Arthur Pendragon (better known as "Artie") is one of the deuteragonists in the DreamWorks film, Shrek the Third. He’s Fiona's only living cousin, making Artie (other than Shrek) the only heir to Far Far Away. He is voiced by Justin Timberlake.
Background[]
Personality[]
Arthur is the epitome of a typical teenager, awkward, gangly and not very popular. These aspects are emphasized when Shrek announces to him that he’s the next king of Far Far Away, and Artie doesn't think that he can handle being a king.
However, Artie is good and kind-hearted, and in the end, he good-naturedly accepts the responsibilities of being king.
One of Artie's greatest fears is inadequacy, he and Shrek share the same problem, as they both mention having had difficulty in their relationships with their respective fathers (his "dumped me at the school the first chance he got, and... I never saw him again").
Artie is shown to be a competent fighter when necessary, and helps Shrek and his friends fend off The Evil Trees, and later, assists Shrek when Prince Charming is about to kill him.
Artie likes rock music, evidenced after he leaves "Worcestershire," announcing, "I'm building my kingdom on rock and roll!".
Appearances[]
Shrek the Third[]
Shrek, Donkey and Puss in Boots are traveling to "Worcestershire" to find the next heir to the throne: Artie.
However, Artie is not what they expected, he is first seen (Shrek and the others unaware) as a practice target for the jousting team, and is later publicly revealed to the school auditorium by being hung from a pole. Shrek pulls him down, announcing that he is the next king of Far Far Away. Artie then gives a speech, berating all those who picked on him and threatening to evict some (particularly Sir Lancelot and the jousting team), but Shrek stops him, stating, "You overdid it.".
Later, on board Shrek's ship, Artie is excited to become king until Puss and Donkey mention the dangers involved, protecting the people from famine, plague and other diseases, food testers to make sure his meals aren't poisoned, and the like. Artie balks, and begins to steer the ship back. Shrek tries to convince him to stop, and the ensuing argument they have causes their ship to crash onto an island. They continue to argue, and Artie runs into his old magic teacher, Merlin's hut. The wizard agrees to help them, but only after taking the "Journey to the Souls", since he and Artie have only recently been in a "self-destructive rage spat".
Artie, upon looking into the soul mist, sees a father bird leaving a chick in its nest. The chick tries and fails to fly, falling. He quickly comprehends that the bird is his father, who left him. Shrek and he have a heart-to-heart talk, where both explain the distance they had with their fathers (Artie having never known his, Shrek having been the near-victim of his dad's murderous attempts). They form an uneasy, understanding friendship, and Artie begins to accept who he is as a person, rather than who he is as other people judge him to be. Next morning, however, they are attacked by evil trees, and their leader, Captain Hook, announces that "King Charming" is managing the kingdom, and that Princess Fiona is in trouble. Artie, in an attempt at heartbroken youth, manages to convince Merlin to send them back to Far Far Away.
Once they arrive in the city, they are almost immediately set upon by guards, who Artie manages to convince that Shrek is a star (of the play, featuring Charming performing Shrek's demise). They infiltrate Charming's quarters, and Charming, anticipating their moves, sends for guards and holds Artie hostage. To save Artie's life, Shrek demands Charming to let Artie go, and (unbeknownst to Artie) insults Artie, saying that he "needed some fool to replace me, and you fit the bill, kid". Artie, who believe that Shrek used him the whole time, angrily shrugs off his captors and leaves. However, Puss and Donkey later explain that Shrek lied to save him, reminding him that Charming was going to kill him and Shrek saved him at the last second.
Artie returns at the climax of the play, and convinces Hook and the other villains to give up their evil ways by saying what Shrek told him: Just because you may be treated like a loser, or a villain, it doesn't mean you are one. He helps Shrek defeat Charming, and once the tower is knocked on top of the prince, he takes the crown that falls, after Shrek gives him the choice to do so or not. Artie puts the crown on his head, and begins his reign. He is not seen again in the movie.
Shrek Forever After[]
Deleted Scene 1: Artie is running the kingdom as Shrek invites him to the party. Though, he declines, saying that he cannot hang around ogres any longer (including his cousin, Fiona). He manages to chuck Shrek out and banish them to the Happy Apple, where they will have their party.
Deleted Scene 2: When Shrek is in the alternate universe, he travels back to Worcestershire to find Artie. He is indeed no longer the King but is his previous school-life self, being bullied and picked on. Shrek explains that Artie is the king of Far Far Away, but Artie, having no clue of who Shrek is, runs off (like he did in the third film) and in the assembly, he is hung by his shirt onto the scaffolding. Shrek is declined entry to the Assembly hall by the guard after failing to remember what Puss and Donkey did to him, such as kicking him in the hip and groin. Shrek then leaves.
Deleted Scene 3: After Shrek returns to the real world, Artie enters claiming that he was wrong about Shrek and hereby grants all Ogres to live in Far Far Away as citizens, no longer as neglected monsters.
Trivia[]
- His name is derived the name of King Arthur, a British king from a legend of the same name.
- Arthur is neither seen nor mentioned once in Shrek Forever After, for unknown reasons. In Rumpelstiltskin's new world of Far Far Away, he does not appear because in the alternate universe, he was never proclaimed king by Shrek. After the curse was broken, Arthur presumably took his place as rightful king of Far Far Away.
- After Shrek Forever After was released, Mike Myers stated Artie was in the film, but the scene was deleted. When the DVD was released, only a deleted scene called When Fairly Tale Creatures Attack, Gingy's Cookie Fight, and a hand-drawn scene of When Fairy Tale Creatures Attack were featured. Artie did not appear. Note: Artie was not written out, as they would give an explanation to why he was not in the film. His voice actor, Justin Timberlake, was unavailable to provide the voice as he was on tour. To focus on Shrek, Artie was not fitted to the plot.
Gallery[]
