#282: Shrek 2

Release Date: May 21st, 2004

Format: Streaming (Peacock) Written by: Andrew Adamson, J. David Stem, Joe Stillman,, and David N. Weiss Directed by: Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon 3 Stars

America had a bad case of Shrek Fever in the early 2000s. 

The first Shrek was an irreverent, fairy tale sucker punch thrown at Disney’s evil empire. If Disney’s films were going to monopolize beauty and magic in American animation at the end of the 20th century, Dreamworks’ Shrek was going to zag sideways and tell the story of a farting green ogre and his faithful, loudmouth donkey saving a kickass princess.

It ended up being a surprise hit for Dreamworks and went on to earn nearly half a billion dollars at the box office. 

A sequel was inevitable

Shrek 2 proves to be a lot of fun. Everybody’s favorite characters are back (with some new additions, like Fiona’s Fairy Godmother), along with more crowd-pleasing pop songs, action set pieces, and the same decidedly anti-Disney sense of humor that made the original such a breath of fresh air.     

It’s not a perfect movie by any means. The storytelling has some issues (namely, Princess Fiona doesn’t have a whole lot to do here), but Shrek 2 more or less gives you what you want if you’re a fan of the original.