Shrek the Halls Announced
DreamWorks Christmas Special Airs November 28th on ABC
You first heard about DreamWorks Animation's Christmas – oops, Holiday – special Shrek the Halls over here but the good folks at DreamWorks have officially announced the date and time for this half-hour special, based on the book by William Steig and the billion dollar franchise for DreamWorks.
Shrek the Halls' Official Synopsis
"Just when Shrek thought he could finally sit back, relax and enjoy his happily ever after with his new family, the most joyous of all holidays arrives. It's Christmas Eve and everyone is filled with holiday cheer -- except for Shrek. He isn't exactly the picture of yuletide joy, but for the sake of Fiona and the kids, he tries to get into the spirit of things as only an ogre can.
"Unfortunately, everyone seems to have their own ideas about what Christmas is all about, so when Donkey, Puss In Boots, Gingerbread Man and the whole gang try to join in on the fun, Shrek's plans for a cozy family celebration end up spiraling into one truly unforgettable Christmas."
Original Shrek stars Mike Myers (Shrek), Cameron Diaz (Fiona), Eddie Murphy (Donkey) and Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots) will reprise their roles in the special.
Gary Trousdale, Sean Bishop, Theresa Cullen & Bill Riling wrote the script for Shrek the Halls, while Gina Shay and Teresa Cheng produced the thing, along with Executive Producer Aron Warner. Gary Trousdale sat in the director's chair.
Jeffrey Katzenberg and Disney Bury the Hatchet
Of course, the fact that Shrek the Halls is airing on ABC is worthy of further comment. As the official press release notes, ABC produced such memorable Christmas classics such as A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the latter narrated by none other than the original Frankenstein's Monster himself, Boris Karloff.
ABC is also owned by the Walt Disney Company, DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg's former stomping grounds. Katzenberg had a few issues about how the Mouse House (and then-CEO Michael Eisner) treated him after he helped turn The Lion King into a monster hit, which he exorcised – or exercised – in the original Shrek. The fact that Shrek the Halls will actually air on the Disney affiliate is a pretty good indicator that Katzenberg and the current Disney management have kissed and made up.
Shrek the Halls will air at eight o'clock (ET) on Wednesday, November 28th.
Fun Fact: Saturday Night Live comic Chris Farley was originally set to voice the role of Shrek, but died of an overdose of cocaine and heroin halfway through recording his lines. Former SNL co-star Mike Myers took over the role, and asked to re-record his lines halfway through, because he wanted to use his Scottish accent for the character.
