Loving the ogre

Another day, another advance screening. I won't waste too many keystrokes lauding "Shrek The Third", which will be unavoidable in Oz from June 7. It's prettier, busier, noisier and, by my estimate, 37% Shrekier than its animated predecessors. Maybe 38%. The familiar voice of Eric Idle makes for an endearing New Age Merlin, but there's no upstaging John Cleese as Far Far Away's...expiring...[cough, splutter]...amphibian...[wheeeeeze, choke]...monarch. The "helpless" princesses discovering their grrl power is a welcome reversal and the epilogue has real heart. If you only see one self-referential slapstick fairytale musical 'toon this year, etc.