Project: green light

PRODUCTION may have begun on “Shrek the Third” a good four months before “Shrek II” opened in the summer of 2004, but the screenplay was still evolving on the computer-generated animated comedy up until a few months ago.

“There were a last few things that fell into place,” says Chris Miller, who makes his feature film directorial debut with the latest installment in the hit series, which opens Friday. “In most cases, it was really adding humor. We were kind of looking to infuse comedy into the ending.”

One of the final gags added finds the frightened Gingerbread Man evacuating a gumdrop button.

“Therein lays the secret or advantage of animation,” says Miller, who also has provided several voices in the films, including the Magic Mirror.

“The unfortunate thing is that it takes 3 1/2 years to work on one of these films,” he says. “I would love to work on a movie a year to keep it rolling, but we have the advantage, the opportunity, to look at the film in its entirety -- even if it is in storyboard and partially animated -- 10 or 15 times. You can really find the rhythm. Do we need a little bit of comedy here? Are we taking ourselves too seriously? Are we not taking ourselves seriously enough? It’s a great way to make movies because you can workshop basically with yourselves.”

“Shrek the Third” finds the lovable green ogre with the Scottish accent (Mike Myers) being groomed to become King of Far Far Away after his father-in-law, King Harold (John Cleese), quite literally croaks. Longing for the happiness and tranquillity of his swamp and vermin-infested abode, Shrek sets out on a voyage with his good friends Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) to find the only other candidate for the throne, wife Princess Fiona’s (Cameron Diaz) long-lost cousin Artie (Justin Timberlake), a nerdy high school student. Just as the ship embarks, Fiona reveals to Shrek they are expecting a bundle of green joy.

Of course, Shrek’s archrival, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), decides that with the ogre away, it’s his time to take control of Far Far Away.

“There are a lot of new characters,” says Miller, who previously was a story artist on “Shrek” and head of story on “Shrek II.”

“I think there are 40 characters in the film,” he adds. “It’s a big kind of juggling act. Amassing all of these characters over the course of three films, you want to make sure they have their screen time. And the audiences are owed it. The trick is making sure the time they spend on screen is supporting Shrek’s story.”

MILLER took a potentially big risk by separating Fiona and Shrek for the majority of the film. “But I think in this case it serviced the story pretty well,” he says.

“The main issue with Shrek in the film wasn’t his relationship with Fiona,” Miller says. “It’s this internal struggle he was having. It felt like on this journey, he could sort out a lot more things that way and have an experience that changed his perspective on fatherhood.”

The separation also gave Fiona her own important story threads -- dealing with impending motherhood and her friendship with Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Rapunzel.

“She is really one of the only characters in the movie -- and I think this is a good thing -- who doesn’t change,” Miller says. “She is the rock.... She changes everything around her. Here is the chance for her, the ogre princess, to educate and enlighten all the other fairy tale princesses and give them a new perspective on life. It’s great for Fiona to shake them a bit.”

The director describes “Shrek the Third” as a collaborative effort among him, his writers and his stars. He and Myers in particular had “deep story discussions,” he says.

“It’s very easy to veer over the 3 1/2 years,” Miller says. “So when the character got away from how Shrek would act -- his core issue in all of the films is his lack of self-worth -- Mike would be quick to point that out to us. He’s invested in Shrek.”

susan.king@latimes.com