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Not so far, far away...
―Tagline

Shrek 2 is a 2004 American computer-animated fantasy adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation, directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the second installment in the Shrek series, the sequel to 2001's Shrek, and features the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Rupert Everett, and Jennifer Saunders.

Like its predecessor, Shrek 2 received largely positive reviews and was a blockbuster success. Shrek 2 scored the second-largest three-day opening weekend in US history at the time of its release, as well as the largest opening for an animated film until May 18, 2007, when it was eclipsed by its sequel Shrek the Third. It went on to be the highest-grossing film of 2004. It is DreamWorks' most successful film to date and was also the highest-grossing animated film of all time worldwide until Toy Story 3 surpassed it in 2010 and remained the highest-grossing non-Disney animated film of all time worldwide until Despicable Me 2 surpassed it in 2013; it is now the 13th highest-grossing animated film of all time. The associated soundtrack reached the top ten of the Billboard 200.

This movie is dedicated to William Steig (the creator of the book "Shrek!") who passed away in October 3rd, 2003, due to natural causes.

Plot[]

After Shrek and Princess Fiona return from their honeymoon, they are invited to a royal ball by Fiona's parents to celebrate their marriage. Shrek is reluctant to participate in, reasoning that he is worried about how Fiona's parents would react to her new look. Donkey appears, wanting to move in with them after a fall-out with Dragon, much to their consternation. They all travel to the kingdom of Far Far Away and meet Fiona's parents, King Harold and Queen Lillian, with Harold particularly repulsed by Shrek being an ogre. At a shared meal, Shrek and Harold get into a heated argument over how Shrek and Fiona will raise their family, and Fiona, disgusted by Shrek and Harold's behavior, locks herself away in her room that evening. Shrek worries that he has lost his true love, particularly after finding her childhood diary and reading that she was once infatuated with Prince Charming.

When Fiona realizes that Shrek left she asks her father for help but he replies that he always wanted the best for her and that she should better think about what is the best for her, too. As everyone goes their separate ways, Harold is accosted by the Fairy Godmother and her son Charming. The two retell the Prince's adventures and how he overcame many obstacles and climbed a high tower in order to rescue her but in vain. They reprimand Harold for breaking an old promise that Charming would be able to marry Fiona, and demand that he find a way to get rid of Shrek. Harold arranges for Shrek and Donkey to join him on a fictitious hunting trip, which really is a trap to lure the two into the hands of an assassin, Puss in Boots. However, Puss is unable to defeat Shrek and, revealing that he was paid by Harold, asks to come along as a way to make amends.

The three sneak into the Fairy Godmother's potion factory and steal a Happily Ever After potion that Shrek believes will restore Fiona's love for him. Shrek and Donkey both drink the potion and fall into a deep sleep, awakening the next morning to discover its effects: Shrek is now a handsome human while Donkey has turned into a stallion. In order to make the change permanent, Shrek must kiss Fiona by midnight. He, Donkey, and Puss return to the castle to discover that the potion has also transformed Fiona back into her former, human self. However, the Fairy Godmother, having learned of the potion's theft, intercepts Shrek and sends Charming to pose as him and win her love. At the Fairy Godmother's urging, Shrek leaves the castle, believing that the best way to make Fiona happy is to let her go.

After seeing that Fiona isn't falling in love with Prince Charming, Harold decides to tell the Fairy Godmother and Charming they should call off the plan. They refuse and decide to that they will not be concerned with her feelings. To ensure Fiona falls in love with Charming, the Fairy Godmother gives Harold a love potion to put into Fiona's tea. But Harold replies that it is not possible to make his daughter fall in love in this way as he doesn't want to violate his daughter's free will. This exchange is overheard by Shrek, Donkey, and Puss, who are soon arrested by the royal guards and thrown into a dungeon. While the royal ball begins, several of Shrek's friends band together to free the trio and create a gigantic, oversized Gingerbread Man, which breaks through the castle's defenses so Shrek can stop Charming from kissing Fiona. He is too late to stop them; instead of falling in love with Charming, though, Fiona knocks him out with a headbutt, she slaps him instead in the UK version.

Harold reveals that he never gave Fiona the love potion after seeing how much she hates Prince Charming, whereupon the Fairy Godmother attacks Shrek. In the ensuing melee, a spell from her wand, presumably to kill Shrek, rebounds off Harold's armor, when he commits self-sacrifice to save Shrek and disintegrates her; it also returns Harold to his true form, that of the Frog Prince. He had used the Happily Ever After potion years ago in order to marry Lillian, but she tells him that she loves him regardless of his appearance. As the clock strikes midnight, Shrek and Fiona let the potion's effects wear off and they revert to their ogre selves, while Donkey changes back as well. Harold gives his blessing to the marriage and apologizes for his earlier behavior, and the party resumes as the credits begin.

During the mid-credits, they are interrupted by a brief after-party scene in which the Dragon, who had romanced Donkey in the first movie, arrives and reveals that they now have several dragon-donkey hybrid, or "dronkeys", babies. Afterwards, Donkey mentions that he needs to get a job soon.

Cast[]

Additional Voices[]

Production[]

In July 2001, it was reported that the main cast of Shrek were set for huge paychecks for voicing a sequel to the film. Following a successful collaboration with the original film, Eddie Murphy had signed a two-year, first-look production deal with DreamWorks, where he also signed writer-director Todd Field to a two-year deal. The film was produced with a US$70 million dollar budget.

Cultural References[]

Movie References[]

  • When Fiona is kissing Shrek, the kiss is similar to Spider-Man (2002).
  • The mermaid that washes up on Shrek in the beginning of the film bears a strong resemblance to Ariel from Disney's The Little Mermaid.
  • The dinner scene where the camera cuts to different characters saying each other's names references a scene from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
  • When the potion factory is being flooded with a potion flow. two workers were turned into living objects resembling Lumiere and Cogsworth from Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
  • The character Puss in Boots is based on Zorro, a character played by Banderas, who also voices Puss. His behavior references Zorro as he appeared in the 1998 film, The Mask of Zorro.
  • Donkey yells out "I'm melting!" when it starts to rain, which is a reference to the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.
  • When the Fairy Tale creatures rescue Shrek, Donkey, and Puss, Pinocchio dives into the prison attached to puppet strings, a reference to Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible. The theme music can be heard in the background as well.
  • When Mongo sinks into the moat in front of the castle, he says "Be good." to Gingy, referencing E.T. (Steven Spielberg, director of E.T., was a co-founder of DreamWorks).
  • When the Fairy Godmother appears to Fiona on her balcony when she sheds a tear due to the fight at dinner, the gold dress in which she makes Fiona wear, blows upward in reference to the Marilyn Monroe film The Seven Year Itch.
  • When Puss is attacking Shrek and crawls through his shirt, he bursts out of the front, a reference to the chest buster scene from the 1979 film Alien.

Culture references[]

  • Elements and landmarks in the fictional kingdom of Far Far Away bear reference to elements and landmarks of Southern California, particularly the areas of Los Angeles, Hollywood, and Beverly Hills. For example, the kingdom bears a "Far Far Away" sign obviously modeled after the famous Hollywood Sign; and the "Friar's Fat Boy" restaurant which King Harold, Fairy Godmother, and Charming "drive-thru" references the Southern California chain, Bob's Big Boy.
  • Donkey references former Price is Right host Bob Barker's ending quote "help control the pet population and get your pets spayed and neutered".
  • When Shrek, Donkey, and Puss are having drinks at The Poison Apple, Puss laments "I hate Mondays" in reference to the cartoon cat Garfield's catchphrase.
  • Several parodies of well-known business exist in Far Far Away, such as "Farbucks", a parody of Starbucks, "Baskin Robinhood", a parody of Baskin Robbins, "Burger Prince", a parody of Burger King, "Abercrombie & Witch", a parody of Abercrombie & Fitch, "Versarchery," a play on the designer label Versace and "Old Knavery", a parody of Old Navy.
  • In the scene where fairytale creatures witnessed Shrek, Donkey, along with Puss getting arrested on KNIGHTS is a reference to the FOX true crime reality show, COPS.
    • The way the knights had arrested Shrek, Donkey, and Puss were reference to the ways the modern day American police departments featured on COPS arrest suspects they encounter while on duty - e.g. Use of crossbows as the medieval versions of the modern police-issued firearms, use of pepper grinders as the medieval versions of the modern police-issued pepper spray, commonly known as capsicum spray or mace.
  • In the chase scene where one of the knights refers Donkey as "a white Bronco" is a reference the O.J. Simpson Bronco Chase where double murder suspect, O.J. Simpson attempted to escape from the police in family friend, Al Cowlings' white 1993 Ford Bronco, driven by Cowlings.
  • The Far, Far, Away Police Department (FFAPD) is a parody of the Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as the LAPD.

Reception[]

Box Office[]

The film opened at #1 with a Friday-to-Sunday total of $108,037,878, and a total of $128, 983,063 since its Wednesday launch, from a then-record 4,163 theaters, for an average of $25,952 per theater over the weekend. At the time Shrek 2's Friday-to-Sunday total was the second-highest opening weekend trailing only Spider-Man's $114,844,116. In addition, Saturday alone managed to obtain $44,797,042, making it the highest single day gross at the time, beating Spider-Man's first Saturday gross of $43,622,264. It also ranked #1 in its second weekend, grossing $95,578,365 over the 4-day Memorial Day weekend, narrowly beating out the $85,807,341 4-day tally of new opener The Day After Tomorrow. The film spent a total of 10 weeks in the weekly top 10 remaining there until Thursday, July 29, 2004, and stayed in theaters for 149 days (roughly 21 weeks), closing on November 25, 2004.

The film grossed $441,226,247 domestically (US and Canada), and $487,534,523 in foreign markets, making a total of $928,760,770 worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of both 2004 and in its franchise. This also puts the film at 10th on the all-time domestic box office list and 35th on the worldwide box office list.

The film also took away the highest worldwide gross made by an animated feature, which was before held by Finding Nemo, although the latter still had a higher overseas-only gross. With DVD sales and Shrek 2 merchandise are estimated to total almost $800 million, the film (which was produced with a budget of $150 million) is DreamWorks' most profitable film to date.

In August 2010, Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 3 surpassed Shrek 2 to become the highest-grossing animated film worldwide ($1.063 billion), but Shrek 2 still holds the record for the highest-grossing animated film at the American and Canadian box office as well as the highest-grossing non-Disney animated film at this box office. Disney's 3D re-releases of The Lion King (in 2011) and Finding Nemo (in 2012), Despicable Me 2 (in 2013), and Disney's Frozen (also in 2013) respectively, surpassed Shrek 2 and relegated it as the 6th highest-grossing animated film of all time.

Critical Response[]

The film was well received by a number of critics, many rating it good as it's predecessor, and some rated it even better. Based on reviews collected from 217 critics by the film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 89% gave Shrek 2 a positive review, with the site's consensus stating: "It may not be as fresh as the original, but topical humor and colorful secondary characters make Shrek 2 a winner in its own right." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average of 75 out of 100 based on 40 professional reviews published in newspapers, magazines and in highly regarded Internet sites, which indicates "generally favorable reviews."

Roger Ebert gave it three out of four stars saying it's "bright, lively, and entertaining," while Robert Denerstein of Denver Rocky Mountain News called it "Sharply funny." James Kendrick praised the plot, who called it "familiar, but funny."

In contrast to the praise it received, even in some positive reviews, some critics said that the film wasn't as good as the original film. Peter Rainer of New York magazine stated the film "manages to undo much of what made its predecessor such a computer-generated joy ride."

Trivia[]

Appearances[]

Characters[]

Locations[]

  • Earth
    • Europe
      • Far Far Away (First appearance)
        • Abercrombie and Witch (First appearance)
        • Baskin Robinhood (First appearance)
        • Burger Prince (First appearance)
        • Farbucks (First appearance)
        • Friar's Fat Boy (First appearance)
        • Oldknavery (First appearance)
        • Poison Apple Inn (First appearance)
        • Potion Factory (First appearance)
        • Versarchery (First appearance)
      • Ogre Swamp

Objects[]

  • Fairy Godmother's Carriage (First appearance)
  • Fairy Godmother's Wand (First appearance)
  • Onion Carriage

Storyboards[]

Shrek_2_Deleted_Scene_1-0

Shrek 2 Deleted Scene 1-0

Shrek_2_Deleted_Scene_2-0

Shrek 2 Deleted Scene 2-0

Gallery[]

Wiki
DreamWorks Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Shrek 2.

Navigation[]

v - e - d
Shrek-logo
Media
Films: ShrekShrek 2Shrek the ThirdShrek Forever AfterPuss in BootsPuss in Boots: The Last WishShrek 5

TV Specials: Shrek 4-DShrek the HallsScared ShreklessPuss in Boots: The Three Diablos
TV Series: The Adventures of Puss in Boots
Shorts: Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party!Far Far Away IdolDonkey's Christmas ShrektacularThriller NightThe Pig Who Cried Werewolf
Books: ShrekPuss in Boots
Video Games: ShrekShrek 2Shrek SuperSlamDreamWorks Super Star Kartz
Theatrical Plays: Shrek The Musical

Characters
Protagonists: ShrekDonkeyFionaPuss in BootsKitty SoftpawsPerrito

Allies: DragonPinocchioGingerbread ManThree Little PigsWolfThree Blind MiceQueen LillianKing HaroldArthur PendragonSnow WhiteCinderellaSleeping BeautyFarkle, Fergus and FeliciaDronkeysDorisBrogan
Villains: Lord FarquaadTheloniousMonsieur HoodMerry MenFairy GodmotherPrince CharmingRumpelstiltskinFifiJack & JillHumpty DumptyRapunzelCaptain HookEvil QueenHeadless HorsemanCyclopsPied PiperBloodwolf"Big" Jack HornerDeathGoldilocksPapa BearMama BearBaby BearSerpent Sisters
Spin-Off: DulcineaImeldaTalking CricketMama LunaPhoenixThe TerrorThe SphinxTimmyPerlaGonzaloDoctorCallistaAlessandra Belagomba

See also
Locations: DulocFar Far AwayOgre SwampPoison Apple InnPotion FactoryWorcestershire Boarding School

Songs: BarracudaRoyal PainWelcome to Duloc


v - e - d
DreamWorks logo
Cinema
Feature Films: Antz (1998) • The Prince of Egypt (1998) • The Road to El Dorado (2000) • Shrek (2001) • Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) • Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003) • Shrek 2 (2004) • Shark Tale (2004) • Madagascar (2005) • Over the Hedge (2006) • Shrek the Third (2007) • Bee Movie (2007) • Kung Fu Panda (2008) • Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) • Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) • How to Train Your Dragon (2010) • Shrek Forever After (2010) • Megamind (2010) • Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) • Puss in Boots (2011) • Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) • Rise of the Guardians (2012) • The Croods (2013) • Turbo (2013) • Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) • How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) • Penguins of Madagascar (2014) • Home (2015) • Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) • Trolls (2016) • The Boss Baby (2017) • Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) • How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) • Abominable (2019) • Trolls World Tour (2020) • The Croods: A New Age (2020) • Spirit Untamed (2021) • The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021) • The Bad Guys (2022) • Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) • Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023) • Trolls Band Together (2023) • Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)

Co-produced Films: Chicken Run (2000) • Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) • Flushed Away (2006)
Upcoming Films: The Wild Robot (2024) • Dog Man (2025)
Feature Films in Development: Mice & MysticsShrek 5
Direct-to-Video Films: Joseph: King of Dreams (2000)
Digital films: Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans (2021) • Orion and the Dark (2024) • Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate (2024)
Canceled Films: TuskerThe WandererTortoise vs. HareTruckersMe & My ShadowMonkeys of MumbaiRumblewickB.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly OperationsGiants: Forces of NatureLarrikinsZodiacSpooky Jack

Television
TV Specials: Shrek the Halls (2007) • Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space (2009) • Merry Madagascar (2009) • Scared Shrekless (2010) • Kung Fu Panda Holiday (2010) • Gift of the Night Fury (2011) • Madly Madagascar (2013) • Trolls Holiday (2017) • How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019) • Trolls: Holiday in Harmony (2021)

Shorts: Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party! (2001) • Shrek 4-D (2003) • Sinbad and the Cyclops Island (2003) • Far Far Away Idol (2004) • Club Oscar (2005) • The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper (2005) • First Flight (2006) • Hammy's Boomerang Adventure (2006) • Secrets of the Furious Five (2008) • B.O.B.'s Big Break (2009) • Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon (2010) • Donkey's Caroling Christmas-tacular (2010) • Megamind: The Button of Doom (2011) • Thriller Night (2011) • The Pig Who Cried Werewolf (2011) • Night of the Living Carrots (2011) Book of Dragons (2011) • Gift of the Night Fury (2011) • Secrets of the Masters (2011) • Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos (2012) • Almost Home (2014) • Rocky and Bullwinkle (2014) • Dawn of the Dragon Racers (2014) • Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll (2016) • Bird Karma (2018) • Bilby (2018) • Marooned (2019) • To: Gerard (2020)
TV Series: Toonsylvania (1998) • Invasion America (1998) • Alienators: Evolution Continues (2001–2002) • Father of the Pride (2004–2005) • The Penguins of Madagascar (2008–15) • Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (2011–2016) • DreamWorks Dragons (2012-2018) • Monsters vs. Aliens (2013-2014) • Turbo FAST (2013–2016) • VeggieTales in the House (2014-2016) • All Hail King Julien (2014-2017) • The Adventures of Puss in Boots (2015-2018) • Dinotrux (2015-2018) • The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show (2015-2017) • Dawn of the Croods (2015-2017) • Noddy, Toyland Detective (2016-present) • Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016-2018) • Home: Adventures with Tip and Oh (2016-2018) • Trollhunters (2016-2018) • VeggieTales in the City (2017) • Spirit Riding Free (2017-2020) • Trolls: The Beat Goes On! (2018-2019) • The Boss Baby: Back in Business (2018-2020) • The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (TV series) (2018-2019) • Harvey Street Kids (2018-2020) • The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants (2018-2020) • She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018-2020) • Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny (2018-2019) • 3Below (2018-2019) • Where's Waldo? (2019-2020) • Archibald's Next Big Thing (2019-present) • Dragons: Rescue Riders (2019-2022) • Fast & Furious: Spy Racers (2019-2021) • Cleopatra in Space (2020-present) • Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (2020) • Rhyme Time Town (2020-2021) • Madagascar: A Little Wild (2020-2022) • Wizards (2020) • Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (2020-2022) • The Mighty Ones (2020-2022) • Doug Unplugs (2020-2022) • Trolls: TrollsTopia (2020-2022) • Gabby’s Dollhouse (2021-present) • Go, Dog. Go! (2021-2022) • The Croods: Family Tree (2021-2023) • Dragons: The Nine Realms (2021-2023) • The Boss Baby: Back in the Crib (2022-2023) • Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight (2022-2023) • Abominable and the Invisible City (2022-2023) • Megamind Rules! (2024-present) • Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024-present)
Upcoming TV Series: Felix the Cat (TBA) • Bearbrick (TBA)

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