When Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) does a spot of ethnic cleansing in the land of Duloc, he dumps hordes of fairy-tale creatures into the private swamp of an ogre called Shrek (Mike Myers). Miffed, Shrek tracks down the foul-tempered ruler and strikes a deal: in return for his privacy, he'll rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from the scaly clutches of a fearsome dragon and deliver her into Farquaad's arms.

DVD Extras:

Animators' commentary, The Tech Of Shrek, technical goofs, deleted scenes storyboard, interactive game swamp, extended ending, favourite scene selection, character interviews, pop promo, behind-the-scenes featurette, hidden fun facts, trailer, production notes and filmographies. The Tech Of Shrek brings the fairytale to life without ever getting spoddy, while the non-stop commentary sees the film-makers discuss Shrek's world with insight and humour. But the crowning glory is the extended ending karaoke dance party. Inspired.

Verdict:

Disney's dominance is seriously challenged here, with DreamWorks seamlessly laying adult and child humour over mind-blowing visuals. Eddie Murphy's jive-talking Donkey is straight out of the Disney sidekick mould... only better. The features aren't bad, either.