Coming out of Shrek the Third, I asked the two smart preteen girls I had in tow what they had liked about the picture. Projectile vomiting and multiple farts, they said promptly, best Shrek ever.

Shrek (Mike Myers) has done the unthinkable ‘ he’s gone soft. In the series’ first two installments, our hero was a cranky ogre who liked to fart and belch and threaten his closest friends. Now, ...