"Shrek's journey is the same as it is in all three [films], which is self-acceptance," says Myers, who once again voices the lovable swamp dweller. "It's him loving his good ogre self." When the king of Far, Far Away (Cleese) falls ill, Shrek, having tied the knot with Princess Fiona (Diaz), is the heir apparent. But he'd rather be taking mud baths than tackling royal duties, so he enlists Donkey (Murphy) and Puss 'n Boots (Banderas) to help him establish Fiona's cousin King Arthur (Timberlake) as a replacement ruler. Meanwhile, Prince Charming (Everett) fails to live up to his name by attempting a coup d'état, which Fiona thwarts with the aid of her mother (Andrews) and girlfriends — including Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and Cinderella. "The writers did a great job of doing interesting twists on things," says Myers. "And as [the late comedian and teacher] Del Close would say, when you treat the audience like poets and kings, they respond in kind."