You'll laugh until your stomach hurts!

Rating: 9/10 (13 July 2001)

After seeing the trailer and checking the cast list I went to see this film with some idea of what to expect. What I hadn't reckoned on was just how hilarious this send-up of fairy tales was going to be! It pulls no punches in its 'attack' on established animated tales.
Myers puts on his Scottish accent for the lead - Shrek - which works surprisingly well. Murphy performs at his usual high level for the voice of the donkey, at least as good as Robin Williams was as the genie in "Disney's Aladdin". Lithgow is superb as the evil king and Diaz has some great lines too.
The animation is excellent, with close attention to detail only seen on Japanese offerings, such as "My Neighbor Totoro". What makes this film, though, is the humour. There is one scene (and I won't spoil it by saying which one) that just made me crack up and laugh until I was crying. I had to work hard to control myself, or I would have missed the rest of the show!
Altogether a brilliant animation with a big comic element, and the best since "The Emperor's New Groove". Great for all ages, but will be enjoyed more by those who are familiar with traditional fairy tales.