One of the most praised sequences involves Fiona, Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty ditching the "damsel in distress" act to lead an action-packed resistance.

The biggest critique of the film is that it feels like it lost the "wry and subversive" edge that made the original so special.

Meanwhile, Princess Fiona is navigating her own major life change: she’s pregnant. While Shrek is off on a high-school road trip with Donkey and Puss, Prince Charming returns as a lead villain, rallying a literal "league of evil" from fairy tale history to take over Far Far Away. Why It Faltered: The Identity Crisis

Arthur’s journey from a "push-over schmuck" to a king-in-waiting felt disjointed to some viewers, lacking the emotional punch needed to make us truly root for him.

For its time, the animation was a massive leap forward. The team built entirely new hair and clothing simulators to handle the increased number of human characters.