From 'Raw' To Family Fun

Eddie Murphy is back and more animated than ever as the voice of the fast-talking Donkey in "Shrek 2."

The sequel's plot revolves around a journey to a land called "Far Far Away," a place that bears a striking resemblance to Beverly Hills.

Murphy's Donkey isn't just along for the ride. He actually helps save Fiona and Shrek's marriage, and gets an extreme makeover in the process.

The comedian has come a long way from his 1987s concert film, "Raw." "Shrek 2" is just one of a half-dozen family films that Murphy has made in recent years, including "The Haunted Mansion" and "Daddy Day Care," which is now getting a sequel of its own.

Murphy sat down with The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith to discuss his latest projects.

Murphy says he isn't surprised to be making successful family movies.

"I think, because of my age, it was a natural progression to do different types of movies," says Murphy. "I couldn't play the young, fast-talking maverick forever. Especially when you get older. And a lot of the stuff that I did in the beginning was kind of, like, you know, fast-talking."

Murphy says the attitude he had as a young man doesn't fit well as an older man.

"It's not cute anymore," he explains. "It's, like, 'Turn the channel.'"

Fo Murphy, success came quickly -- perhaps too quickly. After working on "Saturday Night Live," he made millions of dollars with a film career.

For a man who came from humble beginnings, Murphy explains, the huge amount of money may have clouded his judgment.

"I've been in situations where I've done things where it was, like, 'The script isn't right, but, is that my name on that check?'" laughs Murphy. "The bad thing about it is that the money gets spent and the movie's forever."

Murphy says he doesn't believe he made anything that was terrible and should be wiped from memory, but he had a few movies that didn't work.

"If I'm flipping through the channel and I see 'Holy Man' or 'Pluto Nash,' I don't stop," he says. "I'm not like, 'I wish I could erase it from everyone's memory.' Because you need those movies so you can see. You need to judge what is from here [hand held high] to here [hand held low]."

Murphy's next movie will be "Death Do Us Part," where again he plays multiple characters. He wrote the script himself, and will also direct.