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Holiday Streams: Shrek the Halls evokes Christmas spirit in classic Shrek fashion

Shrek the Halls is a little pre-yuletide treat that is equal parts fuzzy and entertaining.

Holiday Streams: Shrek the Halls evokes Christmas spirit in classic Shrek fashion

A still from Shrek the Halls | Twitter

Last Updated: 09.23 PM, Dec 14, 2021

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Christmas is a time of enjoying a warm mug of hot cocoa, feasting till you burst at the seams, but more importantly, it’s about celebrating generosity, kindness, and unity. And what better way is there to remind yourself of all things Christmas than Shrek. All the movies are resoundingly great and when you’ve reached the end and want some more, remember it’s never ogre – there’s always Shrek the Halls (We love a good pun).

The grumpy ogre, his family and other fairy tale creature friends reunite, much to his chagrin, on this holiday. Shrek unsurprisingly lacks all festive spirit, he’s not bothered about the festival at all, unlike Donkey whose excitement has been mounting since autumn. It’s only when he realises Fiona and his three children wanted to celebrate as a family, does Shrek decide to bring some yuletide joy to his swamp.

His friends decide to come to his aid without any intimation, not realising that he has other plans. The night eventually leads with him throwing a terrible fit and kicking them out of his house. He immediately realises, thanks to Fiona, the brashness of his decision to put his own desire first. All ends well, and Shrek’s swamp house turns into a cosy little Christmas abode.

The half-hour special relies on potty humour that is classic to the franchise, lots of banter between Shrek and Donkey, a chaotic sequence that builds up to our protagonist’s eruption, and finally a smooth conclusion. The best part of this special is when Donkey, Puss and Gingy, each have their own version of the Christmas story. Gingy’s version is abjectly dark, but don’t worry it won’t stop your kids from still believing in the myth of Santa Claus. Then there’s Puss getting distracted by a shiny bauble mid-story, only to exit gracefully after declaring dramatically, “I have ashamed myself.”

The franchise has always had themes of friendship, bravery, selflessness, love, and honesty – this special retains the same spirit. Shrek comes clean about being wanting to make his first Christmas (and his kid’s) a fine one. After he rudely asks his guests to leave him alone, he puts his ego aside, apologises and makes amends. Shrek the Halls is a little pre-yuletide treat that is equal parts fuzzy and entertaining.

Shrek the Halls is streaming on Netflix.

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