No, let's just get to SHREK, shall we?

SHREK is a fractured fairytale, Jeffrey Katzenberg's fart in the general direction of his former employer, Michael Eisner of Disney Studios. However, it owes a far greater debt to the inspired lunacy of the golden days of Tex Avery and Bob Clampett at Warner Brothers, and to Rocky and Bullwinkle creator Jay Ward, than to Disney studios.

The title character is voiced by Mike Myers, who understands perhaps better than anyone else on earth the First Law of Comedy, and that is that SCOTTISH ACCENTS ARE FUNNY. Indeed, Shrek, a rather plump ogre with low self-esteem, a kinder, gentler version of the Austin Powers flicks' Fat Bastard, decides that he prefers being alone to always having folks scream and run away when they see him. He lives in a swamp outside the kingdom of Duloc, an ersatz, pristine, Disneyland-like Republican wet dream of a village presided over by a Napoleonic nobleman named Lord Farquaad (yes, it does sound like what you think). Farquaad (voiced to sneering perfection by John Lithgow) is an archetype of Freudian overcompensation, who decides to engage in a little ethnic cleansing, sending all fairy tale characters out to become squatters in what turns out to be Shrek's swamp. Shrek, now with an overly friendly compulsive-talking donkey refugee (voiced by Eddie Murphy) permanently, if metaphorically, affixed to his side, is outraged. He makes a deal with Farquaad in which he will rescue the lovely Princess Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz, sounding very much like she's reading lines), held captive in a castle by a fire-breathing dragon, in return for having the squatters removed from his swamp. Shrek and his new ass-inine friend, who could now star in "The Thing That Wouldn't Leave", embark on their quest.

SHREK then becomes a highly entertaining pastiche of road movie, Looney Tunes cartoon, South Park fart jokes, and conventional fairy tale as read by Fred Rogers on acid, liberally sprinkled with touches from films as diverse as Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Snow White, and The Matrix.

The jokes in SHREK are fast and furious, starting with a marvelous opening sequence set to Smashmouth's smartass classic song "All-Star"; in which Shrek's hilarious personal hygiene habits are revealed. It's an opening credits sequence that's oddly reminiscent of the old Chris Elliott TV show Get a Life, right down to the sneering music accompanying it. Most of the jokes are directed at Katzenberg's former employer, to the point that I think Mr. Katzenberg might want to consider some good cognitive therapy designed to help him let go of his anger. There is enough scatalogical humor for the kiddies, enough witticisms for the adults, and cool techie tricks for animation geeks.

PDI/Dreamworks proprietary software takes the notion of artificially-generated characters to a new level, making suspension of disbelief possible for the first time, as the characters move like real people, their faces make expressions like real people, they wear clothes that look like real fabrics, and interact with backgrounds that look like the real thing. SHREK is a stunning technological achievement, and one that even tries to have a heart.

However, it is in this search for a message that SHREK goes awry. Much has been made about the themes of self-acceptance put forth by this film, in an age in which everything a child is exposed to, no matter how trivial or exploitative, must be in some way "educational." SHREK tries mightily to debunk the fairy tale/Disney/Hollywood notion of "all pretty people are good, all ugly people are bad", to teach children that physical appearance isn't everything. But when one male character of short stature is the target of relentless, if merely implied, penis size jokes, the black man is literally an ass, and another character who is both short AND overweight is clearly regarded by the film as having an ugly outside, despite supposedly having a beautiful soul, something is amiss. In its well-meaning way, SHREK merely continues to perpetuate the "tall, white, thin and pretty is better" message that both children and adults receive constantly in our culture.

I'll give SHREK credit for technical virtuosity. I'll give it credit for a clever script and wonderful vocal performances by Myers and Murphy. I'll give it credit for excellent use of edgy pop music. I'll even give it credit for meaning well. But in terms of the message it purports to deliver, all I can say is that its Hollywood roots are showing.