Shrek the Third DVD Review
Posted by Christi Csonka on 12.04.2007
If you thought two helpings of Shrek were great, just wait until you get the Third!
Featuring the voices of:
Mike Myers: Shrek
Eddie Murphy: Donkey
Cameron Diaz: Princess Fiona
Antonio Banderas: Puss in Boots
Julie Andrews: Queen Lillian
John Cleese: King Harold
Rupert Everett: Prince Charming
Eric Idle: Merlin
Justin Timberlake: Artie
Directed By: Chris Miller & Raman Hui
Based on the book by: William Steig
Film Release Date: May 18, 2007
DVD Release Date: November 13, 2007
Language: English, Spanish, French
Captions: English
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Run Time: 92 minutes
Rated: PG
Film
I saw this film only once in the theaters and quickly found my first impression of Shrek the Third was dead on… hilarious. Right off the bat how can you top seeing Prince Charming galloping on a stick horse with coconuts for sound effects in a dinner theater. (Nice to see the Monty Python educational film on coconuts being put to use.) Mix in bad actors, a crowd who shows no love, and you just know Charming has hit rock bottom. Not that Donkey fairs much better in the beginning either. Though it‘s bad for King Harold, his croaking I mean, his funeral just proved to me how awesome this series is. Where else do we see a king being set adrift to a frog chorus of “Live and Let Die“?
You get everything you’ve come to expect from Shrek- puns, spoofs, visual gags, and adult humor that’ll have our kids rediscovering this film ten years from now. Why some want to belittle this third installment in the series is beyond me. I needed tissues for my leaking eyes I was laughing so hard at points. The fact so much of it is based on life, it’s hard not to find it funny. Those out there with kids will recall the nightmares we had before the birth of our first born… you might have seen his coming a mile away but it still didn’t take away from him battling the vomit cannon! And who could deny the truth behind the ‘romantic’ ending? After putting the triplets to bed, Shrek asks Fiona what they want do next in that suggestive tone… only to wind up like every parent of newborns, passed out from exhaustion.
Our favorite cast of characters are back, with Gingy stealing even more of the memorable moments than before, such as him in a baby carrier, and pooping a gumdrop. My daughter almost blew milk out of her nose at the latter. One of my favorites is at the end, when poor Puss gets diapered. Short and sweet, but still funny. But we also meet a few new ones. Arthur is pretty good, not as interesting a character as I would have hoped, but neither are the three little pigs. Merlin, in my opinion was far more entertaining and I wish we would have seen more of him; Eric Idle just gave the old man such life!
Overall, this is a great family film. Nothing epic, after all, this isn’t trying to be the next Narnia, but it is a sweet comedy that everyone can enjoy.
Video
The video quality is excellent, as I would expect from a computer generated film. The format I prefer, and that this happened to be, was widescreen and just as clear as in the theater. The menus are cute (my 6 year old liked looking at them) and easily navigated.
Audio
Very good audio here. “Live and Let Die” gave me tingles, the foley was outstanding, and everything came together so wonderfully, I got sucked into the environments. I do recommend surround sound, not that the music had anything to do with my saying so.
Package
Your average packaging to be honest. Cute group image on the front and back, a run down of the special features… the usual deal. I was a little disappointed with the disc which lacked any graphic whatsoever, even a color title as it was just this ’frosted’ look with the lettering ’unfrosted’. I expected something more catchy from DreamWorks. Tsk, tsk.
Bonus Features
Worcestershire Academy Yearbook
Get a closer look into the faces of Arthur’s school. Pretty cute, but nothing more than pictures to check out.
Big Green Goofs
See some funny, and not so funny, goofs from the production process of the film. Honestly, they aren’t nearly as entertaining as outtakes on other films, but are interesting if you’re into the whole computer animation process.
Lost Scenes
Here you get to see three scenes being pitched that never made it to production. Imagine being young again and having the teacher read to you from the Big Book. Yeah… like that. Cute scenes, but a lot longer than a deleted scene would be. Be ready for about ten minutes each here folks.
Donkey Dance
If you have little ones, watch this! It’s short, it’s cute, and I’m just dying to make that little clip into an animated icon. You got to love Donkey shaking his tail!
Meet the Cast
This ten minute segment introduces you to the characters and voices behind them. I found it an enjoyable viewing that is short enough to not have you hitting the menu button for escape.
Shrek’s Guide to Parenthood
The title threw me off as I expected this to be tips from Shrek, but it turns out they’re tips for Shrek from a few of the characters. It’s cute, but nothing I’d say you need to watch. If you do check them out, I will warn you that Donkey’s are the best.
Tech of Shrek
If you’re interested in the how-to’s of computer animation, this nine minute clip will be enjoyable. As an art teacher, this is the sort of video I’d show to introduce students to the technical side of the film knowing it’s short enough for them to not lose interest.
DreamWorks Animation Video jukebox
Here you’ll be able to watch the videos for your favorite songs from various DreamWorks films.
DWK (DreamWorks kids) link
This is the way to the activities for the kiddies. From Merlin’s Magic Crystal Ball to Learn the Donkey Dance, the little ones will have fun with these. Not to mention the various extras found through the DVD-Rom.
The 411: If you loved Shrek and Shrek 2, you owe it to yourself to see Shrek the Third. The laughs are as plentiful as ever and the characters more loveable. Add in the awesome soundtrack and it’s a film that’ll put a smile on your face as well as the kids. For a great night at home with the family, grab some popcorn and pop this bad boy in. But… don’t forget the tissues, laughing too hard can induce tearing.
