Here we have Shrek in hand. Right off the bat, I'm impressed at how much detail the character's outfit has, from the wash on the tunic to make it appear dirty to the vest's alligator skin appearing life-like and not so plasticky. It really does feel like McFarlane scanned the model from Dreamworks' computers or sculptures when designing this figure (especially since Shrek was from a time when modeling characters physically was done before they were rendered in their software). The physique is there, the head sculpt captures the raised eyebrow and smug expression that spawned in future Dreamworks media (and some other pieces of media that will either work on some characters or not), though I think Buzz Lightyear beat Shrek to that front. In Shrek's favor is the Mike Myers influence added to this figure, which I always think solidifies the personality of Shrek, given how the final version of the character was molded by the actor; it was something evident when they had the original Chris Farley version before his untimely death. All around, McFarlane went above and beyond in making this figure so detailed that it puts a lot of future Shrek toys (and even some modern offerings from Todd's toys and other companies) to shame!
The articulation may not be much, but he has a swivel at the neck, shoulder rotation (the left arm can't do a full 360), wrist rotation, and slight rotation at the legs and feet. Not the most poseable figure in the world, but it's forgivable with a design like this, given the year it came out and the standards of poseability barely getting started. After all, only Power Rangers and Transformers managed to have more articulation than other companies before the ToyBiz Spider-Man Classics and Marvel Legends lines. Shrek does come with a piece of an onion, which is as layered as an ogre if you ask Shrek. Don't tell him that they stink, they make people cry, and they have ugly white hairs.
As for Donkey, this figure isn't as poseable as Shrek and might be seen as slightly inaccurate, but it still fits the character perfectly fine. The wash applied to the fur on Donkey's back, as well as the white fade for the front of the body, helps accentuate a figure like this. He might look a little darker than normal, but then again, this, as well as the pigment on Shrek's skin, could be from the lighting that was available at the time for the Shrek movies, which changed with subsequent movies as the technology got better. He doesn't stand that well on his own, but you can peg him on a base with some nice texturing and paint that makes the ground look as organic as possible. The only issue is that the plants that stand next to his butt don't peg in that well. While he only has neck articulation, the pose of Donkey fits the personality of the character, as does the face. It's slightly different than the movie model, but it fits the iconic voice of Eddie Murphy more than the Shrek 5 redesign. I'm not saying that because I don't hate the redesign, but it just needs a little more of the actor's DNA. It's like if we got Transformers 6 proper, but Optimus Prime has that face from TF One instead of his AOE/TLK face.
The figure has a gimmick where his jaw opens if you press a button cleverly hidden in his mane, and I need to continue praising the details on the figure. The gums look natural and a bit rough as they should be, and his teeth look so uneven and rich in unhealthy detail that it's marvelous! We wouldn't get anything this dedicated unless it was a high-end statue.
The Shrek line may not be the most poseable of figures, but it doesn't matter when McFarlane's stab at the hit animated film of 2001 deserves as much attention as the first Toy Story line. They're both pioneers in bringing 3D animated films to the mainstream, and while they may not be 100% accurate, they're still high-quality and set the bar high for many others to follow. I'd argue that Shrek and Donkey manage to be more accurate, given they didn't have to deal with the rushed period that the Woody dolls and Buzz action figures dealt with from the surge of their movie's popularity. In fact, some could say that being made by McFarlane Toys meant that the Shrek line was something meant for general audiences. Kids could love them for being action figures of their favorite characters, and adults could love them for the rich details and higher quality than what other movies would hand out (on top of Shrek being a film that adults could appreciate for its tone, writing quality, and references).
Now let's transition from the American fairy tale twister to the British claymation adventure series. Wallace dons his Anti-Pesto uniform instead of his iconic outfit, which mostly makes sense given he and Gromit were capturing rabbits without being lethal, a huge contrast to Victor Quartermaine using his shotgun and never getting any hits. The clay sculptwork is recreated marvelously on this figure, even down to recreating the wrinkles on the elbows and hips to simulate actual clothing. Wallace's proportions are different than normal with how long the arms are and how stumpy the legs are. It's likely due to the bendy arm gimmick and the need to put this in a single set, but he ends up looking a bit unusual with how he's designed. I should mention that the bendy arm thing may be inaccurate since I can't get them to bend; it's probably due to the age of the materials. He does have neck, shoulder, and wrist rotation, at least.
Gromit has been pre-posed holding his measuring tape for his prized marrow, so don't expect anything beyond the neck. At the very least, the simplicity of Gromit's design means that he's pretty accurate to the claymation model. Looking at him from the back reveals he's sadly been a victim of a drive-by shooting. Those holes are likely a design thing, but I can't confirm nor deny that.
They both come with richly detailed display bases, with Wallace having a gnome with glowing red eyes (not to be confused with Norbot because he doesn't exist until nearly 2 decades later), a marrow, and some pumpkins. The carrots are not removable. Gromit has a backdrop meant for the tomatoes, a watering can, a base meant to replicate the pavement in the backyard, and the marrow he sadly lost near the end of the movie when he tried to distract the Were-Rabbit.
I love seeing them standing on top of these since it makes them feel even more complete on top of being a standard that is sadly missing with today's toys. It also makes up for the lack of articulation with them both. I think making them extra poseable is possible, but it'll require also not disrupting the sculpts.
While we're at it, let's talk about the Kroger mini figure set, which may have also been sold in Food4Less stores. Joining our ogre and ass are Princess Fiona (in her human form) and Lord Farquaad. They're so small yet full of rich detail and paintwork. It's astounding to see these be comparable to a miniature display you'd find that's handcrafted. Shrek has no leg articulation but his left arm has a swivel at the bicep. Donkey's hind legs are articulated, and both Fiona and Farquaad have articulation at the necks and arms. Shrek comes with a burnt rat on a stick, Fiona comes with her handkerchief that Shrek wiped his sweat off with, and Farquaad comes with both a glass of milk AND a tiny Gingy. All of which have some paintwork that is astonishing to see on inhalable accessories. While the trio of food guys can stand normally, Farquaad is left pre-posed angrily interrogating the poor cookie man, so having him face forward means he's broken his neck.
For a size comparison, Shrek is half the size of a Blokee like Optimus Prime yet is the same size as a Loyal Subject figure like Hank Hill. The scale may not be 1:1.
And of course, you can always pretend they're needed mini me's of the cast just to show a display of Shrek and Donkey's in various heights. Alternatively, they can just be action figures that are meant to be action figures for your action figures.
And here we have the Toddfather posed with Shrek and Wallace for a general height. Scale may not be accurate.
Overall, the Shrek and Wallace & Gromit lines are a great time to look back at a time when McFarlane Toys were younger and still smaller than the other competitors. Not to the point they were hard to come by, just that they were mostly meant for displays and weren't in the same tier as Legends when it comes to articulation. While most animated movie tie-ins that had merchandise vary in quality nowadays unless it's something like Toy Story, the Shrek line deserves a lot of attention for how dedicated the toy designers were in matching the look of computer animation and claymation while also making them have the right value for money back in the day. Nowadays, we're mostly either stuck with imports at smaller scales or Five Below fodder.
As for the other products out there, we have so many other 6 inch scale figures in addition to the micro line, a larger Dragon, playsets for either scale, larger scale Shrek and Donkey figures with the actual voice actors, and plushies still made by McFarlane! The Wallace and Gromit line also included Wallace in a sweater, Gromit holding a rabbit in a bag, Hutch, PC Mackintosh (who returned in Vengeance Most Fowl), Victor Quartermaine, and Lady Tottington. We got a larger scale Were-Rabbit and some smaller figures (not pictured). I'll get them someday.
I'll let Shrek close out this review.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (for all 4 figures)
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