It was almost 3 years ago when I first ran a story on Shrek on Steven Spielberg & DreamWorks SKG Fansite. Back then the film had been in production for almost 2 years with Chris Farley playing Shrek. But after the tragic death of Chris, the role was handed over to Mike Myers.

After that concerns rose across the media that Shrek has been going through many story and production problems and may not be able to deliver what it promises. I still remember those days when major newspapers and websites trashed DreamWorks inability to ever match up with Disney. Probably because at that time no one had seen the true mastery and wizardry of Jeffrey Katzenberg and his DreamWorks Animators. Then after the success of Antz and The Prince Of Egypt, DreamWorks realized what the public wanted. Considering that, they brought in new writers to rework on the story and script.

Were those changes worth it? Did Katzenberg make the right decision? Definitely. Jeffrey Katzenberg and his motivational and brilliant team at DreamWorks Animation have delivered a film that sits right next to Disney/Pixar's Toy Story films enlisting into my Top 10 Best Films of All Time.

Last month, I was invited to L.A. by DreamWorks to attend the 80% finished test screening of Shrek. The night began with a 10 minute introduction by Jeffrey Katzenberg who gave us a history of Animation by the animation forefathers Walt Disney. The presentation covered the dawn of feature animation, Snow White and Seven Dwarfs up to the latest technologies used in the first ever Computer Animated Feature, Toy Story. Following that Mike Myers who made a lot of cracks (as he always does) came up and praised the animation, the writers, the film and especially DreamWorks.

Now let's get on with the review of the film from DreamWorks/PDI, Shrek.

I think I can say in pure honesty that Shrek is by far the best animated feature ever made. This 'Greatest Fairy Tale Never Told' is truly just that. Unlike any other Fairy Tale, Shrek breaks the laws of all the fairy tales by taking us into a world which we can only imagine in our wildest dreams. The film introduces us to new technological breakthroughs that surpasses their own previous Computer Animated Feature Antz and Disney/Pixars' Toy Story Films.

The film begins with an introduction to our Ogre hero Shrek and in his small and dirty swamp. The follow up scene introduces us to the banished fairy tale creatures by the Evil King Lord Farquar (played by John Lithgow) who end up at Shrek's swamp.

The script of this film is colorful and very original. This is not your typical Disney formula animated feature. It has some ingredients from your typical Disney Animated feature but the writers have done a superb job in giving it a touch that everyone can enjoy. The writers have given this story some new twists especially towards the end of the film which I am so glad the trailers didn't giveaway.

The performances in this film are remarkable. I haven't really been much fan of Mike Myers (Shrek) and his comedy but he delivers a unique and noteworthy performance. Usually an actor carry a voice for an animated character in the similar tone to his/her original voice. But Mike Myers went above and beyond by transporting a voice unlike his own. Not to mention his implausible accent.

Shrek is just not an ogre. He is a chunky one. But Mike Myers is not in real life. Why you may ask the difference. As mentioned earlier, Shrek was originally set for Chris Farley (who had a little weight on him) to play but after his tragic death during the pre-production the role was passed on to Mike Myers. With enough work done on the character look the animators decided to keep it.

Although every part of Shrek's body was pinched with detail the element that opened my eyes were his Ears. The exquisiteness of these ears was their movement. The animators didn't just draw them. They put character in them. You would see them moving back and forth along with Shrek's body motion.

Cameron Diaz who plays Princess Fiona is the highlight of this film. If you believe that leading female character Aki Ross character from Final Fantasy is more authentic than Princess Fiona, I suggest you reconsider. Sure there are parts of Aki that are probably more human like than Princess Fiona but when it comes to facial expressions and movement Aki Ross is not even remotely close.

Eddie Murphy (Donkey) who was also in Disney's Mulan as Mushu (which was the only best part of that film) was extraordinary. I am not sure if that guy acted for this role. Don't take me wrong but he was so natural and descended so much into his character that it appeared as if he was merely enjoying himself without any directions. His voice, enthusiasm, energy and depth is going to be loved by adults and kids abroad.

The animated environments are absolutely gorgeous. The moving green grass, the beautiful still sunflowers, the erupting volcano and Lord Forquor's (John Lithgow) Kingdom are full of life.

The last time I saw the wind blowing the grass in an animated feature was in The Lion King. However, it being a 2-D film didn't really really raise questions in our minds if its actually real or not. But with Shrek being a 3-D film the case is different. If you just look at the grass and their appearance and movement you will be awed and might consider it real.

The scene with Shrek and Donkey walking through field of Sunflowers was absolutely eye popping. It was as if the characters were CGI whilst the environment actual.

Another scene that took my breath away was when they showed exterior of Lord Forquor's kingdom. Keep an eye out on major comical references that mock Disney. All I would say is that it had to have come from Katzenberg not the writers.

One of the elements that I love discussing when writing a review is the music of a film. John Powell and Harry Gregson Williams (Antz, Chicken Run) have once again created an adventurous and heart throbbing score. Being a fan of their past work, I must confess that this was rather a different piece for both of them. The only disappointment was that there wasn't enough music featured in the film. On top of that the soundtrack only features one track from the film whilst the rest being songs.

After 75 minutes of wild action and clever comedy and beautiful scenery, I thought of only one thing. I want to see it in its entirety when it comes out.

At the end the audience went wild with a huge applause. No doubt that DreamWorks' Shrek will confirm the ousted Disney's Animation Monopoly with this film. With glowing reviews and a grand scale marketing machine behind the film, Shrek shouldn't have problems bringing in audience of all ages throughout the summer and become a major box office hit.