Shrek Forever After: The Final Chapter

It started with a loveable ogre...who befriended a talking donkey...and rescued a beautiful princess, in the unforgettable story that broke the mold for all animated films to follow. Now comes "Shrek Forever After," the hilarious and fitting finale to this record-breaking Oscar®-winning movie phenomenon. Longing for the days when he was a "real ogre," Shrek (Myers) signs a deal with Rumpelstiltskin (Dohrn) to get his roar back...but turns his world upside down in the process. Donkey (Murphy) suddenly can't remember his best friend; Fiona (Diaz) is now a tough warrior princess; and Puss In Boots (Banderas) is one fat cat. Together, they have just 24 hours to reverse the contract and restore happily forever after to close "The Final Chapter." Based upon the book by William Steig. (Tricia Spears)

Special features include the featurettes "Spotlight On Shrek" (HD 13:46) and "Secrets Of Shrek Forever After" (HD 03:58); three deleted scenes; commentary with Director Mike Mitchell, Head Of Story Walt Dohrn, and Producers Gina Shay and Teresa Cheng; a Conversation With The Cast (HD 09:18); "The Tech Of Shrek Forever After" featurette (HD 07:32); "Shrek, Rattle & Roll" that includes "From Swamp To Stage: The Making Of Shrek The Musical" (HD 08:13), "Who I'd Be," and the "Darling I Do" music video; "Shrek's Yule Log" virtual fireplace (HD 30:18); Blu-ray Exclusives: The Animator's Corner and Shrek's Interactive Journey: IV; and up-front previews. Also included is the sing-along "Donkey's Caroling Christmas-Tacular" and "Deck The Swamp," which offers the "12 Days Of Christmas Pop-Up Book" (HD 02:18), the "Donkey's Decoration Scramble" game, and "Cookin' With Cookie" recipes.

The 2.35:1 1080p AVC picture breaks the 1.78:1 frame mode with a widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The picture dazzles the senses and surpases the visual impact of the previous three films. The picture exhibits a bold, vibrant color palette combined with very good shadow delineation, making for a realistically dimensional-looking animated picture. Contrast is nicely balanced with solid black levels. Details are rendered incredibly well, from the lush landscapes to the various object textures, including the incredible detail on Puss and Donkey. Hues are rich and vibrant, exhibiting a broad color spectrum. The imagery projects a great sense of depth, no doubt due to the original intended 3-D rendering. The picture shows wonderful detail and is quite impressive as a reference-quality statement. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby® TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack is perfectly produced and recorded, with correctly positioned 90-degree side channels representing the added two channels. The result is an effectively enhanced sense of seamless holosonic® soundfield envelopment that uses each of the available channels well. Surrounds are effectively directionalized, with panned sound effects. Dialogue is mixed into the soundtrack nicely, with good fidelity and a natural presence. Imaging across the three other stereo walls and side walls are crafted well. The music also is exceptionally recorded and presented spatially, with impressive depth and dimension. Deep bass is delivered through each of the full-range channels, and the .1 LFE channel is engaged effectively to enhance the dynamic impact of the more exciting scenes. This is without question the best of the Shrek soundtracks and delivers a superior sonic experience. (Gary Reber)