If nothing else, when his live action films are bombing out at the box office, there's always an actor's voice-over work in a major animated film franchise to come back to delight fans.

Such is the case for comedian Eddie Murphy, who will lend his voice again to the character Donkey in animated juggernaut 'Shrek Forever After,' which also brings back Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Antonio Banderas.

Shrek is feeling over-domesticated in the fourth installment. He has lost his roar. It used to send villagers running away in terror. Now they run to him and ask him to sign their pitchforks and torches. To regain his ogre mojo, he strikes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin. The pact goes awry and Shrek must confront what life would be like in Far Far Away if he had never existed. That translates into Donkey being forced into cart-pulling duty, fat and lazy Puss in Boots trading his sword for a pink bow and the underhanded Rumpelstiltskin ruling the kingdom.

The film is expected in theaters May 21, 2010 (conventional 3D theaters and IMAX 3D).