ABC Plans a Shrek of a Christmas

by Natalie Finn
Mon, 6 Nov 2006 07:30:27 PM PST

ABC is decking the swamp with boughs of holly.

The network announced Monday its plans for Shrek the Halls, a half-hour
special that's sure to join A Charlie Brown Christmas and It's a
Wonderful Life in the holiday classics canon.

If you dig flatulent Scottish ogres, that is.

David Johnston...

Oh come on. Who doesn't?

Shrek the Halls is slated to air in December 2007 and will feature Mike
Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas reprising their
beloved film characters.

"Family classics are a cornerstone of our brand, and Shrek the Halls
will provide warm memories year after year," ABC Entertainment
President Stephen McPherson said in a statement.

Also commenting on the inclination to bring Shrek, Princess Fiona,
Donkey and Puss In Boots to the small screen was DreamWorks Animation
SKG cofounder Jeffrey Katzenberg, who helped come up with the idea to
add a Yuletide installment to the franchise.

"The time has come to celebrate the joys of the holiday season with
Shrek and his family, and see how Christmas would play out in his
world," the DreamWorks CEO said. "Shrek the Halls follows a natural
storytelling path for us, and we're so happy to be partnered with ABC
in expanding the world of Shrek into the television arena."

But first that path leads to Shrek the Third, which is expected to hit
theaters in May and ideally match the success of the first two Shrek
films, which together have grossed nearly $1.4 billion worldwide, per
BoxOfficeMojo.com. Next year's Christmas special will pick up where the

Derek Janssen...

Unless, of course, it tanks at sneak audience screenings--
[Plot SPOILERS for the naively hopeful]:

Derek Janssen...

Oh, and for those who don't bother to read the article:

Story is, the Shrek3 we're getting isn't the Shrek3 Dreamworks *wanted*
to do--
Originally, it was going to have a more elaborate excuse for a franchise
sequel, this time about King Arthur taking over the kingdom and...no,
wait, get this...the other reunited Monty Python members playing the
knights!
That obviously didn't happen, and Katzenberg and His Big Mouth were
married to getting a movie out by May '07 to match the title--So, we get
the quickie "John Hughes snob-vs-slob road trip" script slapped
together, in the hopes that he can still preserve an excuse to pump out
that Shrek4 he already contracted for '09.

So, what do they sell this one on, if not the script they were hoping for?:
You'll probably notice that we'll get a LOT of marketing pushing the
"Fiona and the Princesses kick @$$!" subplot, to try and play the
quasi-feminist Down-with-Disney card that boffo'ed 'em in the first
movie. (If they loved it once...!)
Especially the gag where Rapunzel jokes that she "never got a [Disney]
movie!"---Errr, okayyy, who wants to be the one to break the bad news to
Jeffrey? ^_^

Derek Janssen
ejanss@comcast.net

new film leaves off.

ABC has a pretty expansive holiday library already, also laying claim
to the aforementioned Peanuts special, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town,
the annual Walt Disney Christmas Parade, the Tournament of Roses Parade
and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.

The Disney-owned network inked a deal with DreamWorks that will allow
it to air Shrek the Halls for the next 15 holiday seasons

Derek Janssen...

(Despite the fact that it was lucky to get this one.) :/

Derek Janssen (who suspects we may see it retired in favor of re-running
the Madagascar Penguin Christmas for at least 13 of those...)
ejanss@comcast.net