Shrek 2

Infobox Film


caption = Movie poster for "Shrek 2"
director = Andrew Adamson
Kelly Asbury
Conrad Vernon
writer = Screenplay:
Andrew Adamson
Joe Stillman
J. David Stem
David N. Weiss
Story:
Andrew Adamson
Book:
William Steig
starring = Mike Myers
Eddie Murphy
Cameron Diaz Antonio Banderas Julie Andrews John Cleese
Rupert Everett
Jennifer Saunders
music = Harry Gregson-Williams
editing = Michael Andrews
Sim Evan-Jones
distributor = USA
DreamWorks SKG (2004-present) Paramount Pictures (2006-present)
Non-USA Theatrical
United International Pictures
Worldwide DVD/Video
Universal Pictures (2004-2006)/ Paramount Pictures (2006-present)
released = May 19, 2004
runtime = 93 minutes
language = English
rating =
budget = Overall
$125 million USD
Production
$75 million USD
Marketing
$50 million USD
gross = Domestic
$441,226,247
Worldwide
$919,838,758 [ [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=shrek2.htm Box Office Mojo: Shrek 2] ]
preceded_by = "Shrek" (2001)
"Shrek 4-D" (2003)
followed_by = "Shrek the Third" (2007)
amg_id = 1:286672
imdb_id = 0298148|

"Shrek 2", released in the United States on 19 May 2004, is the 2004 Academy Award nominated sequel to the 2001 computer-animated DreamWorks Pictures film "Shrek" in the "Shrek" series. In April 2004 the film was selected for competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.

"Shrek 2" scored the fourth largest three day opening weekend in US history, [ [http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/records/index.html#weekend "The-numbers.com"] Retrieved on 06-05-07 ] as well as the largest opening for an animated movie until 18 May 2007, when it was eclipsed by its sequel "Shrek the Third." [ [http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/series/DigitalAnimation.php] "The-numbers.com" Retrieved on 06-05-07 ] As of 2006, it is the 9th highest-grossing film of all time. [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm] It went on to be the most successful film in 2004. [ [http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2004&p=.htm] 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. "Boxofficemojo.com" Retrieved on 06-05-07 ] The associated reached the top ten of the Billboard 200. It is also the seventh highest ticket selling animated film of all time [ [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm All Time Box Office Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation ] ] . It is, as well, the highest-grossing fully-animated movie of all time [ [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world All Time Worldwide Box Office Grosses ] ] .

Plot

The Story begins with Prince Charming narrating the story, as he searchs for the princess in the Highest Room of the Tallest Tower. After travelling for many days and nights, Prince Charming climbs to the Highest Room of the Tallest Tower and reaches the Princess' Tower. When he finds the Big Bad Wolf in the Princess' bed, he finds out the Princess is on a honeymoon, the Princess being Fiona.

Shrek and his new wife, Fiona spend their time enjoying their honeymoon. After coming home from their honeymoon, Shrek and Fiona are invited to Far Far Away for a Royal Ball celebrating their marriage, during which Shrek will receive a blessing from Fiona's dad, the King, and become part of the royal family. But Shrek thinks he should not go, since it would be a bad idea to have the King see Fiona looking like a ogre. Fiona eventually convinces Shrek to journey to Far Far Away to attend the ball. So Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey set off to Far Far Away

After a long journey, they arrive in Far Far Away, making their way to meet Fiona's parents, Harold and Lillian. Shrek believed it to be a bad idea, which the attending crowd proves evident with their hostile glances and weapons (pitchforks). At dinner, Shrek and Fiona's dad have an argument about how a family should be raised, which ends up in a food fight between Harold and Shrek, after which Fiona storms off, unable to bear the hostility between father and husband. Soon, Fiona's Fairy Godmother appears in her room, comforting Fiona. When Shrek and Donkey arrive, with Shrek not apologizing for his behavior, and Fiona becomes angry that Shrek refuses to change his ways, even though Fiona changed a lot for him.

It then cuts to King Harold, who was apparently listening to the whole argument between Fiona and Shrek. The Fairy Godmother shows up, where it is revealed that Prince Charming is her son, and whom the king promised would marry Fiona. The godmother demands that the king end their relationship. Harold then seeks a meeting at a shady bar, with a shady assassin who agrees to "take care of" Shrek. After their meeting, Shrek finds Fiona's diary in their room and reads it, revealing Fiona's old wish to become "Mrs. Fiona Charming". Shrek's thoughts are interrupted when the king comes knocking and asks if Shrek would want to join him on a hunting trip the next morning. Shrek reluctantly agrees.

There, Shrek and Donkey become lost in the forest, Meanwhile, Shrek comes upon Puss in Boots, who is revealed as the king's assassin. Shrek believes Puss had repented and allows him to accompany them on their now march to the Fairy Godmother's office.

After scamming the front desk clerk, they make their way to the godmother's laboratory, where she is making a love potion. After a non-productive meeting with her, they make their way into her storeroom and steal her Happily Ever After Potion. After they escape and leave the factory in ruins, the godmother finds out that they have stolen her potion and she concocts aplan to work the potion-stealing to their own advantage. Later, after Shrek, Donkey and Puss leave the factory, Shrek and Donkey drink the potion, which seems not to work at first. It begins to rain, and they take refuge in a barn, where they faint as the potion's effects take place. It shows Fiona, and she has become worried, and vows to find Shrek and return to their swamp. But, as soon as she walks out the door, the potion effects her too, and she also faints.

The next day, Shrek and Fiona become attractive humans, and Donkey turns into a white stallion. Shrek learns that if he kisses Fiona by midnight both of them will remain human forever. Within, Shrek, Donkey and Puss were on a rescue to save Fiona, but they were arrested. Meanwhile, when the King Harold starts letting by Fairy Godmother letting her to drink a love potion, start letting Fiona to be in love with Prince Charming and being married forever after the kiss. He deceded to form putting a potion in the tea, which Fiona drinks one without the potion.

In Prison, Shrek, Donkey and Puss were set free by Gingy with Big Bad Wolf, Pinocchio and the Three Little Pigs and Three Blind Mice, as Gingy starts the party when form a giant Gingerbread Man "Mongo" by the Muffin Man for a rescue to save Fiona. But the Ginat Gingerbread Man "Mongo" seems his arms were loose as fallen into the lake begins sinking, letting Shrek to enter on his way and letting everyone in just for case. When passing the guards, he acts adorible and attacks the guards. When Fiona starts to leave Charming, which Fairy Godmother stops her as she starts singing "Hero", as Charming and Fiona starts dancing as a minute, Shrek arrives.

Meanwhile, into the castle, Prince Charming approaches Fiona and tells her that the Happily Ever After Potion made her and Shrek human, but he claims that "he" is Shrek, as forming tricking her to marrying him which Fiona thinks he was Shrek that he was fake. When Shrek, Puss, and Donkey entered to the castle, they confront Charming and the Fairy Godmother at the ball as on a battle. Meanwhile, Fairy Godmother ordered Prince Charming, as he has kissed Fiona, but which she ended up, don't have a spell, as she goes back with Shrek. They defeat the Fairy Godmother, but not before she returns the King to his original form: a frog as she could defeat Shrek herself, but she was pulled back as she defeated herself.

Shrek asks Fiona if she wants to remain human. Fiona says she likes him as an ogre, which she wants her to be like him as an ogre. But Meanwhile, Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey return to their original forms as they kissed for the orge Happily Ever After when the audience applaudes with Donkey feels disappointed wanting to stay as the White Horse. The King finally accepts Shrek for who he is. Meanwhile after Fairy Godmother's defeat, Donkey and Puss starts a party when form a song "Livin' la Vida Loca" at the end of the story.

Cast

pecial guest stars

*Simon Cowell as himself (in the extended DVD version only)
*Joan Rivers as herself (in the US version)
*Kate Thornton as herself (in the UK version only)
*Jonathan Ross as Doris, the ugly stepsister (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".

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.' [ [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/09/1086749775405.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/09/1086749775405.html] "Smh.com.au" Retrieved on 06-05-07 ]

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 on the Region 1 anamorphic widescreen DVD.

Previews

Before the theatrical release, the previews are for the following films:
*"Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events"
*"The Cat in the Hat"
*"Thunderbirds"

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 on the Nine Network and its regional affiliates at 8:30PM AEST.
*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

Home media releases

This film has been released on VHS, Gameboy Game Paks, DVD, and Blu-ray Disc. The discs 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 $441,226,247 [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=shrek2.htm Shrek 2 (2004) ] ] domestically (US and Canada), and $478,612,511 in foreign markets, making a total of $919.8 million worldwide. This puts the movie at fourth on the all-time domestic box-office list and tenth 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 million) is DreamWorks' most profitable film to date.

Critical reception

The film was well received by a number of critics, many rating it as good as its predecessor, and some rated it even better. Metacritic has developed a weighted average rating of 75 out of 100 based on 39 professional reviews published in newspapers, magazines and in highly regarded Internet sites, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". [ [http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/shrek2/] "Metacritic.com" Retrieved on 06-05-07 ] Rotten Tomatoes gave "Shrek 2" a "Certified Fresh" rating of 89%, almost the same as the original's 90% rating

Far Far Away Idol

Far Far Away Idol is a bonus feature that can be seen on the DVD of Shrek 2. It has Shrek, Princess Fiona, and Simon Cowell (the judges) trying to decide who the next Far Far Away Idol should be. Below are the contestants and their songs. If the letter V is beside one, that means it has the judges' possible vote and the winner will do an encore. If there is no V beside one, it automatically goes to Simon who would sing "My Way".

Donkey: "Disco Inferno" V

Pinocchio: "Mr. Roboto"

Doris the Ugly Stepsister: "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"

The Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs: "Hungry Like the Wolf"

Prince Charming: "I'm Too Sexy"

Three Blind Mice: "I Can See Clearly Now"

Gingerbread Man: "Sugar Sugar"

Captain Hook: "Hooked on a Feeling"

Puss in Boots: "These Boots Are Made For Walking" V

Shrek and Princess Fiona: "What I Like About You" V

ee also

*List of animated feature-length films
*List of computer-animated films
*"Shrek 2 (video game)"
*"Shrek Super Slam" the video game
* "", the lyrical soundtrack by various artists
* "", the instrumental score, composed by Harry Gregson-Williams

References

External links

* [http://www.shrek2-themovie.com/ Official website]
*
*imdb title|id=0298148
*rotten-tomatoes|id=shrek_2|title=Shrek 2
*metacritic film|id=shrek2|title=Shrek 2
* [http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:286672 "Shrek 2" All Movie Guide entry]
*mojo title|id=shrek2

Box Office Leaders USA
before = Troy
year = 2004
date = May 23
date2 = May 30
after = Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban