Realism vs Stylisation

How Shrek echoes themes of realism to render a unique style - Magic Realist elements, Social Commentary and the Uncanny Valley

Shrek (2001) emerged on the cusp of the millennia as more than just a blockbuster success; it “has been among the most successful animated movies… in the history of cinema” (Lacassagne, 2011, p. 15). This alternative fairytale challenged societal norms, de-narrativising linear stories, and pushed visual boundaries in CGI technology. Yet, the success of the film stems from more than just an anti-hero protagonist with primary comedic and satirical appeal, but rather its engagement with real human experience: politics, history and the complexities of the social world. This essay will argue that Shrek echoes themes of realism; subtle magic realist aspects, integrated with social commentary and unintentional uncanny elements, which collectively render it uniquely stylised yet truthful.

Magic realism, a literary and artistic tradition, extends into film, as a possible “alternative to the narrative logic of contemporary postmodernism” (Jameson, 1986, p. 302). This critique on postmodernism argues that it “perforates” history, replacing deep, politically meaningful concepts with the familiarity of “pastiche” and “nostalgia” (Jameson, 1986). This ultimately prevents a genuine human experience and understanding of history connected to realism. Magic realism blends the impossible with the ordinary within our world, drawing from peasant myths, superstitions and the supernatural (Jameson, 1986, p. 302). While the film Shrek is not a direct example, with it being self-contained, it can echo realism by normalising the fantastical. The array of anthropomorphic characters - Donkey, The Three Blind Mice and The Big Bad Wolf - seamlessly coexist with humans; the magic of their existence is unquestioned. By exposing harmful tropes of perfect fairytales and the “happily ever afters”, Shrek instead juxtaposes this with raw, deep connections to “otherness”, presenting a world seemingly more real than the ideal romanticised fantasy. Despite these deep, emotional concepts, however, Shrek’s depictions of traditional folklore and established narratives, integrated with pop-culture references, indulges in familiarity and relatability as a stylistic choice, referred to “narrative-cartoonalism”  (opposing Pixar’s notable “narrative-realism”) (Summers, 2020). The fairytale characters’ origins are glossed over, unifying their individual and cultural history. The old is interwoven with the new, rendering it “normal”, establishing a unique pseudo-history, but deficient in reflecting our own. Despite its seamless blending of the fantastical with the ordinary, familiarity of traditional fairytale characters and “cultural-reference-as-gag” (Summers, 2020, p. 153), it's essentially for commodity, flattening fairytale lore and depriving genuine human connection to history. This tarnishes the true literary sense of magic realism, proving Jameson’s theory correct thus undermining realism as a consequence of stylisation.

The ideology of magic realism enables social commentary in Shrek through 'otherness'. Art, or animation in this context, serves as a window revealing deeper, albeit spiritual truth about our world, to understand “what lies beyond the surface” (Gyenge, 2021, p. 32). Projected through Shrek’s direct challenges of the conventional world, taking fairytale tropes and liberating their content, reveals truths about acceptance, identity and defying societal norms. Shrek denies the “totalitarian society” (Lacassagne, 2011, p. 22) from unwillingly becoming the voice of reason in order to ironically seek personal isolation and peace. Shrek's unintentional journey of defiance in a society that outcasts the unconventional unveils his own desire for love, affection, and openness, implementing a higher reality (Gyenge, 2021). This transformation directly opposes his initial prejudice and hypocrisy towards the superficial world around him. Thereby, highlighting the corruption within Lord Farquaad’s 'ideal' world, championing the acceptance of difference and togetherness. Shrek critiques societal norms with caricature that uses exaggerated "ugliness" to enhance inner beauty and satirical wit (Haywood, 2024, pp 815-823). While this humour makes social commentary relatable, it prioritises entertainment over social change. With visual comedy, constant sarcasm and fairytales used as “targets for crude and sardonic humour” (Summers, 2020, p. 134), Shrek’s use of subverting social issues as a source of amusement prevents a “beyond the surface” comprehension of societal norms, beauty standards and fairytale tropes. This makes Shrek’s social commentary serve as a stylistic choice, embodying a light hearted comedic film rather than intentionally inspiring for social change.

Shrek's visual comedy hinges on its subversions, from an ugly hero to a beautiful princess who becomes the very creature society rejects. Princess Fiona’s long red hair and proportionate facial features represents a standard of beauty. However, being on the cusp of CGI technology, unintentionally entered the 'Uncanny Valley’, theorised by Masahiro Mori, suggests a human-like resemblance can evoke a sense of eeriness (Kätsyri et al., 2017, p. 149). As a 2017 study on animated characters implied, this effect can stem from a “perceptual mismatch between realistic and artificial features” (Kätsyri, Jari, et al., 2017, p. 149). In Shrek, this is visible in human-like characters such as Princess Fiona and Lord Farquaad. Consequences of the technological limitations, the near-human design of characters with photorealistic textures in their skin, hair and clothing created a subtle but perceptible mismatch. Despite its intentional stylistic choices, and after a failed audience screening of Princess Fiona, her character was redesign as she looked “too real, and the effect was getting distinctly unpleasant" (Butler and Joschko, 2007, quoted in Kaba, 2013, p. 190). Angela Tinwell suggested the ‘Uncanny Valley’ can be triggered by a "lack of empathy” in the audience from a character's inability to convey nuanced, subtle movements (Tinwell, 2014, p. 103). For Princess Fiona and Lord Farquaad, their near-realistic, yet flawed, design and deliberate, rehearsed motion, contributes to this unsettling feeling. In contrast, the exaggerated, whimsical appearances of characters like Shrek, with his bright green skin and disproportionate features did not challenge the theory of the uncanny valley. While some uncanny elements remain in the film's human characters with their “hyper-realist visuals” (Summers, 2020), the use of caricature and exaggerated features for the “other” characters ultimately has a greater comedic impact than the near-photorealistic animation of the time.

Ultimately, Shrek echoes elements of realism not for a deep, historical critique, but as a backdrop for satire and commercial appeal. Shrek’s tone of animation, styled as “narrative-cartoonalism” combined with “hyper-realist visuals” (Summers, 2020) is a fascinating study in a nuanced take on magical realism, witty social commentary, and an unorthodox uncanny valley effect, thus rendering a unique style. Though the film touches on deep, truthful concepts of the real human experience - love, acceptance, and “otherness” - its focus on exaggerated character design, whimsical humour, and a pastiche of flattened fairytale lore prioritises entertainment over social and historical commentary that genuine realism would provide. This analysis is not exhaustive but can serve as a springboard to explore how these unique themes remain wholly remarkable, or diluted, as a consequence of commodity, in order to cement the success of the future franchise.

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Lacassagne, A., Nieguth, T. and Dépelteau, F. (2011) Investigating shrek: Power, identity, and ideology. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Available at: www.vlebooks.com/Product/Index/889349?page=0&startBookmarkId=- (Accessed: 10 July 2025).

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SUMMERS, S. (2021) DreamWorks Animation: Intertextuality and aesthetics in Shrek and beyond. 1st edn. S.l.: SPRINGER NATURE. Available at: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/herts/detail.action?docID=6271293 (Accessed: 17 August 2025).

Tinwell, A. (2015) The Uncanny Valley in Games and Animation. Boca Raton: CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group. Available at: https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/the-uncanny-valley/9781466586949/?sso_link=yes&sso_link_from=UnivofHerts (Accessed: 16 August 2025).