Inside.com, the media-watching website, has reported that Radio Disney, a children's-oriented radio network has told its affiliates not to 'align ourselves promotionally with this new release' (Shrek).  Shrek is a computer-animated comedy film produced by Dreamworks, which features the vocal talents of Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz.  The buzz on Shrek has been strong (see 'Shrek Wows Viewers at Showest'), and Disney, of course, has its own animated films to promote this summer.  But the Mouse's eagerness to take on Shrek is based on more than just a desire to protect its own animated films.

 

Jeffrey Katzenberg, who is in charge of the animation unit at Dreamworks, used to supervise Disney's animated productions, and he left the studio after a dispute with chief rodent Michael Eisner.  But there is more to the Mouse's loathing of Shrek than this bitter personal feud between two of the most powerful men in Hollywood.  As reported here in ICV2 (see 'Shrek to the Max'), Shrek makes fun of the simpering 'Disney' versions of various and sundry fairy tales including Snow White, Pinocchio, and The Three Little Pigs -- and the film even takes some shots at the long lines at Disney's theme parks and makes fun of the Disneyland anthem 'It's a Small World.'

 

Fortunately we aren't living in 1941 when William Randolph Hearst was able to derail a film he loathed, Citizen Kane, but the Mouse does have some power thanks to its ownership of the ABC television network and numerous radio stations.  Shrek should provide an interesting test of the integrity of film reviewer Jeffery Siegel of Good Morning America, and one even wonders how Ebert & Roeper, whose syndicated movie review show is owned by Disney, will treat Shrek.  Don't expect to see Mike Meyers flogging Shrek on Regis & Kelly, since that show too is part of the Disney Empire.

 

Will this feud have any effect on the sales of Shrek merchandise?  Probably not, since the film will have the largest publicity campaign that Dreamworks has ever mounted, an effort that should easily be able to overcome the studied indifference of the Rodent Empire. For a comedy, the most important ingredient of success is not what the critics say, but the word-of-mouth recommendations of those who have seen the film.  If audiences respond en masse as they have in previews, this screwball animated comedy with a satirical edge has the potential to appeal to teens and adults even more than to kids. With toys from McFarlane (see 'McFarlane Fields ...') and trading cards from Dart Flipcards (see 'Dart Flip Cards Lands Shrek'), and a prime opening date in mid-May, Shrek could be one of the surprise merchandising hits of the summer.