Shrek the Third had its share of critics, but it clearly met with some approval by the masses, as proven by its incredible gross (almost $800 million worldwide) and DVD sales. It may not have been as clever or well-constructed as the first two award-winning films, but the franchise still felt like it had some life in it. Not any more. How anyone involved with any of the Shrek movies could sink to the level of Shrek the Halls, a quickie TV special devoid of any of the wit or charm that made the movies so fun, is beyond me. Maybe ABC and the makers of Shrek the Halls thought that we'd still be in turkey comas and we won't notice that this adventure of everyone's favorite green guy, the loud-mouthed donkey, and the suave Puss-N-Boots is so far removed from the movies that inspired it as to almost feel like a different beast. It may have the same characters and the same voices, but this is not the same Shrek.

Shrek the Halls is a half-hour special about Shrek (Mike Myers) learning the true meaning of Christmas. After ignoring the holiday for the months before it, Shrek panics at the last minute and tries to throw together a nice day for his new family (see Shrek the Third for how that came to be). Shrek gets a book, a "Christmas for Village Idiots," that guides him through the steps that end with the patriarch of the family telling The Christmas Story. Everything seems to go well at first but then Donkey, Pinocchio, Gingy, Puss, and the rest of the gang bust the party for a round of physical humor and Christmas stories of their own. It's not a bad idea for a Christmas special - not ambitious enough to stand next to some of the annual TV classics, but a strong enough concept for diversion on a cold November eve.

The execution is another story altogether. Being a fan of all three Shrek movies, it's almost painful for me to say that Shrek the Halls is completely devoid of laughs. It's shockingly dull and relies almost entirely on physical humor. Having Puss, Gingy, and Donkey go through their own visions of Christmas could have been brilliant but Puss' is boring, Gingy's is disturbing, and Donkey? Well, someone gave Eddie Murphy too much caffeine because if Donkey was turned up to eleven in the Shrek movies, he's at about 25 on the TV special. Almost everyone involved with Shrek the Halls seems to have been directed by Gary Trousdale to yell their lines as loudly and quickly as possible. Half of them sound almost out the door, giving Shrek the Halls a hurried feel that makes it nothing more than an afterthought.

Shrek the Halls might have been a decent DVD extra on Shrek the Third, released on DVD this month. Instead, someone decided to try and ring some advertising dollars and create something that could be aired every holiday season. Audiences will be curious enough to check it out this year, but don't expect Shrek the Halls to last. In fact, the most serious casualty of the show may be the Best Animated Feature campaign of Shrek the Third. Many people thought that Eddie Murphy wasn't handed the Oscar for Dreamgirls because of the bad-will created by the released-at-the-time and loathed Norbit. Shrek the Halls has the potential to do the same thing to any awards hopes for Shrek the Third. Get your Christmas cookies ready and just watch the first three movies again. You'll be less of a grinch when it's over.