shrek ( 2001 ) mike myers , eddie murphy , cameron diaz , john lithgow , vincent cassel . screenplay by ted elliott , terry rossio , joe stillman , roger s . h . schulman , based on the book by william steig . directed by andrew adamson , vicky jenson . 89 minutes . rated pg , 4 stars ( out of five stars ) review by ed johnson-ott , nuvo newsweekly www . nuvo . net archive reviews at <a href= " http : //reviews . imdb . com/reviewsby ? edward + johnson-ott " >http : //reviews . imdb . com/reviewsby ? edward + johnson-ott</a> to receive reviews by e-mail at no charge , send subscription requests to <a href= " mailto : ejohnsonott@prodigy . net " >ejohnsonott@prodigy . net</a> or e-mail <a href= " mailto : ejohnsonott-subscribe@onelist . com " >ejohnsonott-subscribe@onelist . com</a> with the word " subscribe " in the subject line . the computer-animated comedy " shrek " is designed to be enjoyed on different levels by different groups . for children , it offers imaginative visuals , appealing new characters mixed with a host of familiar faces , loads of action and a barrage of big laughs ( including numerous gags related to body functions and yucky substances , apparently a requisite in contemporary family films ) . for adults , it's a fractured fairy tale packed with rude jokes that will sail over the heads of the kids . all in all , " shrek " is a snappy ride , although there are a couple of points i found disturbing . but first the basics . based very loosely on a 1990 children's story , " shrek " follows several momentous days in the life of the title character , a rotund green ogre voiced by mike myers in that pleasant scottish accent he is so fond of using . shrek is a grumpy fellow living a solitary life deep in the swamp , until a local nobleman disturbs his peace . petty tyrant lord farquaad ( take away the " awk " in the middle and you have the basis of a string of impolite one-liners ) owns the land on which shrek resides . he proceeds to turn the ogre's yard into an ellis island for storybook characters when he banishes the fanciful beings from his castle . as a result , shrek finds himself surrounded by legends like the three blind mice , pinocchio , the big bad wolf , the seven dwarfs , and the three bears , to name but a few . an enraged shrek storms to the castle , only to find farquaad ( john lithgow ) ready to bargain . lord obnoxious wants to become king and the magic mirror from " snow white " has shown him the way . all he has to do is rescue a damsel in distress and make her his wife . the mirror unveils three choices in a presentation straight out of " the dating game " ( when snow white is shown , the cheeky announcer purrs , " even though she lives with seven men , she's not easy ! " ) farquaad selects the lovely princess fiona ( cameron diaz ) and offers shrek a deal : if the ogre snatches fiona from the dragon-protected , lava moat-filled castle in which she is held captive and brings her to the throne , the lord will allow the fairy tale pests to move back on his grounds . shrek reluctantly agrees and sets off on his quest , accompanied by a motor-mouthed donkey ( eddie murphy ) determined to make the green grump his best friend . they finally hook up with the princess , only to learn she is not the helpless maiden they expected to meet . for the matter , the dragon offers a few surprises as well . the movie references a great many other flicks , from " babe " ( " that'll do , donkey . that'll do " ) to " the graduate . " but the lion's share of the jokes come at the expense of the wonderful world of disney . the public-domain characters made into icons in various disney films take their hits – pinocchio is referred to as a " possessed toy " and when shrek spies a sleeping snow white in his cabin , he bellows , " get that dead broad off the table ! " – but the biggest slams come when shrek visits farquaad's royal domicile , which closely resembles a certain magic kingdom , from its souvenir stands and queue lines to a display of animatronic figures that sing the palace rules in a relentlessly peppy tune that sounds a lot like " it's a small world . " which brings me to disturbing point number one . i laughed at all the disney swipes , but found the mentality behind them a bit sad . the acrimony between dreamworks honcho jeff katzenberg and disney big wheel michael eisner is well known . for years the two companies have tried to sabotage each other's film and video releases by issuing similar competing productions on the same day . and now we have katzenberg using an entire movie to attack his former employer . here's a suggestion for the two boys : grow up ! put the past behind you ! there's room in the sandbox for both of you and if you farquaads can't play nice , then go to your rooms ! the other area i found troubling came in the portrayal of lord farquaad . beyond all the irreverence , " shrek " actually has a message : people should learn to look beyond physical appearances , because true beauty lies within . it's a lovely notion , but the film betrays its own moral by incessantly taking cheap shots at farquaad's diminutive stature . do we really need a family film reinforcing the idea that mocking short people is acceptable ? the pompous , selfish behavior of farquaad is enough to make him a target for zingers . adding short jokes is simply mean . still , " shrek " is a rollicking good time . the computer animation is mostly impressive ( although several key characters look like animated rubber squeeze toys and the human movements are often jerky ) , the voice work is strong ( particularly from eddie murphy ) , the laughs come fast and furious , and the moral , tainted though it may be , is a good one . to trot out a cliché , " shrek " is fun for all ages . parents , though , should remind their young ones during the ride home that taunting others because they are short , tall , skinny , fat , etc . is a bad thing . 
