Light, fun comedy with strange plotting

Rating: 7/10 (15 May 2001)

Clearly, this is a film that wants to have it both ways--be a kid's film with enough "adult" jokes to keep older folks happy. There's enough charm and laughs to almost get away with it. I found the plot a bit oddly paced and just plain odd at times. For instance, the motivation of why the John Lithgow king character sends the fairy tale characters to Shrek's swamp was a bit murky to me. And there were a few slow points. But overall, you'll get decent laughs out of the Disney references, potty/ass jokes and Eddie Murphy's antics. The Matrix joke was especially effective and out of the blue. Overall, a B-plus worthy effort. It will be a huge hit.