By the time Shrek makes it to the store and forces his way inside as they are trying to close, he is left with little more than a "Village Idiot's Guide to Christmas," which he determines to make work. He sets about creating the perfect Christmas, but his idyllic setting is quickly destroyed when Donkey (Eddie Murphy), Puss 'n Boots (Antonio Banderas), Gingy (Conrad Vernon), and the rest of the usual suspects show up to help with the Christmas cheer. Naturally, everything is destroyed and Shrek even winds up catching on fire! Things really get crazy when each of the characters decides to tell what Christmas means to them. Donkey's perfect Christmas involves lots of decorations and a parade starring a huge Waffle Santa, while the Christmas star of Puss' ideal Christmas is himself, essentially. He shames himself when he gets so wrapped up in his story that he begins playing with a ball like a kitten. Funny stuff. Finally, Gingy tells a very different holiday tale as he and Suzie Cookie were sharing a romantic evening, only to discover that they were the cookies left out for a giant Santa! Scarred for life...
As with all Shrek movies, there's a sweet little sentiment to be learned here and Shrek decides that family doesn't necessarily mean just your wife and kids and can include close friends of all kinds as well. They cleverly wrap this lesson in a funny cartoon filled to capacity with cool songs by artists like The Donnas and The Eels, plus Christmas favorites. Extras includes several sing alongs set to bits and pieces of DreamWorks' animated film favorites like Madagascar; a video game demo of Shrek Carnival Craze for the PC; Gingy's Dunking Game where you select the gingerbread cookie that most resembles him from the baking pan as a decoy to preserve his life; and finally the DreamWorks Animation Video Jukebox that has become a regular feature on DreamWorks' titles. You can select songs/videos from your favorite DreamWorks' films and play them again and again.
The price tag of around $17 seems a little steep for a not-quite-30 minute show that aired on TV, but it's a really sweet and fun little show and with the sing alongs and additional features, could make a great stocking stuffer for that huge Shrek fan in your family. I think a $10 price tag would have been perfect and would have made it ideal for an extra Christmas gift. If you can't quite justify the price, rent it, but I have a feeling kids might just want to see it every year, so keep that in mind.
