Shrek 3D

Once upon a time in a far away swamp, there lived an ornery ogre named Shrek (Myers) whose precious swampy solitude was suddenly shattered by an invasion of annoying fairy tale characters. There are blind mice on his table, a big, bad wolf in his bed, three bedless bears, and three little homeless pigs, not to mention the rest who are banished from their Kingdom by the evil Lord Farquaad (Lithgow). Determined to save their home, not to mention his own, Shrek cuts a deal with Farquaad and sets out to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona (Diaz) to be Farquaad's bride. Accompanying him on his mission is a wisecracking Donkey (Murphy) who will do anything for Shrek, except shut up. Rescuing the Princess from a fire-breathing dragon may prove the least of their problems when the secret she has been keeping is revealed! No fairy tale character is sacred (nor famous movie lines for that matter)—what a riot! Adults will enjoy all the subtle jokes aimed at them, while flying straight over the kids' heads. Based on the book by William Steig. (Suzanne Hodges)

There are no special features.

Because Shrek was a digital creation to start with, this 2D-to-3D conversion glows with quality. From the very first glimpse of Shrek, the 3-D visuals are impressively dimensional. The 3D is outstanding, with exceptional depth and perspective, and delivers an amazing transformation and a whole new experience. The 1.78:1 1080p MVC all-digital transfer of Shrek in 3D is nothing short of impressive. Originally reviewed as a DVD edition in Issue 54 and as a newly re-mastered Blu-ray Disc™ edition in Issue 153, the Blu-ray exhibited greater detail in the computer animation, which was judged already astounding. The same quality picture attributes hold true for this 1.78:1 1080p MVC 3-D version. Contrast and "shadow delineation" is nearly perfect and quite "natural." From the solid blue sky, vibrant yellow sunflowers, Shrek's green skin, and deep blacks, hues are gorgeously rendered. Detail is excellent, from the threads in Shrek's shirt to the hairs on the Donkey's coat. But the added depth that 3D creates is absolutely incredible! DreamWorks should be applauded for its 100 percent commitment to producing all its releases in 3D. Because it can take years to create animated films, the Shrek Collection is representative of the new opportunities and techniques that filmmakers now have to tell their stories and deliver their work in the most riveting way possible. In the case of Shrek 3D, DreamWorks used Legend3D's conversion technology. The creative decisions, with respect to depth placement, were well thought out, as evidenced by the natural realism imparted to the imagery. The dragon's lair is perfectly scaled with a huge scope and impressive depth perception. There is no out-of-screen imaging, as the 3-D effect is focused inward. No double image ghosting is evident to distract. This is a wonderful 3-D experience that will enthrall the entire family. (Gary Reber)

As with the previously reviewed DVD, the newly encoded Dolby® TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack, which accompanied the previous Blu-ray release, and again here, offers an enlightening, animated listening experience, along with excellent fidelity. The added two channels are properly positioned to the 90-degree side channels for enhanced dimensional envelopment. The dimensional scope, however, is generally conservative, with a noticeable balance toward the screen. The surrounds are usually engaged subtly to moderately, with a few moments for which they become prominent and bring the soundstage alive (such as the fiery encounter with the dragon) and the occasional outburst of aggressive surround pans. Otherwise, the restrained utilization of surround envelopment seems more than would be expected, but still immersive. Perhaps the 3-D effect enhances the perception of holosonic® envelopment because the soundtrack is definitely more engaging when the movie is experienced in 3D. While the use of deep bass is certainly powerful at times, and even system-threatening, with sub-25 Hz extension in the main channels, the use of the .1 LFE is very limited, and in fact, there is little in the way of such activity with the roars and rumbles of the dragon. The music score has been very nicely recorded, and its presence across the screen is sweeping and engaging, and sometimes fills the listening space all around the listener. Voices have remarkably natural fidelity, but the studio-type ambiance from an ADR production is noticeable. The Dolby TrueHD encoding delivers more refinement in terms of midrange tonal detail and low-level resolution. Still, the soundstage is somewhat less spatially immersive than expected, but nonetheless, should have plenty to satisfy and entertain. (Gary Reber)