Shrek 2 premiered in 2004 and features all of the original characters except for Lord Farquaad who ended up being eaten by a dragon in the first movie. Additional cast members are Julie Andres as Queen Lillian and John Cleese as King Harold, both of whom are Fiona’s parents. Antonio Banderas is Puss in Boots and Rupert Everett is the evil Prince Charming. As far as sequels go, Shrek 2 is even better than the original.
Moviegoers agreed. The movie did better than the original as it took in $108 million when it opened and a staggering $436 million overall making it the best of the three films. Here’s a look at the best in the series.
Plot
In the beginning, Shrek and Fiona head off to meet her parents against Shrek’s wishes. Queen Lillian and King Harold are shocked to learn that their daughter is no longer human. In fact, she loves an ogre and even married one. She was supposed to find Prince Charming and Fiona’s parents are having trouble believing what has happened to her happily ever after.
When the King decides to get rid of Shrek so as to avoid seeing his daughter unhappy, he hires Puss in Boots who botches the job. So Shrek gets an idea in his head that he just wants to make Fiona happy which means turning her back into a human.
He visits Fairy Godmother, who unbeknownst to everyone but the king, is trying to place her son Prince Charming in line for the throne. When the potion factory is raided Shrek steals Happily Ever After Potion and turns both he and his love into human form. While Fiona was human to begin with, Shrek is a little unused to being not only a man but also an attractive one at that.
When Prince Charming is sly and weasels his way into the castle Shrek must stop him from kissing Fiona and making the spell of the potion come true. Amidst much fanfare and a musical number, Shrek comes in to save the day at the cost of turning Fiona’s father into his original form of a frog. In the end, he realizes that Fiona already has her happily ever after.
Review
Perhaps the funniest and best in the franchise, Shrek 2 has many great moments that are even better a second time around. Shrek leading a new life as a domestic male and coming to Far, Far Away is hilarious as he tries to be a civilized ogre.
The funniest part for my son and I is when Pinocchio and Gingy and the gang try to rescue Shrek, Donkey, and Puss in Boots from their dungeon cell. When they try to get Pinocchio to lie about the kind of underwear he’s wearing is both gross potty humor and absolutely hilarious.
The spoofs that they make fun of in Shrek 2 are also a riot from E.T. to American Idol. The music is also top notch as Jennifer Saunders belts out a wonderful rendition of Holding Out for a Hero. In a visually appealing and funny movie, Shrek 2 is by far the best in the franchise with all of the talent and creativity that has gone into it.
