'Shrek' will have you shrieking with laughter This send-up of classic fairy tales is a belly-buster in the laugh department. By BILLY NORRIS © St. Petersburg Times, published May 21, 2001 Movie: Shrek Rating: PG Summary: Shrek is a brilliantly animated fairy tale adventure that tells the story of true love. Shrek (voice of Mike Myers) the ogre is outraged when Lord Farquaad (voice of John Lithgow) dumps a bunch of useless fairy tale creatures in his swamp. He, along with his new "friend" Donkey (voice of Eddie Murphy), goes to Farquaad's castle to see what they need to do to get the creatures out of the swamp. Farquaad (who desperately wants to be king, and only needs a wife to do so) sends them on a journey to a castle to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona (voice of Cameron Diaz) and bring her back to him for marriage. In return, he promises to restore the swamp to its peaceful state. Shrek and Donkey accept the offer, but what they bring back isn't quite what was expected. My view: I really enjoyed this movie. The animation was spectacular. All the characters looked so lifelike, it was amazing! All members of the cast fit perfectly with their characters. This movie was intended to be somewhat of a spoof of a bunch of classic fairy tales, and the people behind the scenes did an excellent job of making it just that. Favorite part: Everything that Donkey did or said I found hilarious. A few of his scenes with the dragon (such as when he realizes the dragon is a she, and that she seems to have a crush on him) made me laugh so hard my stomach hurt afterward. Least favorite part: Everything in the movie happened so quickly. I wouldn't have minded if it lasted a little longer. Recommendations: A synonym for donkey was used a few times as a joke, but otherwise this movie is clean and funny. I recommend this as a great family movie, although some of the humor will probably be lost on the youngest viewers. Grade: A -- Billy Norris, 13, is a seventh grader at Seminole Middle School, and is a former member of the Times X-Team. Past 14 Days March 16, 2008 March 15, 2008 March 14, 2008 March 13, 2008 March 12, 2008 March 11, 2008 March 10, 2008 March 9, 2008 March 8, 2008 March 7, 2008 March 6, 2008 March 5, 2008 March 4, 2008 March 3, 2008 Search further back Here's the rest of today's Xpress Teens need help to stop violence The art of training horses Backstreet Boys TV schedule 'Shrek' will have you shrieking with laughter Saying 'hello' and then nothing