Holiday Preview: Shrek the Halls

The holiday season has officially begun! I was invited to a preview screening of Shrek the Halls, a new animated special featuring the characters from the popular movie franchise.

There is no Scrooge action going on here; all the major players have revived their roles.

Shrek (Mike Myers) doesn’t want to celebrate Christmas because he never has (he’s an ogre, after all!). In an attempt to make his wife Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and children have the best Christmas ever, Shrek tries to pull off the celebration using a how-to book and the uninvited assistance of Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and their forest friends. While things don’t quite as planned, Shrek learns what really counts at Christmastime. At 5 feet, I was actually one of the tallest people at the screening, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s packed with witty one-liners to amuse adults and is colorful and fast-paced enough to hold a kid's interest for 22 minutes. But you don’t have to take my word for it. According to Cort, 4, who was also at the screening, it’s “really good.”

Shrek the Halls premieres Wed., Nov. 28 at 8 p.m. on ABC.