The unlikely face of a hero, Shrek. All images courtesy of DreamWorks Pictures.

Expect to see some familiar faces in the new animated feature Shrek. Pinocchio puts in a brief appearance, as do the Seven Dwarfs, the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Blind Mice. Robin Hood and his Merry Men even pop up for a show-stopping musical number. But don't let this proliferation of fairy tale favorites fool you. This computer-generated comedy from DreamWorks Pictures is unlike anything that's come before it.

With a lime-green complexion, surly disposition and ogre-ugly features, Shrek is as far from your typical fairy tale hero as you can get. The circumstances propelling him on his journey to romance and adventure are just as unlikely.

Because of his monstrous appearance, Shrek is an outcast, resigned to a lonely life in a desolate swamp. That is until neighboring town ruler Lord Farquaad, in a quest to make his kingdom perfect, outlaws all mythical creatures. Facing certain imprisonment, hundreds of characters -- everyone from the Three Little Pigs to Snow White -- take refuge in Shrek's humble abode, throwing the ogre's home life into complete chaos.

To regain his peace and quiet, Shrek makes an agreement with Farquaad -- he'll slay a fire-breathing dragon and rescue a beautiful princess for Farquaad and, in return, the Lord will let Shrek have his swamp all to himself. To his dismay, as Shrek sets out on his quest, he's accompanied by a wise-ass donkey who won't stop talking, and, despite all of the ogre's efforts, insists on befriending Shrek to help save the day.

Despite unspeakable tortures, the Gingerbread Man does not crack under Lord Farquaad's interrogation.

Along the way, Shrek satirizes everything from pro wrestling and The Dating Game to martial arts fight sequences and a certain unnamed amusement park fronted by a character with mouse ears. And if all of this sounds a little odd for a big screen cartoon feature, that's exactly what the filmmakers intended.

"We had some fun twisting fairy tales and turning them on their ear," says Victoria Jenson, who shared directing duties with Andrew Adamson. "The tone of our comedy is a bit irreverent and playful. We were able to play with certain expectations that you have about the characters."

This includes a particularly favorite scene of Jenson's in which Farquaad, desperate to know where the fairy tale creatures are hiding, interrogates the Gingerbread Man. "It's familiar in that it looks like a traditional torture sequence," she said. "But it's a cookie! He's on a baking pan! You just have to see it."

Mike Myers brought a new depth to the title role.

Working with Megastars
Generating laughs was priority one for the creative team behind Shrek, so it's no surprise that some of today's biggest comic talents bring the characters to life. Mike Myers voices the title character while Eddie Murphy plays his verbose donkey sidekick. Cameron Diaz, as the beautiful Princess Fiona, and John Lithgow, as the pompous Farquaad, round out the principals.

With this group in the recording booth, laughter filled the sessions. Jenson reveals that Myers in particular couldn't resist an opportunity to clown. "He was just cracking us up all the time. He's got an amazingly intelligent sense of comedy and what makes something entertaining," she says. "When he'd explain a point, he'd go into character as Michael Caine or Christopher Walken, imitating how they would deliver a line. I know he was trying to make a point, but we were just laughing so hard."