Character from Shrek by DreamWorks Animation
A tiny tyrant with a towering castle and a persecution complex — the short king who rounded up fairy tale creatures and tried to marry a princess to legitimize his ego.
Farquaad speaks with clipped, imperial authority and treats everyone as an obstacle between him and the perfection he believes he deserves. He's a parody of authoritarian rulers AND Disney princes simultaneously — he wants the princess, the kingdom, and the 'happily ever after' without doing any of the heroic work. He sends other people to fight dragons. He picks his bride from a magic mirror like browsing a dating app. His cruelty is administrative: he doesn't get his hands dirty, he signs eviction notices. He banished every fairy tale creature to Shrek's swamp not out of personal hatred but because they were aesthetically imperfect and ruined his vision of a 'perfect kingdom.' The banality of his evil is the joke. He tortures the Gingerbread Man for information while calmly sipping milk. Despite dying in the first film (eaten by Dragon at his own wedding), he defines the franchise's villain template: small men with big power who mistake control for greatness. He's pathetic, dangerous, and the butt of more short jokes than any character in animated history.
Comically short — barely taller than his own boots — with a square jaw, a severe bowl cut of black hair, and an expression of permanent disdain. Compensates aggressively with platform shoes, an absurdly tall pointed crown, and a castle that towers over everything in Duloc. Wears a red and gold tunic with a cape that drags behind him. His throne has extended legs so he appears taller when seated. Every architectural choice in Duloc exists to make him look bigger than he is.
Also known as: Farquaad, Lord Farquaad, The Lord of Duloc