Formulaic, but with nice touches

Rating: 7/10 (11 February 2007)

For all the plaudits routinely thrown as the new generation of computer-animated movies, there's a remarkably standard template that underpins them all. In the standard plot, a collection of non-human creatures of different dispositions learn tolerance and friendship through partaking in some ultimately uplifting quest, while the humour has a level of self-awareness designed to appeal to adults; and these things certainly true in the case of 'Shrek', a story about an ogre that appears to owe a substantial debt to Raymond Briggs. But the film benefits from some delightful details, and the fact that Eddie Murphy, who voices the "annoying talking animal" (as he describes himself in the sequel) is actually funny and not just annoying. Overall, it's less dark and subversive than 'Toy Story' or 'Madagascar' , but much more watchable than the dreadful 'Ice Age', and the standard of animation is unquestionably high. It's not my favourite film, even of its genre; but I definitely enjoyed it.