2008
October 30, 2012
October 30, 2012
October 1, 2013
October 2, 2018
October 15, 2019
October 15, 2019
Merchandise
A storybook adaptation was published by HarperCollins shortly prior to the special's premiere airing.
Accolades
The special was nominated for the 2008 Saturn Award for Best TV Presentation (which it lost to the Family Guy episode "Blue Harvest"), the Annie Awards for Best Directing in an Animated Television Production (which it lost to Robot Chicken: Star Wars) and Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production (which it lost to The Emperor's New School episode "The Emperor's New Musical"), and a Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing for TV Animation (which it lost to the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Spongehenge").
Cast
| Voice actor/actress | Character(s) |
|---|---|
| Mike Myers | Shrek |
| Eddie Murphy | Donkey |
| Cameron Diaz | Princess Fiona |
| Antonio Banderas | Puss in Boots |
| Conrad Vernon | Gingerbread Man |
| Cody Cameron | Pinocchio The Three Little Pigs |
| Christopher Knights | Three Blind Mice |
| Aron Warner | The Big Bad Wolf |
| Marisa Jaret Winkour | Bookstore Clerk |
See also
External links
- Shrek Wiki: Shrek the Halls
- Shrek the Halls at the Internet Movie Database
- Shrek the Halls at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- Shrek the Halls at RetroJunk.com
- Platypus Comix's review
content from Wikipedia (view authors). |
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