SHREK
Released: May 18, 2001
From DreamWorks comes a visually beautiful animated film that is entertaining for both kids AND adults. "Shrek" is no PC-friendly Disney film at all. Rather, it is a smart and funny story that works because it never condescends to its audience. Produced by the same team that brought us "Antz" (also from DreamWorks), this was a joy to watch and I left the theatre feeling good. In addition the the clever story, the marketing of this film concentrated on the star power behind the animated character's voices. So it's very entertaining to know the voices are coming from Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow. This helps the movie flow quite well, rather than keeping the voicer's ID a secret til the credits. The dark elements make this punchy and daring and the laughs come genuinely, not forced at all. Disney is wise to watch out for DreamWorks because where Universal, Warner Bros. and Fox failed with their animated divisions, the team of Spielberg, Katzenberg and Geffen know their stuff and aren't afraid to bust out of the well worn formula and tricks. Call it animation for the new millennium. 99 Minutes
PDI/DreamWorks SKG