We're going to take a quick break from the norm, (if you even want to call this place normal) and check out the Special Edition DVD of Shrek. It's bursting with extras, and aside from that, it's one of the best movies of the year, hands down. Let's see what the special edition has to offer, and take a look at its strong as well as weak points.

Shrek tells the tale of an Ogre, Shrek (voiced by Mike Meyers) who just wants to be left alone to enjoy his swamp and surrounding land. When Lord Farquaad (voiced by John Lithgow) banishes all the fairy tale creatures from his "kingdom" they have no place left to go but Shrek's swamp. Needless to say, this does not make Shrek happy. Shrek strikes a deal with Farquaad, in order to regain control of his swamp. Shrek just needs to save Princess Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz), who is held captive by a dragon, and return her to Farquaad for marriage. Reluctantly, Shrek enlists the help of Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) to aid him on his quest. Shrek and Donkey then begin their journey to save Princess Fiona. Along the way, Shrek learns quite a bit about life, friendship, and maybe even love. (awwwwww!!!)

Shrek is not just a good film, it's a great film. The computer animation, is incredible, and extremely detailed, so sharp you can point out individual pores on Shrek's face. The story is a simple one, but is helped along by the incredible voice talents and superior animation. This is by far as much a film for adults as it is for children. No fairy tale character is safe from the lampoon, and most often, they seem to be taking shots at their Disney counterparts. Highlights include a scene with The Gingerbread Man, lying on a cookie pan, legs cut off and dunked in milk, being tortured for information. Pure genius.

Picture quality is spectacular of course, and you have the choice of watching the film, full frame, or widescreen. Sound, which is 5.1 or DTS is good, but not great. I expected a little more activity from the surrounds, but was left a bit disappointed (DTS track is a bit more powerful than the 5.1). Most activity is left to the front 3 speakers. Surrounds are kept to a minimum, and I wish they could have been a little stronger.

Extras are abundant, i'll give you a brief synopsis. There is an audio commentary with the 2 directors and 1 producer, and it is very enjoyable. We are given quite a bit of insight into the production of the film, including character and plot element changes. Some other interesting extras include a few storyboard pitches. We are taken to the inside, and see artists pitching scenes (that never made it) through their storyboards, very cool. There is a multi- angle feature here too which is pretty useless. There are a few short documentaries, one of which aired on HBO that both offer some cool insight to the creation of the film. Other extras include multiple language dubbing, technical goofs (Donkey as a big poofball for starters) , Bios, Evolution of characters and designs, production notes, and hints for the Shrek X Box game, whew! Alas, it doesn't end there, yup, there's more! Interviews with the cast including Shrek, Donkey, and Princess Fiona, extended karaoke sequence from the end of the film (3 minutes that is worth the price of admission on its own), and a sneak peek of the new Dreamworks animated feature, Spirit. Still not enough? There are hours of games, DVD ROM and otherwise to keep you busy, I think you get the point, there's more still, but we'll let you discover them on your own

Overall, Dreamworks has done an outstanding job with this set. My only complaint would be that the extras are split on 2 discs. Disc one has the film full frame, and some extras, while disc 2 has the film widescreen with the rest of the extras. It would have been great to have the film on one disc (both versions) and the extras on the other. I suspect that because of the multiple soundtracks, they could not squeeze the film twice on one disc. Alas, it's a small complaint, and not a huge price to pay for one of the best films of the year, in an impressive extensive special edition.