Shrek 2

Shrek 2 is a 2004 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book Shrek! by William Steig. Directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon (in Vernon's feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Adamson, Joe Stillman, J. David Stem, and David N. Weiss, it is the sequel to the 2001 computer-animated DreamWorks Pictures film Shrek. In April 2004 the film was selected for competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. There are more Shrek movies to follow according to Jeffrey Katzenberg. 'We didn't have the guts to tell anybody when we started out, (but) we have two more chapters to tell. Not unlike Peter Jackson did with The Lord of the Rings. The difference is they did have the guts to make all three of them back to back to back.' It was released in the United States on 21 May 2004. The film stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Julie Andrews, Antonio Banderas, John Cleese,Rupert Everett, and Jennifer Saunders.
Shrek 2 scored the fourth largest three day opening weekend in US history, as well as the largest opening for an animated movie until 18 May 2007, when it was eclipsed by its sequel Shrek the Third. As of 2006, it is the 3rd highest box office grossing film of all time in the United States. Worldwide, it is the twenty seventh highest-grossing film of all time. It went on to be the most successful film in 2004. Coming on the heels of another extremely successful and popular movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban based on the English novel by author JK Rowling. This was the third installment of the series movie-wise, and DreamWorks is hoping for the same success in their third installment of the movie. The associated soundtrack reached the top ten of the Billboard 200. It is also the seventh highest ticket selling animated film of all time).
Tagline:
In summer 2004, they're back for more... 
==Plot==
The film begins with Prince Charming riding to Dragon's Keep in his mission to rescue Princess Fiona from her tower, while narrating her backstory from the previous film. However, on arrival, Charming only finds the Big Bad Wolf who informs him that Fiona is already rescued and married and is currently on her honeymoon. Shrek and Fiona are then shown on said honeymoon throughout the song Accidentally in Love.
When they return to their home in the swamp, they find Donkey in the house who was supposedly doing all the house chores for them. While asking Donkey to leave and head back to Dragon, Donkey tells them that she has been really moody and he decided to stay with them for a while. Fiona and Shrek tell Donkey they need some time to themselves, Donkey leaves but comes back seconds later telling them about a visiting group. A Royal entourage has appeared and invites the newlyweds to attend a Royal Ball being held by Fiona's parents, taking place at her homeland the Kingdom of "Far Far Away." While Shrek doesn't want to meet her parents especially because of how she looks but also because her parents won't accept him Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey set off to attend the ball. Donkey complaints of the long days it took to get there.
On arrival at the Royal castle, Doves are released to honour the newlyweds, but once Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey step out of the onion carriage, the crowd and Fiona's parents King Harold and Queen Lillian, are shocked seeing both their daughter and son-in-law are ogres, with Harold particularly repulsed.
During the meal, Shrek does his best to be polite and tell them about himself, Harold remains unconvinced that Shrek is right for her. Eventually Harold gets involved in an argument with Shrek, which ends with the two making a mess of the dinner table. Upset, Fiona heads to her room and is crying on the balcony when The Fairy Godmother appears to her, got cheer her up with lots of great things. Eventually she tells the Fairy Godmother that she doesn't need all this saying that she is already married. The Fairy Godmother is shocked by this especially after meeting Shrek but leaves giving her a business card. After she leaves Shrek and Fiona have a fight, he ultimately tells Fiona he is not changing. Fiona however tells Shrek that she has changed for him which leaves Shrek ashamed. Meanwhile, Fairy Godmother plots with Harold to usurp Shrek so that her son Prince Charming can marry Fiona in Shrek's place. Shrek worries that he has lost his true love, particularly after finding Fiona's childhood diary and reading that she was once infatuated with Charming. Harold secretly hires Puss in Boots, to kill Shrek on a hunting expedition that Harold suggests. Shrek agrees to the expedition in an attempt to make a bond.
The next morning, Shrek and Donkey are lost in the woods when Puss In Boots ambushes them. They are able to subdue the cat, who agrees to join them after Shrek gets soft and decides to have him make amends. Shrek remembers the card Fairy Godmother had given, and decides to enlist her help in winning over Fiona's parents. Shrek, Puss, and Donkey use the card to travel to her Potion Factory. However, Fairy Godmother refuses to Shrek on the grounds that "Ogres don't live Happily Ever After." Undeterred, the three friends sneak into the Potion Containment Room, where they steal a Happily Ever After potion. Though escaped, Fairy Godmother becomes confident upon learning what potion they took, finding this to her benefit. 
Back in the woods, Shrek and Donkey try drinking the potion, but nothing happens. Once it begins to rain, Shrek, Donkey and Puss head for a barn and stay there for the night. Inside the barn, Shrek and Donkey faint. Back in Far Far Away, the potion's effect also cause Fiona to faint due to her link to Shrek's. The next morning, Shrek is a handsome human while Donkey is a noble white stallion. Fiona is changed back to her human form. According to the potion's instructions, should Shrek find Fiona and kiss her by midnight they can stay the way They’re.
On returning to Far Far Away, Fairy Godmother tricks Shrek into thinking that Fiona loves Prince Charming, while Fiona is led to believe that Charming is actually Shrek himself, in human form. Because she does not like this "New Shrek," Fairy Godmother gives Harold a potion which will force Fiona to fall in love with the first man to kiss her. Harold is now thinking it's wrong to do this to his daughter, but Fairy Godmother threatens she will take away his 'happily ever after' if he does not obey. Overhearing this, Shrek attempts to resist but, he and his friends have been caught and arrested by The Royal Knights. However, while watching the Royal Ball coverage on the Magic Mirror, Gingy, Pinocchio, the Three Little Pigs, the Three Blind Mice, and Big Bad Wolf see a trailer for a show named KNIGHTS (A parody of COPS), revealing Shrek's arrest. They head off to Far Far Away to help Shrek.
Meanwhile, Harold slips the love potion into a cup of tea for Fiona. After She finds her up in the castle, watching the ball, she says she is not going saying that She’s her husband because of how he is behaving. Harold encourages her to go to the ball, telling her that "People change for the ones they love," but Fiona says wants her old Shrek back saying he is the one she fell in love with and would give anything to have him back. After hearing this Harold lets Fiona drink the tea without the love potion.
In a dungeon, the fairy tale creatures save Shrek, Donkey, and Puss. Shrek gets the idea of getting help from the Muffin Man to create a giant gingerbread man named Mongo. They use the giant cookie to break into the ball. Fiona and Charming are dancing at the ball, while Mongo begins to pull down the drawbridge, but the guards dump hot milk on him and his arms fall off. Shrek manages to get through the cracks of the drawbridge and lowers it. Shrek and Donkey charge into the ballroom, revealing to Fiona who is really her husband. The fairy tale creatures begin to fight Fairy Godmother. Fairy Godmother tells Charming to kiss Fiona to activate the potion. But once Charming is done kissing her, she knocks him out with a head butt, revealing that Harold gave her the wrong tea on purpose, after feeling guilty about his actions. Shrek and Fiona embrace one another, but Charming gets the wand and tosses it to the Fairy Godmother and she proceeds to turn on Shrek, yelling once again that ogres don't live happily ever after. She then sends a blast of magic out to kill Shrek, but Harold uses his armor to deflect the spell which bounces off and hits her, and disappears to foam, with only her glasses and wand left. Harold is back to his true form, the Frog Prince. Harold apologizes to Shrek and tells him that he only wanted Fiona to be happy. He gives the couple his blessing and goes to leave, however Lillian tells him that she still loves him, even though he's a frog. Shrek and Fiona are about to kiss, but Fiona tells Shrek she wants to live happily ever after... with the ogre she married. Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey return to their previous forms as midnight rings. That night, the gang dance into the night, having a big party.
After the party, Donkey is all alone, singing a song. Puss and two girls are about to head off to the "Kitt Katt Klub" when Dragon comes and tells Donkey that she has had babies. Donkey and Dragon are now proud parents of a litter of mutant dronkeys - donkey/dragon hybrids.
==Cast==
Actor 	Role
Mike Myers 	Shrek
Cameron Diaz 	Fiona
Eddie Murphy 	Donkey
Julie Andrews 	Queen Lillian
Antonio Banderas 	Cat Boots
John Cleese 	King Harold
Rupert Everett 	Prince Charming
Jennifer Saunders	Fairy GodMother
* Larry King as Doris the Ugly Stepsister (US version)
* Jonathan Ross as Doris the Ugly Stepsister (UK version)
* Aron Warner as Big Bad Wolf
* Cody Cameron As Pinocchio 
* Cody Cameron as Three Little Pigs
* Christopher Knights as Three Blind Mice
* Conrad Vernon as Gingerbread Man
* Conrad Vernon as Muffin Man
* Conrad Vernon as Mongo
* Conrad Vernon as Cedric
* Conrad Vernon as Announcer
* Kelly Cooney as Magic Mirror
* Kelly Cooney as Magic Dresser
* Kelly Asbury as Page
* Kelly Asbury as Elf
* Kelly Asbury as Nobleman
* Kelly Asbury as Nobleman's son
* Bob Bergen as Birds
* Laraine Newman as Talking Dresser
* Rodger Bumpass as Knights Announcer
* Jim Ward as Ball Announcer
===Special guest stars===
*Simon Cowell as himself (in the extended VHS & DVD version only)
*Joan Rivers as herself (in the US version)
*Kate Thornton as herself (in the UK version only)
==Production==
Another unusual item was Joan Rivers' cameo - this marked the first time that a real person had been represented on screen by the Shrek animation team. The DVD version of the film includes a second real-life cameo with an appearance by Simon Cowell in the "Far Far Away Idol" bonus feature.
==Release==
Shrek 2 was originally going to release in June 2004. A day before the movie went to theaters, the first five minutes were shown on Nickelodeon's U-Pick Live.
It was the first film with over 4,000 theaters in overall count; over 3,700 theaters was its count for an opening day. Spider Man 2 was the first film with over 4,000 theaters for an opening day and second for overall counts.
When the film was released on DVD on November 5, 2004, it was the last Shrek film to be presented in its original ratio of 1.85:1 on the Region 1 anamorphic widescreen DVD.
==TV releases==
*This film had its US network television premiere on November 24, 2006, airing on ABC at 8 PM/7 PM ET/CT. It premiered on British terrestrial television on Christmas Day (25th December) 2007 on BBC1.
* The film aired for the first time on free to air television in Australia on June 3, 2007. It was broadcast simultaneously on the Nine Network and WIN Television at 8:30PM AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time).
*The film appeared on FOX Latin America (Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, etc.) on February 4, 2007, after intensive publicity since the TV broadcast of Garfield on December 31, 2006
*The film was aired on TVN in Poland on March 2, 2007
*The film was aired on ProSieben in Germany on April 6, 2007
*The film was aired on Canale 5 in Italy for the first time on May 23, 2007
*The film was aired on Kanal 5 in Sweden for the first time on August 25, 2007
* The film was aired on bTV in Bulgaria for the first time on December 25, 2007
== DVD and VHS releases==
This film has been released on VHS Gameboy Game Paks, standard DVD, and Blu-Ray DVD. The DVDs have "Far Far Away Idol", a parody of the wildly popular FOX talent show American Idol.
==Reaction==
===Box office performance===
The film spent a total of 149 days in theaters (roughly 21 weeks), closing on November 25, 2004. It grossed $441,226,247http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=shrek2.htm domestically (US and Canada), and $478,612,511 in foreign markets, making a total of $919.8 million worldwide. This puts the movie at third on the all-time domestic box-office list and Ninth on the worldwide box-office list. It was also the number one grossing movie of 2004. With DVD sales and Shrek 2 merchandise are estimated to total almost $800 million, the film (which was produced with a budget of $150 millionhttp://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=shrek2.htm) is DreamWorks' most profitable film to date.
===Critical reception===
Like it’s predecessor, Shrek 2 received critical acclaim with many critics rating it as good as or better than its predecessor. On Rotten Tomatoes, The film has a score of 89% based on 236 reviews with an average score of 7.68/10. Metacritic has developed a weighted average rating of 75 out of 100 based on 39 professional reviews.
==Online Far Far Away Idol==
Doris, the Ugly Stepsister won the online Far Far Away Idol.Shrek 2 ~ Far, Far Away Idol
== Gallery ==
SHREK 2.jpg
==See also==
*List of animated feature-length films
*List of computer-animated films 
*Shrek 2 (video game)
*Shrek Super Slam the video game
*Shrek 2: Motion Picture Soundtrack, the lyrical soundtrack by various artists
* Shrek 2: Original Motion Picture Score, the instrumental score, composed by Harry Gregson-Williams
==DVD Menu Selection== 
*Play Movie - Donkey
*Scene Index - Fairy Godmother
*Special Features - Puss in Boots
*Audio Options - Prince Charming
*Subtitles - King Harold
* DreamWorks Kids - Gingy
*Help - Queen Lillian
*Far Far Away Idol - Fiona
* New from DreamWorks Animation - Shrek
==Trivia==
*This movie can be featured on the Game Boy Advance Video.
*It is paired with Shark Tale
*John Clesse, the voice of King Harold, is also the voice of Professor Kipple from Planet 51.
*It is implied that Fairy Godmother is the "witch" who cursed the little girl Fiona as part of her plan. 
**She is actually Cinderella's Fairy Godmother's twin sister. Unlike her sister, she resorts to trickery and blackmail to get her way.
**Her real name is Dama Fortuna.
==References==
==External links==
*Official website
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*Shrek 2 All Movie Guide entry
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