In this animated sequel, the ogre Shrek is back and this time as the unlikely heir to the throne who must once again face off with Prince Charming, the sore loser plotting to take over the kingdom of Far Far Away.

Shrek the Third sees the return of the lovable green ogre couple Shrek (Mike Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz), who have inherited the kingdom of Far Far Away. But Shrek isn’t ready to handle the royal duties, or any kind of responsibilities for that matter. So, the would-be King goes off with his sidekicks Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) in search of Artie (Justin Timberlake), a geeky teenager who’s next in succession. The expecting Fiona must stay behind with her princess gal pals Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel (voiced respectively by SNL alums Amy Poehler, Cheri Oteri, and Maya Rudolph) and Cinderella (Amy Sedaris).

I enjoyed this animated sequel and found it to be funny, sweet and, of course, partially cheesy beyond belief. While I’ve heard people state that they found this installment to be more adult-oriented then the previous two, I found that it was just the opposite. The premise was much like the second movie, with Shrek just wanting to live a quiet life in his swamp while the bratty Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) tries to steal the keys to the kingdom.

There’s plenty of humor, a lot of it definitely geared toward children with lots of fart and butt jokes, like the scene where Shrek can’t stratch an itch on his behind while in the outrageous-looking royal attire he’s forced to wear (though, Shrek and Fiona do look really cute in their formalwear). I also liked the scene where Puss in Boots is getting ready to leave for the journey and he’s saying goodbye to all the female “love of his life” felines. But all of that goodness was revealed in the trailers, which left very little to be revealed to audiences watching the entire film.

Shrek the Third was a little over the top with the whole Exorcist/Rosemary’s Baby dream of Shrek’s impending doom — namely fatherhood, but I did find Snow White’s “Immigrant Song” charge that led to the “Barracuda”-driven animal attack cheesy, but cool. And I also enjoyed the narcoleptic Sleepy Beauty’s unintentional contributions to the fight.

It was funny to find “Artie,” the once and future King Arthur, getting picked on at his trendy high school by the bully Lancelot (voiced by John Krasinski, “Jim” on NBC’s The Office — would have liked more scenes with him), the popular and like totally obnoxious Guinevere, and, of all people, the Dungeons and Dragons geeks.

Will Artie reign over Far Far Away land so Shrek can go back to the swamp or will Prince Charming and his brigade of classic fairy tale baddies take over? With a little magicial help from the one and only Merlin (voiced wonderfully by Eric Idle), a former teacher who suffered a nervous breakdown (don’t they all?), the good guys just might win out. And let’s admit it, we all look forward to a sappy happy ending every now and again.