In general, I’m astonished at the quality of the whole rash of pixel-flicks I’ve seen—from Antz to Toy Story 2—and now, Shrek. Dreamworks plays the witty jester to Disney’s patented heart-string-pulling cuteness. The balance between genuine “aw-shucks” emotionalism and sophomoric dashes of scatology is almost perfect. 7 to 12-year-old boys are going to eat it up—especially if parents are willing to pick up Shrek cereal for them (already at your local supermarket!). Dreamworks is beating Disney at its very best game by bending rules that Uncle Walt’s Studio has been unwilling to break so far, and by exploiting the almost sacred stature of their most famous animated characters. To keep parents engaged, the cultural reference card is played throughout the film; entendre and implication will also keep them chuckling, perhaps while raising a watchful eyebrow in the direction of their ten-year-old. Make no mistake, this movie deserves it PG rating—if some of these antics were performed as live action, the ratings board would undoubtedly have tagged a “13” onto that PG.

Mike Myers voices the title character with a Scottish brogue—at first a bit distracting but eventually a perfect fit for the stodgy but sensitive ogre. Eddie Murphy keeps the quips coming fast and furious as Donkey, and most of them hit the mark. Cameron Diaz’s Princess Fiona is adorable, of course, and surprisingly funny at times. Her character will forever give new meaning to the phrase “but she’s got such a pretty face.”

Despite the simple story line and obvious ending, the clever gags, cultural references, gorgeous sets and well-paced action should keep adults interested and mostly distracted from the amazing spectacle of a billion blades of grass individually realized and blowing flawlessly in the computer-generated wind. There are also enough fart jokes to keep six-year-olds from squirming, although they might occasionally and loudly ask why all the grown-ups are laughing.

The really surprising thing about Shrek is the amount of heart is has and the quality of the lessons it teaches. But you might remind your kid that just because he saw it at the movies doesn’t mean he can get away with it at home.

If my childish imagination could have conceived of Shrek, I’d have know not to fear the future. In fact, when the live action version speaks with computer lips I don’t think I’ll miss the kitschy quaintness of Scooby Doo much at all.

  DVD NOTES   - by Linda

As the film Shrek raised the bar on computer animation, the swank DVD release raises the bar on blockbuster DVD extravaganzas. Since I had not seen the movie in the theater, this was a first time experience for me (and believe me, with 2-DVDs chock full o' stuff, it IS an experience—not your regular passive movie-watching). 

Among the fun things about this DVD: it had the most amusing menu interaction I've ever seen, with disgruntled animated characters leading you from screen to screen (my favorite: the Gingerbread Man on the Special Features menu—you choose an item from the left column, his left leg snaps off, and his candy lips emit a strangled and disappointed, "Dog-gone!"); there are several interactive games to choose from (some admittedly more fun than others); and there are a few "making of" documentaries that are very interesting, if a bit repetitive. The "goofs" reel is fascinating, as it shows what can happen when a computer animator makes an innocent error in the code: faces are turned grotesquely inside-out, hair gains a life of its own, and best of all, Donkey turns into a fuzzball Chia Pet... one of the most adorable and hilarious things I've ever seen.

But back to the Gingerbread Man. One of my favorite things on the Shrek DVD is in the Game Swamp for kids. There is a "game" to dress the Gingerbread Man in various outfits (not exactly a game... you just click on the one you want to see). This game can be pretty dumb and boring (see the DVD of The Grinch), but in this version, the Gingerbread Man sings a little song to go along with his outfit (like, dressed in a tux, he sings "London Bridge is Falling Down," or dressed as a farmer, he sings a line from "Farmer in the Dell"). Did this extra enhance the film? Not really. But it DID make me guffaw, and you're not going to hear me complain about that!