Fairy Godmother (Shrek)

The Fairy Godmother starred in DreamWorks Animation Studio's Film Shrek 2 as the main antagonist and was voiced by British comedian Jennifer Saunders and Canadian Pop Singer Celine Dion whenever she sings a song, for example: "Fairy Godmother song" and "Holding Out For a Hero". Like most characters in the Shrek films the Godmother's original personality was changed. Instead of being kind and helpful, she was really a scheming, conniving, opportunist of a woman, who sought to get the best for herself and her son, rather than others. She would often resort of blackmail and trickery through magic to get her way. She is similar to the Wicked Stepmother from Cinderella and Eleanor Iselin as played by Meryl Streep in the film adaptation of The Manchurian Candidate.

Contributions to the Plot
The King and Queen of Far Far Away came to her for help with their princess Fiona; she was enchanted with a fearsome curse that made her a monster during the night but normal during the day; the Fairy Godmother advised that she be put in a tower guarded by a Dragon until Prince Charming would come and rescue her.

The deception behind this became clear later in the film; it turned out that the Fairy Godmother had helped King Harold become human; Harold was originally the Frog Prince and had her change his appearance to marry Queen Lillian. Therefore, the Fairy Godmother decreed that her son would be the one to rescue Princess Fiona from the tower; Harold, under threat of having his form changed, went along with the plot.

However, after the events of the first Shrek movie, Shrek had rescued Fiona from the tower before Charming could reach it. When he found the Castle and climbed to the highest room in the tallest tower he found the Big Bad Wolf lying in Fiona's bed. After questioning the wolf he discovered that Fiona was married.

The Fairy Godmother became aware when she found Fiona in her room at the palace of Far, Far Away and attempted to entice her with various luxuries, but failed. She then went to Harold and threatened again for him to keep their deal; she wanted Shrek dead and Fiona with her son Charming.

The Fairy Godmother prepared a Love Potion for Fiona but was barged in on by Shrek with his friends Donkey and Puss in Boots; after cruelly lecturing Shrek about Fiona's love it seemed that Shrek was going to leave. Instead, they wrecked her work factory and stole one of her potions. Yet when she saw that the stolen potion was the Happily Ever After Potion (which turns the drinker of the potion and their love into beautiful people), she knew it could work to her advantage.

Anticipating the exact moves of Shrek and his friends, she was able to capture Shrek in Fiona's Palace Room before Fiona could see him when Shrek went to meet her. The Fairy Godmother then passed Charming off as the new, handsome Shrek to Fiona while she again duped Shrek into believing that Fiona was better off with Charming.

However, while at the downtown pub The Poison Apple, King Harold met the Fairy Godmother and told her to forget the whole thing. She threatened him again with blackmail and ordered him to use the Love Potion she had prepared in order for Fiona to fall for Charming forever. Fiona would then kiss Charming, her new true love, making the Happily Ever After Potion preserve her beauty forever. The conversation was overheard by Shrek and his friends, who were captured soon after by the F.F.A.P.D and imprisoned. Satisfied, the Fairy Godmother prepared for the ball where Charming would perform the deadly kiss.

Despite Charming's best efforts, The Fairy Godmother had to intervene again by dedicating the song "Holding Out For A Hero" to them so that Charming could kiss her during the dance. (Ironically, Fiona did hold out for a hero-Shrek, that is.) While Fiona dodged every attempt and the Fairy Godmother went on with her song, Shrek, Donkey and their friends, armed with a Giant Ginger-Bread Man known as Mongo, were able to get into the castle and stop Charming.

Furious, the Fairy Godmother went to attack Shrek with her wand but was first assaulted by one of the Pigs who grabbed hold of her foot; Pinocchio was thrown at her whom she blasted and turned into a 'real boy'; she kicked off the Pig into a castle window and was blown further into the air by The Big Bad Wolf. She pursued a pig, then Donkey, the three Blind Mice and the Ginger-Bread Man before Puss in Boots caught her wand. She turned furiously to Charming who kissed Fiona. However, seeing as Harold had never given her the potion Fiona performed a head butt that knocked him out. Yet he soon threw the wand back to the Fairy Godmother who rose up and launched a massive lightning spell at Shrek. However this was mirrored by King Harold's armor as he jumped in front of the spell before it could hit Shrek.

The rebounded blast hit the Fairy Godmother further into the air and she eventually exploded into a thousand bubbles, her glasses falling to the floor along with her wand; the star's light fading into darkness.

Shrek 2: The Game
The Fairy Godmother also appeared as the villain in the Shrek 2 game; though her appearance was somewhat different. She had a pink dress instead of blue like the film and she looked far older than in the film as well.

She was faced twice within the game; she would fight Red Riding Hood when you broke into her cottage and had to fight her on conveyor belts and again at the end of the game. She would make Trolls and Elves do her bidding and you would eventually have to fight her in two periods; she would fire lightning laser blasts and be protected by a magical bubble. Eventually the players would overcome her and she would eventually blow up.

Trivia
The Fairy Godmother's design was typical of most; her blue clothes were probably based on the Fairy Godmother in Disney's Cinderella; she also had wings. Certain trivia things also follow in her appearance and characteristics. She first arrives in a bubble which is similar to Glinda in The Wizard of Oz. She sings like the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella as well; yet this is taken to the extreme in her scene with Fiona. During her song at the end, she also as a typical Bonnie Tyler stance of which Bonnie Tyler sang the song she sings 'Holding Out For A Hero'. Her cottage is similar in appearance to the one in Disney's Snow White.


 * The Fairy Godmother's size varies considerably during the movie. Rather than coming closer, she would usually grow in size.


 * The Fairy Godmother was susceptible to binge eating whenever she became depressed, usually something "deep fried and smothered in chocolate". After threatening Harold in her carriage she stopped at Friar's Fat Boy to get fast food, accusing Harold of ruining her diet.


 * By her surprise when seeing Fiona, and later Shrek, she seems to not know her son didn't get there in time and seems to be trying to keep her end of the deal to the King about Fiona's "problem".


 * Strangely given the fact that her son is Prince Charming, the Fairy Godmother does not appear to be a Queen. It is of course possible that Prince is merely Charming's first name but if that is the case then it is odd that she refers to him by his surname (Charming). While it remains possible that she married a king at one point in order to conceive Charming, the lack of a kingdom of their own would then indicate they had been ousted from said hypothetical king's realm.


 * "Holding Out For a Hero" was Celine Dion's first song with a pop-dance beat.


 * The Fairy Godmother's personality is similar to that of Jennifer Saunders famous role, Edina Monsoon from the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.


 * The Fairy Godmother appears in Shrek the Third as a photo at Prince Charming's dressing room.