Shrek 2(2004)

Building upon the strengths of Shrek, Shrek 2 is a true rarity – an animated sequel that’s better than the original. We still remember Shrek because unlike most of the plethora of animated films released a few years ago, Shrek’s best moments were character-driven rather than gimmicky. Audiences loved the unlikely romance between the ogre Shrek (Mike Myers) and Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), and the buddy relationship between Shrek and the Donkey (Eddie Murphy). In fact, unlike most animal sidekicks in animated films, Murphy’s Donkey actually does more than simply provide comic relief, and his friendship with Shrek is totally believable.

Shrek 2 reintroduces us to the lead characters as they make the long journey to the Kingdom Far Far Away so that Shrek may meet Princess Fiona’s parents (voiced by John Cleese and Julie Andrews). The road to true love never proceeds smoothly in a romantic comedy, and so Shrek finds that the King and Queen are prejudiced against ogres. Fiona’s Fairy Godmother (Jessica Saunders) is far from neutral; she is a scheming Machiavellian villainess trying to exploit the family feud for her own agenda. To reveal more than that would ruin the plot and Shrek 2 is a comedy that relies strongly on plot. Suffice to say, this is a far more adult-themed film than the original Shrek (even though it is still child-friendly), and there’s a nice moral to the tale as well. There are still plenty of animation in-jokes, but for the most part they are relegated to the background and serve as treats rather than as distractions.

Mike Myers’ voice acting as Shrek is a pleasant surprise. A few years back, I complained that Shrek lacked the sparkle of Myers’ usual comic performances. Coming immediately after his fiasco as the Cat in the Hat, however, Myers’ gentle underplaying is a welcome relief. I, for one, had my faith in Mr. Myers restored. John Cleese is excellent as the King, recapturing much of the seriocomic deftness he displayed in A Fish Called Wanda years ago. Lately, John Cleese has been mainly under-utilized in the Harry Potter series, and it’s a pleasure to hear him chewing up the scenery in a substantial role rather than in a glorified cameo. All the other voice talent is uniformly strong.

Visually, Shrek 2 provides state-of-the-art computer animation. Dreamworks’ computer animators will probably never outclass Pixar’s, but that isn’t the point. Each Pixar film tries to show us a new way of looking at reality, whereas Dreamworks simply wants to entertain us. Still, there are a few dazzling moments in the film that, while not breathtakingly innovative, show that Shrek 2’s animators are capable of more than journeyman meat-and-potatoes work. Directors Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon do a more than adequate job of keeping the entire film unified. (The three's credits include the original Shrek, Spirit, and various Disney films).

I’m looking forward to Shrek 3 after this one!

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