The title of Shrek 3 is a nice touch in and of itself, with its connotations of royalty and lineage; both of these are central issues in the new storyline. To begin with, the question of succession: who will be ruler of Far Far Away upon the death of Fiona’s father? And will there ever be any ogre babies to keep Donkey and Dragon’s little airborne firebreathers company?

The movie begins with Shrek and Fiona attempting to perform royal duties while her father is ill – “just until he recovers,” Fiona assures Shrek. Soon, they’ll be back in the swamp. “Just the two of us,” Shrek sighs happily at the thought of it, and prepares to snuggle down for the night after a day of humiliating disasters. (Kids will love this part, as oversize and awkward Shrek and Fiona wreak well-intentioned havoc on the court.) Fiona’s question, “What if there were more than the two of us?” is the first clue that life and numbers in the swamp are about to change. Shrek has to have this spelled out for him, and, with Freudian defense mechanism Denial in full operation, Shrek assures Fiona that there will be time for kids later – MUCH later. But the look of Fiona’s face says otherwise. Now Fiona has a dilemma: to tell, or not to tell? And if so, how? When?

Fiona’s father does not get better, however. His passing has the Monty Python touch – which is what you should expect with both John Cleese and Eric Idle on board, and the Shrek tradition of dark humor. If you loved the exploding songbird of the first film, and if you are a fan of classic hard rock, this is your movie, baby. A word here about the soundtrack: this one is edgier than the first two. Instead of “Alleluia” and Smashmouth we get “Live and Let Die” and Led Zeppelin. I thought both selections were brilliantly interpolated, but I suspect that this is not going to be the soundtrack of choice for children.

Back to the plotline: Before – there is no other word for it – croaking – Fiona’s frog father charges Shrek to either be king after him, or find a good replacement. Maybe young Arthur, a distant relative of some unspecified sort, would do. Since all the king’s relatives are amphibious, Arthur is presumably a relation of Queen Lily, but she is oddly silent throughout these discussions. Still, Shrek has enough to go on. Desperate to find somebody, anybody, who has a claim to the throne legitimate enough to release him back to his beloved swamp, he sets out with Donkey and Puss to find a king for Far Far Away. Our three stalwart companions leave all the womenfolk behind; Puss’s farewell to the feline population is hilarious. But just as they are sailing away, Fiona calls out to Shrek to tell him the news: she is pregnant; Shrek is about to become a father. Shrek puts a good face on it for Fiona’s sake, bless his heart, but now he starts having nightmares. Being a father is the one prospect more terrifying than being a king. Donkey tries to reassure Shrek, and talks about how he loves his own brood, but Shrek replies he doesn’t know how to do fatherhood, he had no positive role model. “My dad tried to eat me!” he explains. (By the way, by my count, Donkey’s progeny now numbers five, down from the original six, so Shrek’s father may not have been the only parent with magnesium deficiency. Or maybe I missed one in the mix.)

Meanwhile, the Kingdom of FFA is facing a challenge more grave than the presence of two genial ogres in the throne room. Prince Charming, sulky as ever and with as much sense of entitlement, has been acting out his fantasies on stages to unappreciative audiences, who throw tomatoes. But a visit to the Poisoned Apple yields better fruit. After overcoming the initial hostility of the bar’s denizens – Charming may not have smarts or a conscience, but he does have charisma and ersatz leadership – Charming persuades the villains of story to join him in an assault on the Kingdom for a hostile takeover.

So while Shrek, Puss and Donkey have to find Arthur and bring him to his new home and throne, Fiona, Queen Lily, and an assortment of princesses have to fend off Price Charming, the wicked trees and witches, Hook, and others. Merlin shows up (this is the Eric Idle role) and young Arthur demonstrates a talent for persuasiveness that was entirely lost on his chronological peers. Clearly, Arthur will do better with peers of the realm, if he can survive Charming’s “No Heir Left Behind” policy, and if Fiona and her cadre can survive treachery and escape prison.

This movie is much better than some jaded, dyspeptic critics would have you believe. Snow White's warcry is the opening shriek of “Immigrant Song,” a classic fatherhood nightmare sequence, and a well-scripted confrontation between Arthur, Prince Charming, and his henchmen. And of course, the graphics are phenomenal. So enjoy the film.