Shrek is one of my favorite movies. It is a fairy tale because it it pretty much has elements of what a fairy tale is, like princesses, fantastic creatures like ogres, the godmother, Prince Charming, talking animals like Shreks' best buddies Donkey and Puss, etc. But what sets it apart from the traditional fairy tales is that the Shrek movies are given a modern twist. I agree with someone mentioning that it is a parody of Hollywoodd, but more so of fairy tales themselves. It breaks stereotypes, like the princess as always the damsels in distress but Fiona actually fights and uges other traditional fairy tale princesses like Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Cinderella to learn martial arts and not wait for outside help. And the ogres are always the ugly and nasty creatures but in the Shrek movies, the ogre is a kind-hearted creature, albeit a little coldd-hearted at first.