May Contain Spoilers!! A Great Sequel...

Rating: Null/10 (1 June 2004)

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!!
All movies depend on a phenomenon called "Suspension of Disbelief" that lulls the viewer into forgetting they're watching actors reciting dialog or that the special effects aren't real. Shrek 2 comes closer to achieving that state than any other animated feature I've seen. The movie draws you in with what are nearly three-dimensional characters and you find yourself believing in ogres making home movies of their honeymoon and donkeys that talk. In addition, the improvements in computer graphics are amazing. At times I had to remind myself that I was watching animation. I've read other reviewers commenting that Pixar's animation is superior, but Shrek 2 has warmth and subtle colors and textures that I've yet to see in other animated films.
The story is charming (no pun intended, Prince) and timeless. Shrek and Fiona journey home, with Donkey in tow, summoned by Mom and Dad, the king and queen of Far, Far Away, to attend a ball in their honor and to give Fiona's parents an opportunity to meet her prince charming. When the king discovers that Fiona's spell hasn't been broken and her husband is an ogre, he plots to set things aright and have his daughter marry her fairy godmother's son, the real Prince Charming. The king hires a hit man, Puss N'Boots, to do his dirty work and rid him of his new son-in-law. But Shrek has plans of his own and steals a magic potion that will let him and Fiona live Happily Ever After. Not to be outdone, the king acquires his own potion, intending to make his daughter fall in love with Charming. It all culminates at the ball, complete with a race to break a spell before midnight. And I loved the ending.
This is one of the few animated films where I couldn't find one character that was miscast. Mike Meyers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy reprise their roles as the madly-in-love couple and always optimistic donkey. Antonio Bandares as the swashbuckling cat Puss is just how I always imagined he would be Â– exotic and a Don Juan to boot. John Cleese and Julie Andrews as the king and queen play their roles with a stiff upper lip and clipped British accents; they are perfectly aloof royals. The fairy godmother is spoken/sung by Jennifer Saunders and Rupert Everett is the voice of Prince Charming. Both of them give great performances.
The movie doesn't try to be funny all the time, but there are plenty of laughs throughout. The comic pacing is instead relaxed, with a mixture of jokes, puns, sight gags and send-ups of other movies. One of the high points is dinner with the folks, where it seems the king will only accept Shrek when pigs can fly.
Visually, there is so much to see in the film, that at times I was overwhelmed trying to keep track of it all. The outdoor scenes are lush with color and detail and the interior scenes are bathed in light and shadow. The costumes were wonderful too, full of shading and texture. There are many more characters that are human in this sequel, and the attention paid to little things like chin stubble on the prince, and freckles or moles on the king and fairy godmother, adds to a sense of surreal realism. It did seem to me, though, that the non-human characters won the facial expression contest. Maybe it was because the filmmakers didn't want to have the humans appear cartoonish. I'm going to see the movie again, just to catch up on what I missed.
All in all a great movie with something for everyone of any age. Go see it.