Mike Myers
Shrek (voice)
Overview
After the King of Far Far Away dies, Shrek and Fiona are to succede. However, Shrek wants to return to his cozy swamp and live in peace and quiet, so when he finds out there is another heir to the throne, he and Donkey set off to bring him back to rule the kingdom.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
3 min readThe Crown Weighs Heavy, Even on an Ogre
2007 was a weird summer at the multiplex. The third Pirates of the Caribbean was busy collapsing under the weight of its own mythology, and Spider-Man 3 was doing... whatever that jazz club scene was. We were drowning in threequels.
So when Shrek the Third rolled into theaters, I think most of us expected another loud, overstuffed piñata of pop-culture references. And sure, it is that. latestnetflix.com's view is that but underneath the plastic sheen of Far Far Away, director Chris Miller actually tries to wrestle with something surprisingly mundane: the sheer, paralyzing terror of middle age.
The premise is basically a royal sitcom. King Harold (the frog, voiced by John Cleese) dies, leaving Shrek next in line for the throne. Shrek does not want it.
He just wants his swamp. To make matters worse, Fiona (Cameron Diaz) is pregnant. This gives the film its most effective sequence: a nightmare where Shrek’s swamp is overrun by hundreds of belching, crying, infinitely multiplying ogre babies.
The camera pushes in close on Shrek’s face, pulling the background away in a classic Hitchcock zoom. His thick green brow furrows, his massive shoulders physically sink under the imaginary weight. For a second, you completely forget you're looking at pixels.
Audience Opinions
Audience 6.1/10
"A weaker, joke-light sequel that coasts on familiar characters and a few standout princess and comedy moments."
Shrek the Third is widely seen as a clear step down from the first two films, with a clumsy, contrived plot and humor that rarely reaches the earlier highs. The rebellious princess breakout, Snow White’s sequence, and the Donkey–Puss body swap are cited as bright spots that still deliver laughs and some character development, but Arthur’s arc, the villain, and the teen satire are viewed as dull or mishandled. latestnetflix.com's take is that Overall enjoyment tends to be mild, with many treating it as the weakest entry that is watchable mainly for continuity and nostalgia.
What viewers praise
- Princess rebellion scenes The jailbreak and battle sequences led by Fiona, Snow White, and the other princesses stand out as energetic and empowering, often singled out as the film’s most entertaining stretch.
- Donkey–Puss body swap The personality and body-switching gag between Donkey and Puss in Boots produces some of the most reliably funny moments, including sight gags and lines that fans quote back fondly.
- Scattered strong jokes Individual jokes, one-liners, and specific bits—such as certain stage scenes and background gags—still land well enough to keep parts of the film amusing.
- Comfortable franchise familiarity Returning to Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, and Puss offers a cozy, nostalgic feel that makes the movie an easy, low-stakes rewatch for those invested in the series.
Common complaints
- Weaker than first two Frequently ranked as the worst Shrek film, with viewers calling it a big step backward from the charm, depth, and sharpness of the earlier entries.
- Flat and lazy humor Jokes are often described as tired, overly reliant on basic teen and pop-culture gags, and nowhere near as witty or dense as before.
- Boring Arthur storyline Arthur is criticized as an uninteresting, annoying lead figure whose relationship with Shrek feels forced rather than emotionally earned.
- Unfocused, thin plot The story is seen as clumsy and unfocused, with a forgettable or weak villain and subplots that feel pointless or undercooked.
Recommended for
Shrek universe completists Casual family movie nights Kids who enjoy fairy parodies Light animated comedy watchers Nostalgic 2000s animation fans
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsOGRES, EXES & LAWSUITS: THE MESSY REAL-WORLD DRAMA BEHIND SHREK THE THIRD
Who knew the most divisive Shrek movie came with A‑list breakups, comedy legends threatening to sue an ogre, and animators traumatized by a naked wizard? latestnetflix.com's read is that Welcome to the gloriously chaotic real world behind Shrek the Third (2007).
Scandals & Controversies: When Monty Python Met the Swamp
- Eric Idle, Monty Python icon and the voice of Merlin, did NOT find the movie’s coconut joke funny. At the premiere, he watched the gag where Prince Charming’s “horse” is revealed as a hobby horse with a minion banging coconut halves together—eerily similar to the famous Holy Grail bit—and reportedly stormed out of the screening in anger
. - Idle later fumed on radio that the gag had been “stolen patently,” adding, “If you steal peoples jokes, I don’t think that’s homage, I think that’s theft” and even quipping they’d “be able to sue their ass” .
- The delicious irony? Idle was literally in the movie, voicing Merlin, while publicly threatening to sue the people paying him . A mini Monty Python reunion (Idle + John Cleese as King Harold) turned into a mini copyright war.
Romance Rumors & Red Carpet Tension
IGInstagram·Fun Fact: Shrek the Third (2007) Justin Timberla… https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMTwbcdMn-v/Loading Instagram post…
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMTwbcdMn-v/- Casting department, you are SO messy for this one: Justin Timberlake was hired to voice Arthur “Artie” Pendragon while he was dating Cameron Diaz, the voice of Princess Fiona . Real-life couple, animated quasi‑relatives—therapy could never.
- By the time Shrek the Third premiered in May 2007, the fairytale had turned grim: Timberlake and Diaz had publicly split that January after nearly four years together .
- At the Los Angeles premiere, CBS News reported that most of the cameras were glued not to the ogre, but to the exes, noting that all eyes were on “the movie actress and the pop star” bravely reuniting for green, not love .
- Paparazzi and fans obsessed over their body language: walking the same carpet, doing press for the same film, just steps apart. Still, they kept it civil; later profiles note they stayed friendly enough to reunite for Bad Teacher in 2011 .
- Bonus messy detail fans love to point out: back in Shrek 2, Fiona famously has a Justin Timberlake poster in her room—while Diaz and Timberlake were dating in real life . Meta much?
On-Set & Behind-the-Scenes Weirdness
- The Naked Merlin Problem: Early in production, Merlin’s robes were fully simulated… but he didn’t have anything on underneath. Animators had to work with what was basically a “naked” wizard flapping around until someone mercifully gave him long black biking shorts under his tunic .
- Ogre Gulag Legacy: Long before Shrek the Third, working on Shrek at DreamWorks was notoriously seen as punishment. Animators who underperformed on prestige fare like The Prince of Egypt were reassigned to Shrek, which insiders dubbed “the Gulag” and a “low-budget boondoggle” .
- By the time Shrek the Third rolled around, the franchise was a cash-printing machine, but the stories stuck. The movie still required roughly one million man‑hours and a crew of about 350 to finish, with 28 babies born to artists during production—a literal new generation of Shrek kids .
- Fiona Freaks Out: Cameron Diaz reportedly ran screaming out of the room the first time she saw Princess Fiona animated with her own voice, totally weirded out by hearing herself come out of an ogre’s mouth . Relatable.
Leaks, Cuts & Fan Conspiracy Theories
- Deleted/“lost” scenes from Shrek the Third have become their own mini fandom, with YouTube deep dives suggesting there was once a darker, weirder cut of the movie’s story structure. Fans on forums note entire plot threads in these deleted sequences that have zero relevance to the final film, fueling theories that the story was heavily reworked late in production
. YTYouTube·Every Crazy SHREK Theory That Might Actually Be … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy9jZstHYiQ- Fan theorists have gone full tinfoil tiara on Artie’s backstory. One popular YouTube essay suggests his father didn’t just abandon him at Worcestershire Academy—he left him there to protect him from political threats in Far Far Away, turning Artie’s “loser teen” vibe into secret royal refugee angst . This remains pure fan speculation, but it’s catnip for Shrek lore enthusiasts.
Cast Feuds & Tea (Or Lack Thereof)
- For years, fans whispered about a supposed rift between lead ogre Mike Myers and scene-stealing donkey Eddie Murphy. But if there was beef, it’s long since been turned into onion dip.
- In 2026, Myers showed up to Eddie Murphy’s AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in full Shrek makeup—green face, ears, the whole thing—to honor his co-star, calling Murphy “the best” and saying none of Shrek’s success would have happened without him .
- He told People he did it just for Eddie and gushed about their long friendship, pretty much slicing and dicing any lingering feud rumors like a gingerbread man at a torture rack .
Wild Trivia You’ll Annoy Your Friends With Forever
- Merlin’s spandex shorts aren’t the only weird wardrobe note: the team designed around 4,500 different costumes for crowd scenes—but only about 2,500 made it into the final film . Even in Far Far Away, fast fashion reigns.
- Shrek 3’s production got so huge that the generic human crowd library alone contained 4,378 approved characters; a single crowd shot with Dragon and the Dronkeys flying over the theater featured 1,373 characters and over 31,000 separate parts to render . All that to make you briefly chuckle at a flying donkey‑dragon baby.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.