Shrek 2
What happens after happily ever after?
Production
Budget
$150 000 000
Revenue
$923 075 336
Director
Scenario
William Steig
Author
Composer
Producer
Aron Warner
Actors
Mike Myers
Shrek (voice)
Eddie Murphy
Donkey (voice)
Cameron Diaz
Princess Fiona (voice)
Julie Andrews
Queen Lillian (voice)
Antonio Banderas
Puss in Boots (voice)
John Cleese
King Harold (voice)
Rupert Everett
Prince Charming (voice)
Jennifer Saunders
Fairy Godmother (voice)
Short description
Shrek and Fiona return from their honeymoon to an invitation from Fiona's parents, who want the newlyweds to visit their kingdom so the marriage can receive a royal blessing. Shrek doubts the trip is a good idea, and he turns out to be right: the King and Queen had no idea their daughter had become an ogre, nor that she had married one. Their plans for the throne and for Fiona's future are thrown into disarray, and the court turns to the Fairy Godmother, who wants her son, Prince Charming, matched with Fiona, while an ogre-hunting cat named Puss in Boots is sent after Shrek. Donkey stays at Shrek's side throughout.
The film is a DreamWorks Animation production directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon. It followed Adamson's first Shrek film and stands between Asbury's Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and Gnomeo & Juliet, and it was Vernon's directing debut ahead of Monsters vs Aliens and the later Shrek films. The voice cast includes Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Julie Andrews, Antonio Banderas and John Cleese, with 26 credited cast members and 369 credited crew.
Made for about 150 million dollars, it took roughly 923 million dollars worldwide. It holds a 7.4 rating on IMDb from 552,000 votes and a 7.3 on TMDB from 13,785 votes. The critics' rating of 7.9 from 238 reviews is slightly higher than both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- When Puss in Boots dances at the party, he sits in a chair, pulls a cord, and douses himself with water. This is a reference to "Flashdance" (1983).
- Above Princess Fiona's bed, a keen-eyed viewer can see a poster for "Sir Justin." This detail highlights the fact that during the making of the film, pop star Justin Timberlake and actress Cameron Diaz, who voices Princess Fiona in the cartoon, became engaged.
- The opening scene of the film, consisting of footage from Shrek and Fiona's honeymoon, contains references to the following films: — "Spider-Man" (2002): Fiona wipes dirt off Shrek's face while he is hanging upside down. — "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" (2001): the wedding ring accidentally falls onto Fiona's finger, and an inscription is also engraved on the inside of the ring. — "From Here to Eternity" (1953): Shrek and Fiona kiss on the beach.
- Initially, the Dragon's role in the first part was supposed to be much larger.
- The potion that the fairy gave the King with the intention of making Fiona fall in love with the first man she kisses is marked with the Roman numeral IX, reminding viewers of the painting "Love Potion No. 9."
- This was the first time Larry King voiced a character, rather than an animated version of himself, which he frequently did in several episodes of 'The Simpsons'.
- When Shrek and Fiona ride through the streets of Far Far Away, you can notice that 'Deadly Arrow 4' is playing in the cinema.
- Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, who wrote the screenplay for the first installment, left the project due to creative differences with the producers. They proposed making the cartoon a traditional fairy tale and did not accept the producers' desire to take the narrative in a completely different direction.
- In a book detailing the life of Princess Fiona, when her parents show her to the people of the Far Far Away kingdom, they hold her at the top of the castle tower, with the sun's rays falling on the princess. This is a reference to the beginning of the animated film "The Lion King" (1994), where Simba is shown to the other animals.
- Fiona, Shrek, and Donkey took several days to reach the far-off kingdom. But Pinocchio, Gepetto, and the Three Little Pigs covered the same distance in a few hours when they came to rescue Shrek from captivity.
- As the main characters enter Far Far Away, Donkey talks about "champagne splashes with caviar shores." This phrase was borrowed from Robin Leach's “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” (1984).
- When Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey enter the Far Far Away kingdom, Shrek says, "Now I'm sure we're not in the swamp anymore," which is very similar to Dorothy's line from "The Wizard of Oz" (1939): "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
- At the end of the film, Puss in Boots says he is heading to the “Kit Kat Club”. A club in “Cabaret” (1972) was also named this way.
- Shortly before the end of the film, when Puss in Boots looks at Fiona and Shrek, he exclaims: “Whatever happens, I mustn’t cry! I can’t burst into tears in front of everyone.” Jane Fonda says the same phrase in “Cat Ballou” (1965).
- Initially, the creators of the film wanted King Harold to walk naked throughout the entire movie, as in 'The Emperor's New Clothes'.
- In Mike Myers' career, "Shrek 2" became the second film, after "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" (1999), where the sequel earned more in its first two weeks of release than the first film did throughout its entire run.
- The fireworks over the castle in the final scene are reminiscent of the fireworks over the castle in the opening credits of “Disneyland” (1954).
- Shrek, jumping onto a horse during the castle assault, repeats the trick of Legolas from "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (2002).
- When Donkey cries out, "I'm melting! I'm melting!" in the rain, it's another reference to "The Wizard of Oz".
- "Shrek 2" was the first animated film to feature the new Dreamworks Animation logo at the beginning.
- In one of the scenes, you can notice that Fiona's mother is reading a book titled 'Kings from Mars, Queens from Venus'.
- The name of the giant gingerbread man, 'Mongo,' is a reference to the film 'Blazing Saddles' (1974), where the giant was also named Mongo.
- “Shrek 2” was the first animated sequel to be nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Animated Feature category.
- Most of the paintings in the castle are portraits of real kings and queens. For example, in the corridor you can notice the famous portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
- In the scene where Shrek and Fiona argue, you can notice a poster of Stonehenge.
- "Shrek 2" was the first film to be shown in more than 4000 theaters in the United States.
- The giant gingerbread house near the fairytale castle reminds viewers of the famous Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from "Ghostbusters."
- In the tavern, the man with a hook playing the piano was initially voiced by Tom Waits, singing 'Little Drop of Poison,' and then by Nick Cave with the song 'People Ain’t No Good'.
- The main theme from "Mission: Impossible" (1996) plays when Pinocchio jumps into the chamber containing Shrek, Donkey, and Puss in Boots.
- The giant gingerbread man says, "Be good," which is a reference to “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982).
- In the chase shown on television, the camera follows a "white Mustang." This is a reference to the police pursuit of O.J. Simpson in a "Ford Bronco" in 1994.
- In the fight scene between Shrek and Puss in Boots, Puss rips open Shrek's shirt and appears as if emerging from the latter's chest. This is a reference to "Alien" (1979).
- In the opening scene, Fiona performs two moves from the video game "Street Fighter II: The World Warrior" (1991).
- The character of the Godmother, Lady Fortuna, was originally created for the first part of "Shrek," but the creators of the cartoon decided to abandon her. However, they decided to add this character to the second part.
- When Fiona meets the Fairy Godmother, and she sings a song about making everyone happy, the Fairy Godmother uses her magic wand to lift Fiona's dress in the same way as in the famous scene with Marilyn Monroe in "The Seven Year Itch" (1955).
- The Big Bad Wolf first appears before the audience in the cartoon holding a magazine called "The New Porker," the cover of which depicts an elegant pig with a monocle. This is a parody of "The New Yorker" magazine.
- The main gates of the kingdom strongly resemble the entrance to the Paramount Studios.
- When Mongo throws a burning lollipop at the knights on the castle walls, you can hear them shout, "Run, run!" This is a reference to "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975), which also starred John Cleese.
- In the scene where Shrek and Fiona arrive in the Far Far Away kingdom, there were over 600 extras.
- The sign for the “Poison Apple” tavern is shown in the cartoon in the same way as the sign for the “Prancing Pony” in “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001).
- The scene where the Fairy Godmother sings while lying on the piano is a reference to "The Famous Baker Boys" (1989).
- John Cleese and Julie Andrews voiced the film at the same time, which is a rather unusual practice, as actors voicing animated characters typically do not meet each other.
- During the end credits, we see individual shots of each character with the name of the actor who voiced them. The shot of Donkey, Eddie Murphy, is identical to a shot from the film "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984), in which he played the lead role.
- The film features numerous characters from various fairy tales and cartoons. Among them: — Captain Hook is playing the piano in a tavern. — Two talking trees from “Babes in Toyland” can be spotted in the tavern. — Lumière (the candelabra) and Cogsworth (the clock) from “Beauty and the Beast” (1991) can be seen at the Fairy Godmother’s factory. — In the opening scene, when the wave washes over Shrek and Fiona, Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” (1989) kisses Shrek instead of Fiona. — Hansel (from “Hansel and Gretel”) owns the cottage where Shrek and Fiona stay during their honeymoon. — Little Red Riding Hood knocks on the cottage where Shrek and Fiona are staying, then runs away, leaving her basket behind after seeing its inhabitants.
- With his sword, Puss in Boots carves out the letter 'P' on a tree with three strikes, which is a reference to Zorro. Antonio Banderas, who voiced this character, played Zorro in the film 'The Mask of Zorro' (1998).
- Shrek's face contains 218 muscles.
- On the day the cartoon premiered in Italy, the distributor bought out all advertising space in the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. A characteristic feature of the newspaper is that it has been printed on pink paper for over a hundred years, however, on that day the issue was printed on green paper.
- The film contains numerous references to well-known brands, streets, and company logos: Burger Prince – Burger King, Olde Knavery – Old Navy, the giant letters on the hill in the Far Far Away kingdom – a clear reference to the Hollywood sign, Saxon Fifth Avenue – Saks Fifth Avenue, Romeo Drive – Rodeo Drive, Versarchery – Versace, Gap Queen – Gap Kids, Farbucks Coffee – Starbucks, Friar’s Fat Boy – Big Boy, Tower of London Records – Tower Records, Baskin Robinhood – Baskin Robbins ice cream, FFPS – US Postal Service, Barney’s Old York – Barney’s New York.
- Donkey’s line, “Hey, beautiful! Don’t go, we’ll come back for you!” was borrowed from a “Mr. Microphone” commercial that aired in the 1970s.
- The film set a record for opening weekend box office receipts for animated films in the US (over $100 million).
- Over 300 Hewlett Packard graphics workstations were used in the production of the animated film.
- Many viewers saw a hidden parody of the iconic cat Garfield in the actions of Puss in Boots, who often repeated the phrase: "I hate Mondays".
- William Steig, the author of the book on which the first film was based, died during the production of "Shrek 2." The film is dedicated to his memory.
- Antonio Banderas also voiced Puss in Boots for the Spanish and Latin American dubbed versions of the film. In the Spanish version, Antonio spoke with an Andalusian accent, while in the Latin American version he spoke with a Castilian accent.
- The following signs can be seen in the "Poison Apple" tavern: "Happy Hour 5-7", "No one under 21 admitted", "We reserve the right to behead any patron."
- During dinner, the queen, king, Fiona, Shrek, and Donkey take turns calling each other by name twice. This is a reference to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975).
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
