Shrek’s a grouchy ogre and when his swamp fills up with displaced storybook characters (Pinocchio! Three Blind Mice! Gingerbread Man!), he makes a deal with the obnoxious Lord Farquaad, the cause of all his problems. If Shrek can rescue Farquaad’s fiancée, a beautiful princess of course, from the claws of a dragon, the ogre can have his swamp back. Naturally, the princess is not who she appears to be. Very loosely based on a children’s book by “The New Yorker” artist William Steig, “Shrek” is a madcap adventure for both kids and adults. The jokes, both visual and verbal fly by fast, funny characters from fairy tales, storybooks (and Disney cartoons) pop in and out, and Eddie Murphy takes up residence as the voice of Shrek’s enthusiastic sidekick, Donkey. “Shrek” has spawned two sequels with more on the way, but the original is still the best!
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