"Oh, you were expecting Prince Charming?"

Rating: 8/10 (6 October 2012)

Colorful animation and entertaining vocal characterizations make "Shrek" a fun picture even if the message is a retread from dozens of stories, movies and yes, even fairy tales. Judging people before you get to know them is never a wise way to meet someone new but we do it all the time. So it's not a bad idea to run into someone like Shrek and Fiona who have to grapple through their own insecurities to inspire young and old alike with a teachable moment of tolerance and love.
Aside from that, Eddie Murphy's Donkey is a sketch, and it's uncanny how the actor's personality permeates through the character. He had me rolling in that scene after Shrek discovers Fiona's secret and he gets into that eye twitching jag. I still remember that scene pretty vividly even a decade after the picture's release, and it was the one I was eagerly anticipating while watching the film again today.
As far as the adult humor goes I'm of mixed opinion because kids today grow up too quickly as it is, and I don't see what value there is for a Gingerbread Man to challenge an adversary to 'eat me' the way he does here. Donkey's exclamation of horror at Shrek's occasion of flatulence is another example, but then I think back to my days at Scout camp and the way everyone reacted to the same type of thing, so I don't want to get too critical. In other words, boys will be boys, and Donkey was just being one of the boys so to speak.
You know what else was cool - the musical selections that went with some of the action. My favorite was that revved up version of 'I'm a Believer' near the end, punctuated by Murphy's 'I believe, I believe, I believe' at a staccato pace. The music was just the right accompaniment at just the right spots to make the picture all the more enjoyable. Other animated films would be green with envy.