Shrek

MPAA rating: PG for mild action, some rude humor and brief language 'Shrek Forever After' Running time: 1 hour, 33 minutes Playing: In general release

DreamWorks Animation, the Glendale studio behind the "Shrek" and"Kung Fu Panda" movies, saw its revenue jump 26% to $136.1 million in the first quarter. The company said it earned a profit of $9.1 million, or 11 cents a share, in the three months ended March 31, a 3% increase over the year-earlier period. The growth reflected home video and international ticket sales from the "Shrek" spinoff,"Puss in Boots,"which grossed $554 million worldwide since its release in October. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had estimated earnings of 9 cents a share and revenue of $134 million in the quarter.

In "Shrek Forever After," the latest edition of DreamWorks' billion-dollar animated franchise, we find the much-domesticated ogre in the midst of a major midlife meltdown. But hot cars and hotter babes won't soothe this savage beast — he's just looking to get his angry back. As it happens, middle-aged angst suits Shrek and the movie quite well. After the blahs of 2007's "Shrek the Third," "Forever After" comes back with more heart and much of the kick-in-the-pop-culture-keister cleverness that made the greenish brute such a breath of fresh air when "Shrek" first blew into town nearly a decade ago. Allegedly the "final chapter" — though it feels about as final as a Cher farewell tour — the film's usual suspects are back too with Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas reprising Shrek, Fiona, Donkey and Puss in Boots (for those of you who really have been far, far away)

DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.announced plans to build a studio in Shanghai in what the Glendale company billed as a landmark agreement with two state-owned Chinese media companies. The creator of the "Shrek" movies said Friday that it was forming Oriental DreamWorks, a joint venture with China Media Capital and Shanghai Media Group, in concert with Shanghai Alliance Investment - an investment arm of the Shanghai municipal government - to establish a family entertainment company in China.

McDonald's will recall about 12 million "Shrek" drinking glasses because federal regulators found they contain the toxic metal cadmium, which poses health risks. The glasses have been sold for $2 apiece at McDonald's restaurants across the country as a promotional tie-in with the movie "Shrek Forever After." Purchasers will be advised to keep them away from children and to return them to McDonald's for a refund. The recall, which will be officially announced Friday by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, was set in motion by an anonymous tip to Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough)

"Shrek the Musical" opened at the Broadway Theatre in New York on Sunday, marking DreamWorks' first theatrical venture on Broadway. With book and lyrics by Pulitzer winner David Lindsay-Abaire ("Rabbit Hole") and music by Jeanine Tesori ("Caroline, or Change"), "Shrek the Musical" largely follows the 2001 film from which it was adapted, which was based on the William Steig book. The musical stars Brian d'Arcy James (seen in Los Angeles in 2005's "White Christmas") in the title role, Sutton Foster (seen in L.A. in 2005's "The Drowsy Chaperone")

"Shrek Forever After" is finishing its domestic box office run as the worst-performing movie about the titular surly green ogre, but it may just be getting warmed up overseas. The fourth and final film in DreamWorks Animation's 9-year-old series dropped 73% this weekend and grossed just $1.3 million from Friday through Monday, essentially putting a cap in its domestic run at less than $240 million. The original "Shrek" grossed $268 million, while the second did $441 million and the third $323 million.

Who is Walt Dohrn? He must be among Hollywood's hottest because he has billing right after Antonio Banderas in "Shrek Forever After," the fourth and potentially final entry in the blockbuster animated franchise, which opens May 21. Whoever he is, Dohrn steals the film as the maniacal Rumpelstiltskin from the comedy's quartet of superstars — Mike Myers as the green ogre, Cameron Diaz as his true love, Eddie Murphy as the wise-cracking Donkey...

"Shrek the Musical" has found its Shrek. Brian d'Arcy James will portray the green ogre in the stage adaptation of the popular DreamWorks film and the book by William Steig. The show opens Dec. 14 on Broadway. The actor was most recently seen this season in the off-Broadway musical "Next to Normal," playing a husband confronting his wife's mental illness. He has also been on Broadway in such musicals as the 2006 revival of "The Apple Tree," "Sweet Smell of Success" and "Titanic."

There's been a shake-up at "Shrek the Musical" as it prepares for its Broadway opening. The mammoth DreamWorks musical based on the Oscar-winning animated film and the characters in William Steig's book will have a new Donkey when it begins preview performances Nov. 8 at the Broadway Theatre. Daniel Breaker, a Tony nominee for his performance last season in "Passing Strange," will take over the role played by Chester Gregory during the show's recent Seattle tryout. Gregory has been seen most recently on Broadway in "Cry-Baby" and has appeared in "Tarzan" and "Hairspray" as well.

The animated fugitive hero of "Puss in Boots" will run away with the box-office crown this weekend. The 3-D film about a swashbuckling cat burglar is expected to gross about $40 million this weekend, according to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys. Distributor Paramount Pictures is anticipating a softer launch of about $35 million. The two other films premiering in wide release are likely to have far more modest debuts. "In Time," a sci-fi action film featuring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried, should start off with about $13 million in ticket sales.

Dashing hat with debonair feather? Check. Footwear made for walking? Check. Alluring Spanish accent? Double check. The cat is back. After supporting roles in three "Shrek" movies, the feisty feline Puss in Boots finally has a film of his own, and those who have cried out for animated justice will be saying "It's about time. " A treat to experience visually (especially in lively 3-D) and verbally, "Puss in Boots" is a family film where the adventure and invention never flag and the tongue-in-cheek humor doesn't linger far behind.

Nearly 18 feet high and weighing about 1,200 pounds, this was one big dragon. The scaly pink puppet was meant to be a super-sized crowd-pleaser, says Jason Moore, director of the Broadway production of "Shrek The Musical," the stage version of DreamWorks Animation's hit movie . However it proved to be a super-sized distraction. "She was supposed to be endearing but ended up being kind of scary and off-putting. " Which is why the metallic behemoth, set on a rolling platform, was replaced by a large but nimbler, more engaging creature for the first national tour of "Shrek," which arrives at the Pantages Theatre on Tuesday.

DreamWorks Animation had good news and a bigger dose of bad news in its fourth quarter, as strong DVD sales for "How to Train Your Dragon" were reported alongside a disappointing DVD release for "Shrek Forever After" and a weak box-office run for "Megamind. " The Glendale animation studio also took write-downs on its unsuccessful "Kung Fu Panda" virtual world and the national tour of its live stage show "Shrek the Musical. " DreamWorks released three movies in 2010, the most it has put out in a single year.

Jonathan Swift probably never dreamed of the consumer excess that would elbow its way into the great satire of "Gulliver's Travels" all these centuries later. No doubt he'd have been keen on poking fun at this new world ? Swift had a fascination with human failings of the most base sort ? but I don't think a three-story Coke can that's washed up on the shores of Lilliput with all the other debris in the latest film adaptation is what he'd have in mind. Other than product placement opportunities, that debris would primarily be Jack Black, who stars as a travel writer on assignment in the Bermuda Triangle, shipwrecked by a storm, then trussed up and tied down by tiny folk like all the Gullivers before him. With director Rob Letterman ("Shark Tale" and "Monsters vs. Aliens")

DreamWorks Animation Studios, riding a wave of revenue generated by its summer movie "Shrek Forever After," reported a 103% increase in profit for the quarter ended Sept. 30. The Glendale-based studio earned $39.8 million, or 47 cents a share, on revenue of $188.9 million, compared with net income of $19.6 million, or 23 cents, on revenue of $135.4 million for the same period in 2009. The results blew past Wall Street estimates. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had forecast a profit of 35 cents per share on revenue of $163 million.

"Shrek, the Musical" will launch Aug. 14 to Sept. 21 at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre before its Broadway debut in November -- date, venue and cast to be announced. Based on William Steig's book and DreamWorks' first "Shrek" film, the show features book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire ("Rabbit Hole") and music by Jeanine Tesori. "I'm very pleased with how it's coming along," says "Avenue Q's" Jason Moore, who will direct. And although critics panned Disney's "The Little Mermaid" after its Broadway bow last week, Moore doesn't think animation-based fare is losing appeal.

McDonald's Corp. is offering $3 refunds to customers who bought "Shrek" drinking glasses, the promotional items recalled last week because they're tainted with cadmium. Starting Wednesday, customers can fill out a refund slip and return the glassware to any McDonald's restaurant, the Oak Brook, Ill.-based company said. The glasses sold for $1.99 with a food purchase and $2.49 without. The 16-ounce glasses featuring characters from "Shrek Forever After" were recalled June 4 in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

With summer coming to a close, the season's animation underdog is poised to upset a king. "Despicable Me" has sold a total of $236.1 million worth of tickets in the U.S. and Canada. Though its box-office run will end in the next few weeks, the animated family film is almost certain to surpass the $238-million total for "Shrek Forever After," which virtually has finished its time in theaters. "Shrek Forever After" is the fourth entry in a hugely successful animated series from DreamWorks Animation; "Despicable Me" is the first movie from Universal Pictures' new Illumination Entertainment family label and is based on an original story.

Priscillano "Pres" Romanillos, the animator who brought to life the athletic Native American Little Creek in DreamWorks' "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" and the evil Shan-Yu in Disney's "Mulan," has died. He was 47. Romanillos died at his home in Tujunga on Saturday, surrounded by his family, friends and pets. The cause of death was complications from leukemia. During his 21-year career, Romanillos earned the respect of his fellow artists for his exceptional drawing ability and his enthusiasm for the art of animation.