What follows is a tale of pure joy as Shrek enlists the help of his motley crew to fight for his marriage. It’s certainly a strong premise, but the film doubles down on wackiness when it introduces Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders), who will stop at nothing to guarantee that her son, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), marries Fiona instead - in her human form. They have no idea that their daughter not only married an ogre, but chose to remain one herself. Shrek travels to meet her parents, who just so happen to be royalty. Inspired by the 1967 classic Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, the film begins with a relatively simple story: Shrek (Mike Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) are married.
Considering this is the same studio that produced the How to Train Your Dragon and Kung-Fu Panda series, it’s clear that Shrek 2 has a special lasting power.
It went on to compete for the top prize at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, earn two Academy Award nominations, and remains DreamWorks’ most profitable movie to date. With more sophisticated animation, tighter pacing, and star-studded additions to the cast, including Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews and John Cleese, the movie was all but set up for success. But that’s what makes Shrek 2 so good: It manages to improve upon something no one knew needed improving. The first Shrek, a delightful romp about an ogre who learns to love, remains sweet and timeless.
But there’s an important (and arguably, less sexy) film missing from the conversation: Shrek 2. What do these movies have in common? Beyond sex appeal, these are sequels widely acknowledged to be better than their predecessors.