Happily Ever After? A Close Look at the LEGO Shrek Minifigures
/“Once upon a time there was a lovely princess. But she had an enchantment upon her of a fearful sort which could only be broken by love's first kiss. She was locked away in a castle guarded by a terrible fire-breathing dragon. Many brave knights had attempted to free her from this dreadful prison; but none prevailed. She waited in the dragon's keep in the highest room of the tallest tower. For her true love and true love's first kiss.”
Shrek and donkey!
I can almost recite the opening of Shrek from memory because I’ve watched it so many times. When the movie came out in 2001, it set the bar high for animated films that could entertain adults as much as children. The animation may show its age, but the clever humor still holds up. Even that fairy-tale introduction gets interrupted by a chuckle and a rather abrupt change of scenery. Well, I guess you’ll have to watch it again!
We’ve already explored the larger LEGO Shrek, Donkey & Puss in Boots set in “Once Upon a VHS”. Now, LEGO Minifigures 71053 Shrek Series brings more of the cast to minifigure scale. There are 12 different boxes to collect, with a few additional characters tucked in alongside them. Let’s see how well these familiar faces have made the transition to LEGO figures, and which parts might find a second life in a Castle build.
Thelonius: “Three! Pick number three, my lord.”
If it wasn’t for Thelonius, Shrek wouldn’t have met Fiona. hrek might never have met Fiona. He’s the one who encourages Lord Farquaad to choose princess number three. That makes him a fitting choice for the number-one spot on the checklist!
THELONIUS
The LEGO version is spot-on, with a new head mold representing his hood and mask. Although he looks rather angry and serves as Lord Farquaad’s executioner, he’s a softy at heart. His reaction at the wedding and his singing at the end of the first movie are cleverly represented by the sign and microphone. The “F” on his belt is another nice detail, while the dual-molded arms and legs should be useful for making new minifigure combinations.
Puss in Boots: “Fear me, if you dare!”
These words introduced Puss in Boots to the franchise in Shrek 2. He became such a beloved character that he joined the core cast and eventually got his own movies. Here, he’s wearing his boots and signature hat with its yellow plume, but the rest of his outfit feels incomplete.
PusS IN BOOTS
LEGO has made some odd choices. His collar is missing, even though the version in the larger Shrek set has one. He also lacks his cape and iconic sword. Was the accessory budget taken up by the blind mouse accompanying him? Whatever the reason, Puss feels rather underdressed.
His facial expression is also a little off. It falls somewhere between his brave face and his famously irresistible cute face, without quite capturing either. The result looks more generic than I would have liked.
Gingy: “No! Not the buttons! Not my gumdrop buttons!”
Gingy is at the center of one of the first movie’s funniest scenes. A cookie being tortured with milk is ridiculous enough, but having his breaking point be his precious gumdrop buttons makes it both funny and strangely endearing. The dialogue only adds to it.
Gingy
I love Gingy as a character, and his design is very nice. Even the printed details where his legs were broken off are included. Still, this choice feels a little easy when we’ve had gingerbread minifigures before. In terms of scale, I would have preferred a microfigure or statuette accompanying another character.
There have also been reports online of Gingy’s head cracking. Mine is intact so far, but if yours develops a problem, contact LEGO Customer Service to report it and request help with a replacement.
Shrek: “Ogres are like onions. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers.”
Ogres are usually depicted as hideous, aggressive and fearsome. Whoever came up with that description clearly never got to know Shrek. He’s a big softy, even if he gets agitated quickly. Mostly, he just likes being left alone. Who could blame him?
Shrek
The printing on his minifigure is very nice and closely matches his movie outfit. It should also be useful for Castle villagers, so I can see this torso becoming popular with builders. The head mold is good, though I miss Shrek’s prominent cheeks, and the face printing doesn’t quite capture his familiar expression. Still, having a Shrek minifigure at all is pretty awesome!
Shrek
Shrek
Dragon: “You're a girl dragon!”
It’s not often that you encounter a dragon that is so clearly a female dragon. Long eyelashes and lipstick made Donkey realize he came face to face with a girl dragon who instantly fell for him after his praising words. Which ended up in a relationship and resulted in… well, a new type of “Donkey Dragon”… Only in Shrek!
Dragon
LEGO has done an excellent job turning Dragon into a minifigure. You could question whether minifigure scale was the right approach, but she plays a major role in the movies, and this is a clever way to include her. The head mold is, to borrow Donkey’s words, a feminine beauty. It captures her green eyes, eyelashes, red lips and even the three spikes on either side of her head.
Fiona: “By night one way, by day another.”
“…This shall be the norm, until you find true love’s first kiss and then take love’s true form.”
Love’s true form turns out to be Fiona’s ogre form, and her LEGO version is a thing of beauty. Her dress has a gorgeous flower pattern that closely matches the movie.
Fiona
The dual-molded head is neatly designed, especially the braids, while the printed detail on the skirt piece completes the outfit. That dress should be particularly useful for Castle builders.
Fiona
Donkey: “Are we there yet?”
Sharing Fiona’s box is Donkey, Shrek’s trusty companion, whether Shrek likes it or not. He’s as impatient as he is impulsive, but his heart is in the right place. Thankfully, LEGO hasn’t given him the same minifigure treatment as Dragon.
Donkey
The mold is excellent. Although I would have preferred to see Donkey standing on four legs, his head and its cheeky smirk make this a solid design… and probably one of the best minifigure “accessories” ever. It is here that I miss the days of 16 collectible minifigures per series rather than the 12 it has become.
Donkey
Merlin: “You don’t want to try my famous Rock au Gratin?”
Merlin isn’t quite the wise wizard we know from other stories, but which character in Shrek is ever what you expect? He doesn’t have much screen time in Shrek the Third, so including him over someone like Rumpelstiltskin feels like an odd choice.
Merlin
That said, the minifigure is beautifully printed. In the movie, Merlin wears a gown, while here he looks more like he’s wearing shorts. That might be better for everyone involved. If you know, you know…
Pinocchio: “On the contrary. I'm possibly more or less, not definitely rejecting the idea…”
“…that in no way, with any amount of uncertainty, that I undeniably do or do not know where he shouldn’t probably be, if that indeed wasn’t where he isn’t.”
Pinocchio tries so hard to become a real boy, and perhaps even harder to avoid telling a lie that will make his nose grow. His attempts to bend the truth produce some wonderfully tangled sentences. Somehow, he makes dodging a question more complicated than answering it.
pinocchio
The minifigure is very nice. The printed arms and molded head are welcome additions, and his facial expression is as goofy as it is in the movies. What really steals the show, though, is the combination of dual molding and printing on his legs. My only nitpick would be to add a touch of green to his nose, as seen in the movie.
Big Bad Wolf: “What?”
Prince Charming reaches the highest room of the tallest tower expecting to find Fiona, only to disturb the Big Bad Wolf reading Pork Illustrated. It’s the kind of joke that can sail over children’s heads while giving the adults something extra to laugh at.
Big bad wolf
The minifigure is stunning. His nightgown has a simple elegance, with arm printing that helps carry the design around the figure. The molded head is also neatly sculpted and finished with fine printing. He’s one of the strongest translations from screen to minifigure in the series.
Lord Farquaad: “Some of you may die, but it's a sacrifice I am willing to make.”
This might be my favorite quote of the movie. It tells you everything you need to know about Lord Farquaad. He’s a coward who’s quite happy to let others perish in pursuit of his goals. Pretty devious, though the delivery makes it very funny.
Lord Farquaad
Unfortunately, the minifigure looks more like a LEGO City resident cosplaying as Lord Farquaad. The facial expression doesn’t capture him, and the torso printing feels simplified compared with his movie outfit. The arm printing is really nice, as is the hat-and-hair piece, though the gold trim seen in the movie would have finished it off nicely.
Magic Mirror: “Well, technically you’re not a king.”
The Magic Mirror soon learns that correcting Farquaad isn’t a good idea, especially after Thelonious threatens him by breaking another mirror. He quickly gets on with the task of finding Farquaad a suitable princess. And here we have another accessory that is a major character in the movie.
Magic Mirror
The mirror is cleverly represented as a printed shield, and I have to say it looks very much like its movie counterpart.
Magic mirror
Fairy Godmother: “Remember, happiness is just a teardrop away.”
That quote sums up how manipulative the Fairy Godmother can be. She becomes ruthless when King Harold doesn’t honor their deal, though things don’t work out quite as she planned. A shame her own ending involves drops without much happiness…
fairy godmother
This might be the most beautiful minifigure of the bunch. The printing and accessories are top-notch, and her dress is another piece I’d happily put to use in a Castle setting. She’s a highlight both as a character and as a source of useful parts.
Prince Charming: “This was supposed to be my Happily Ever After!”
You can almost feel sorry for Prince Charming, rushing to the highest tower only to discover that the princess he was promised has already left. Almost. His arrogance provides plenty of funny moments across Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third, though he does have some rather serious mommy issues.
Prince Charming
From a Castle fan’s perspective, I suspect this minifigure will be popular. The printing is excellent, particularly on the arms, and I’m sure those will turn up on other torsos. The one distracting choice is the medium tan skin tone. He looks as though he’s visited a tanning salon when his movie counterpart is much paler.
Three Blind Mice: “I’ve found some cheese! Blgg, awful stuff!”
Imagine discovering that the cheese you’ve found is actually something from Shrek’s ear. That’s the trouble with being a blind mouse in an ogre’s house. The blind mice are among the fairy-tale characters who invade Shrek’s home, and they seem to find their way around surprisingly well. Good thing they have those canes, I suppose.
Three Blind mice
The mice accompany Puss in Boots, Pinocchio and the Big Bad Wolf. They look very much like their movie counterparts, but including three identical mice across three boxes feels a little easy, especially given their relatively small role. I would rather have seen the Three Little Pigs included. The mouse design is good, though they’re rather large compared with the other characters.
Happily Ever After?
There’s a lot to like in this series, from the detailed printing on Fiona and the Fairy Godmother to the expressive molds for Donkey and the Big Bad Wolf. Castle builders should also find plenty of useful parts among the fairy-tale outfits. As a Shrek fan, though, I find some of the character choices odd. This is one series that could have benefited from the old 16-minifigure format.
I also wish some of the heads and facial expressions were closer to the movie characters. For me, previous licensed series such as Looney Tunes and Disney did a better job of capturing their subjects. There are excellent individual figures here, but a few more distinctive expressions and different character choices would have made the collection stronger.
Lego shrek and donkey
Now I just need to build a swamp for all these fairy-tale creatures to invade.
Which Shrek character is your favorite in the series, and who would you add to the lineup? Let us know in the comments!
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