Shrek has had a lot of time to make his mark on the animation movie world whilst the Toy Story flicks have been away: eleven years, in fact. This summer, however, that's all changing: Toy Story 3 (5/5) has just hit cinemas, and as you'll see in my review, it's pretty much the Avatar of animations for 2010 and indeed for the last decade. Given this, how does Shrek: Forever After hold up in comparison? To be fair, it puts up a darn good fight: its premise, taken from 'It's A Wonderful Life', sees our fave ogre sent to an alternate reality, trying to get true love's first kiss with Fiona before midnight and defeat Rumpelstiltskin. Does the first part sound familiar with regards to the original film? That's because it is, though Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz provide a suitably different approach to their ogres' relationship here which keeps things fresh. Nevertheless, often the acting feels sub-par, as if the central cast are getting a little tired of the constant sequels, which detracts (albeit minorily) from the experience. Thus, Toy Story 3 has the upper hand: its story is realistic, dark and at times moving, and the vocal cast hit an all time high as the series comes to an end. 3-D wise, Toy Story also trumps Shrek, in that the imagery is already so beautiful the third dimension actually gives it so much more depth and makes it feel even closer, whereas though the imagery is nice on Shrek 4, it's not good enough that the extra dimension adds to the experience (it simply tries to have some in-your-face moments). In the end, when choosing between these two seemingly age-old franchises, I'd recommend seeing the fourth Shrek film for cheap-ish when it's out on DVD, but for now head to cinemas before it's too late and watch Toy Story 3: you won't regret it!
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