Shrek the Third arrived in 2007 as the third film in DreamWorks Animation’s series, with Chris Miller directing from a script he wrote with Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman and producer Aron Warner. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett, Julie Andrews and John Cleese all returned to their voice roles. Justin Timberlake joined as Artie. Eric Idle joined as Merlin. The film runs 93 minutes.
Trailer, via YouTube Movies.
With His Dying Breath
The story picks up with Shrek and Fiona in line to rule Far Far Away. King Harold is dying. His medical absence leaves Shrek as regent, and the attempt goes badly — Shrek has no interest in the throne. With his dying breath, Harold names another heir: his nephew and Fiona’s cousin, Arthur “Artie” Pendragon. That single death sets the whole plot moving, and it is the strongest idea the film has.
The Poison Apple Tavern
Prince Charming wants revenge for his mother, the Fairy Godmother, and wants the crown. He goes to the Poison Apple tavern and talks the fairy tale villains into fighting for their “happily ever after.” It is a good setup. The film does not do much with it.
A Scrawny 16-Year-Old Outcast
Shrek sails off to find Artie with Donkey and Puss in Boots. Before they get far, Fiona tells him she is pregnant. Shrek is horrified — he does not believe he can raise children. At Worcestershire Academy, an elite magical boarding school, they find Artie is a scrawny 16-year-old outcast. Shrek tells him he has been chosen to be king. Artie is excited until Donkey and Puss scare him talking about the king’s responsibilities.
He’s in for the royal treatment.
Merlin on the Remote Island
Artie tries to steer the ship back to Worcestershire. After a scuffle with Shrek, it crashes on a remote island. There they meet Artie’s retired magic teacher, Merlin, who gets Shrek and Artie to open up to each other. Meanwhile Charming and the villains attack the castle while Fiona and Queen Lillian host a baby shower. Gingy, Pinocchio, the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs stall them long enough for the women to escape. When a pig lets slip that Shrek went after Artie, Charming sends Captain Hook and his pirates.
$808.3 Million Worldwide
The film premiered at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood on May 6, 2007, and opened in the United States through Paramount Pictures on May 18. It grossed $808.3 million worldwide on a $160 million budget, the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2007. It was nominated for Best Animated Film at the 61st British Academy Film Awards. Shrek Forever After followed on May 21, 2010.
A Castle Siege and a Baby Shower
The money says audiences showed up. Reviews were mixed. The pregnancy thread is the one genuinely new thing here, and it gets buried under a villain plot, a road trip, a boarding school, a shipwreck and a castle siege. Timberlake’s Artie is a decent addition. Merlin is wasted. Charming’s takeover should be the spine of the movie and instead feels like a side quest.
The film is not a bad one. It is a safe one. It adds names to the cast list and keeps the machinery running. The $808.3 million is real, and so is the gap between that number and what the movie does with its own best ideas. The nomination at the 61st British Academy Film Awards went to stronger work that year.
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