Summary
There are many possibilities for the story ofShrek 5, but no matter what it is, I need it to explain what happened to one, seemingly forgotten character. In 2001,Shrekarrived to give a fun twist to fairy tales and animated movies, as well as to establish DreamWorks as a worthy competitor to Pixar.Shrekwas also the beginning of a franchise that has expanded with spinoffs and more, but the main film series ended in 2010 withShrek Forever After, which wasn’t exactly a hit with critics and viewers, especially when compared to the previous movies.
The popularity and potential of the unique world ofShrekleft the audience wanting more, especially after the mess that wasShrek Forever After. Now, after years of waiting,Shrek 5is finally in development and scheduled for a 2026 release, and it will bring back its main voice cast as Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey are all confirmed to return. Of course,plot details aboutShrek 5are still unknown, but there are many stories it could cover – however, more than what will happen to Shrek and Fiona, I’m more interested in knowing what happened to one character fromShrek the Third.
Shrek 5 Is Finally Happening After 16 Years & I’m So Relieved
Shrek 5 is finally on the way, with a release date set for 16 years after the previous movie and 25 years after the original - and I just can’t wait.
Artie Became King Of Far Far Away In Shrek 3
Artie Was A Main Character In Shrek The Third
King Harold told Shrek there was another heir to the throne: Fiona’s cousin Artie.
TheShrekmovieshave seen many memorable characters, even if some of them didn’t go past their first appearance, butShrek 3introduced one character who had the potential to become a bigger one in future movies: Arthur “Artie” Pendragon (voiced by Justin Timberlake).Shrek 3caught up with Shrek and Fiona as they prepared to succeed Fiona’s father, King Harold, whose health was in decline. Shrek tried and failed hard to serve as the Regent during King Harold’s medical absence, and with his dying breath, the king told Shrek there was another heir to the throne: Fiona’s cousin Artie.
As Shrek had no desire to become king, he set out (with Donkey and Puss in Boots) to find Artie and bring him to Far Far Away to make him the new king. To their surprise, Artie was a 16-year-old outcast at Worcestershire Academy. After confronting Prince Charming and the villains, as the former sought revenge for the death of his mother and wanted the throne of Far Far Away,Artie saved Shrek and was crowned the new king of Far Far Awaywhile Shrek and Fiona returned to their swamp to raise their kids.
Shrek 3was followed byShrek Forever After, in which Shrek became tired of being a family man and a celebrity. Longing for the days when he was feared and thus had privacy, he made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin, but he was tricked. This resulted in Shrek landing in an alternate timeline where Fiona was never rescued, Puss was Fiona’s overweight pet, Donkey was scared of Shrek, and Shrek would cease to exist by the end of the day, as he gave Rumpel the day he was born – and Artie was nowhere to be seen.
Why Shrek Forever After Didn’t Include Artie
Artie Was Notably Absent In Shrek Forever After
As Shrek didn’t exist, Artie was never brought to Far Far Away to become king.
In the alternate reality ofShrek Forever After, as Shrek was never born, Rumpel got King Harold and Queen Lilian to sign their kingdom over to Rumpel, meaning he was the king of Far Far Away. As Shrek didn’t exist, Artie was never brought to Far Far Away to become king, so he wasn’t part of most ofShrek Forever After’s story. However,Artie wasn’t seen or mentioned at the beginning and end ofShrek Forever After, set in Shrek’s correct timeline, so whatever happened to him (and Far Far Away) is unknown.
Artie wasn’t written off, butShrek Forever Aftercertainly made it seem like he was.
Artie is said to have been included inShrek Forever Afterin deleted scenes, but none of them were included in the DVD, so the veracity of these is unclear. While many sources reported Justin Timberlake didn’t return to voice Artie inShrek Forever Afterdue to scheduling conflicts, director Mike Mitchell explained (viaNBC Bay Area) that the movie was crowded with characters, andArtie would have been too busy with other affairsto be part of Shrek’s messy timeline plot. Artie wasn’t written off, butShrek Forever Aftercertainly made it seem like he was, as he wasn’t even mentioned.
Shrek Can’t Keep Ignoring Artie’s Fate
TheShrekfranchise can’t keep acting like Artie never existed.
Artie was a kid when he became King of Far Far Away, which is one of the reasons why I would love to know what happened to him and Far Far Away afterShrek 3. I understand he wouldn’t have been around in Rumpelstiltskin’s chaotic timeline inShrek Forever Afterand I agree that it had too many characters, but theShrekfranchise can’t keep acting like Artie never existed. TheShrekfranchise seems to have forgotten not just that Artie is now King, but also thathe’s Fiona’s cousin and a friend of Shrek, Donkey, and Puss, more so after they saved each other’s lives.
Whatever the plot ofShrek 5is, it needs to address what happened to Artie and Far Far Away. The above-mentioned supposed deleted scenes fromShrek Forever Aftersaw Artie abusing his power and having a completely different attitude from what was seen inShrek 3, and I would love to know if that was really the case or if he was a worthy leader.
Shrek 5should also check in with Far Far Away, which is, after all, Fiona’s home, even if she doesn’t live there anymore. I’m not saying Artie should be a main character inShrek 5, but it should definitely address what happened to him after he took the throne of Far Far Away.
Source:NBC Bay Area.
Shrek
A solitary ogre named Shrek embarks on a quest to rescue Princess Fiona from a dragon-guarded castle. Accompanied by Donkey Shrek sets out to fulfill a bargain with Lord Farquaad.
