Gandolfini Was the Model for 3D Shrek

"Shrek" director Mike Mitchell told me that he has an animation muse when it comes to putting life into the big green guy for "Shrek Forever After" -- "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini.

Conversing at a DreamWorks press day, Mitchell says part of the inspiration is the physical resemblance -- Shrek's uber-barrel chest and that big guy walk are definitely pure Tony. And obviously, some of those facial features ring true.

But it's also the mental side Mitchell keeps in mind. Though the character had his ongoing sociopath moments, viewers loved Tony.  Shrek serves the same purpose for G-rated audiences. (Clearly, Tony would have whacked Donkey on day 2.)

The highlight of the press day was a preview of a hilarious half-hour rough cut of "Shrek Forever Ever." The preview followed a clear theme taken from "It's a Wonderful Life." Judging from these 30 minutes, this fourth installment , which will be in 3D, hasn't lost a little-green droplet of the franchise's momentum.

In "Forever ," our hero begins to feel haunted by memories of his past. With kids on his lap and tour buses riding by his outhouse, he yearns for the dark old days when he could truly be an ogre. But whereas Tony Soprano might have visited his lady on the side to clear his head, Shrek makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin for a one-day pass to resume his life as a bad-ass ogre.

The results in the preview had all the comic timing we've learned to expect from "Shrek". I'm hoping for similar hilarity when someone tells Gandolfini about who he's inspired.

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