Shrek has come a long way from the solitary life he once led in the swamp. In the new movie Shrek the Third, our favorite ogre is venturing even farther from home as he tries to bring Fiona's cousin Artie back to Far Far Away to take over the throne. If he can't, the grumpy, "I-just-want-to-be-left-alone" Shrek might be forced to take the throne himself! Will this tale have a happily-ever-after ending? National Geographic Kids isn't telling. But we can reveal some behind-the-scenes secrets.

Worth the Wait
Shrek the Third took about three and a half years to make, starting in the fall of 2003. Why? For starters, each second of animation took more than a day to complete!

Nice Try, Shrek
You may laugh your head off when you see a dorky Shrek trying to talk "cool" like a teenager to convince Artie to take the throne. But that scene wasn't even in the original script! Shrek actor Mike Myers made up the whole thing. His ridiculous attempts to sound cool were so funny that the scene was added to the film.

Cut!
Shrek the Third is made up of 34 different sequences, but many more were planned and not used. "A lot of extra stuff had to be cut for the good of the film," says head of story Rejean Bourdages. One sequence that didn't make it into the movie showed a magical tree explaining how Artie was next in line for the throne. If you can wait till 2010, you might be able to see it—animators hope to use the sequence in Shrek 4!

Extra Elements
More computer power means more details in Shrek the Third. For instance, in the latest film both Shrek and Donkey have extra nose wrinkles, which means they can show more emotion. And Fiona wears eight different outfits, compared with two in Shrek and three in Shrek 2.

Top-Secret Tryout
Pop star Justin Timberlake auditioned for the voice of Artie without even realizing it. Four years ago, animators saw the singer hosting a TV show and thought he was funny. So they drew the Artie character and matched it with an audio clip of Timberlake giving an interview. It worked so well, they asked him to be in the movie.

Tricky Tattoo
Look closely during the scene in which Prince Charming tries to recruit villains at the Poison Apple Bar. Animators thought it would be funny to give Rumpelstiltskin—known for stealing babies—a tattoo of a baby pacifier on his arm.

The Making of Fiona

1. Fiona began as a sketch on paper.
2. Next, she was molded into a 3-D clay sculpture.
   
3. To scan the 3-D sculpture into the computer, technicians drew thousands of dots on the sculpture, then clicked on the dots with a device similar to a pen.
   
4. Animators added a skeleton and skin over the 3-D image, and muscles and fat under it. Basic clothing was also added.
   
5. Designers added computer commands to make the clothing and hair move realistically. Color and lighting were layered onto the computerized Fiona.
   
6. Details such as wrinkles were painted onto the computer character. Now Fiona looks less like a perfect drawing-and more like a real ogre.