SHREK FOREVER AFTER, the fourth and reported final chapter of the tale about a lovable green ogre, is back to warm the hearts of young movie goers and appeal to the adults with the film’s many references written for them. And it succeeds wonderfully.

This time we meet Shrek (voiced by Mike Meyers) who is a little older, married with three babies and living in a modest tree-trunk cottage in a swamp outside of Far Far Away. Everyday he wakes up. feeds and burps the babies, and goes to the outhouse for some repose only to be hounded by a daily tour bus curious to see how the famous ogre lives. Shrek’s monotony-filled life gets him and he breaks down at his kids’ birthday party – a mid-life crisis in full meltdown. While running through the forest, he meets Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn), a devious magic-broker, who longs for the life Shrek had a part in stealing from him – ruling the kingdom. In an offer Shrek can’t refuse, he makes a deal with Rumpel for one day of freedom. A deal with the devil is never a good thing. Shrek fails to read the fine print, and he and the rest of the kingdom pay the price.

With a theme borrowed from “It’s A Wonderful Life,” Shrek gets to witness what life is like without him. His pal Donkey (Eddie Murphy) is now enslaved and very obedient to the witches that run Rumpel’s broken-down kingdom; thankfully, he hasn’t lost his sense of mouthing off. Even the suave Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) is now a fat cat; he’s still a smooth talker, but inertia has gotten the best of him. Shrek is horrified about what he’s done and with the help of Donkey, Shrek learns how he can null and void the deal with the devil. He must kiss his true love. That would still be Fiona (part ogre/part human), but she now leads all the ogres in a resistance force determined to overthrow Rumpel; she neither recognizes nor cares about Shrek who is just another warrior to her.

The marriage between animation and 3D technology adds to the fun of watching this version, especially in the action sequences. The pop culture references including songs and catchphrases make for some very hilarious moments. The actors have fun hamming it up with their jokes. Dohrn is especially over the top as the newest nemesis. John Hamm (“Mad Men”), Jane Lynch (“Glee”), Kathy Griffin, Regis Philbin, Larry King, John Cleese and Julie Andrews lend their voices too. Most of all, the film happily never loses sight of its moral, and that is beautifully anchored in Shrek who is the heart and soul of the story.

“Shrek Forever After” is MPAA-rated PG; some material may not be suitable for children, including mild action, some rude humor and brief language. In theaters nationwide.