The animated fairy tale "Shrek" was a lot of fun to make, but the movie also has a serious message, says Eddie Murphy, one of its co-stars.
"The moral of the movie is accepting yourself and loving yourself for who you are," said Murphy, who gives his voice to a hyperactive, talking donkey named Donkey.
The actor-comedian said he didn't get to do much of his trademark improvising on the film, in which Donkey and an ogre named Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) rescue a princess (Cameron Diaz) from a castle.
"They really know what they want, and they kinda develop the character for you and you just bring the right energy to it," he said. "I get more direction on something like this than I get when I'm doing something where it's live action."
"Shrek," which also co-stars John Lithgow, opens Friday nationwide.