Shrek 2

Shrek 2 (2004)

Timing: 1:32 (92 min)

7.31/10
13327

7.969/10
547727

7.4/10
552000

All about film

Video 14

Photo 174

Actors and characters

Release date

2004-05-19

Country

United States

Production

DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks Pictures, Pacific Data Images

Genre

Animation, Family, Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure, Romance

Budget

$150 000 000

Revenue

$935 454 538

Website

https://www.dreamworks.com/movies/shrek-2

Director

Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, Conrad Vernon

Actors

Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Julie Andrews, Antonio Banderas, John Cleese, Rupert Everett, Jennifer Saunders, Aron Warner, Kelly Asbury
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Aron Warner, John H. Williams, David Lipman, Jeffrey Katzenberg

Operator

Composer

Harry Gregson-Williams

Artist

Audition

Leslee Feldman

Editing

Sim Evan-Jones, Michael Andrews, Philip R. Garrett
All team (367)

• The character of the Godmother of Lady Fortuna was created for the first part of 'Shrek', but the creators of the cartoon decided to abandon her. However, it was decided to add this character to the second part.
• 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 recently appeared humorous magazine "The New Yorker".
• 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".
• Above Princess Fiona’s bed, a careful viewer can see a poster for “Sir Justin”. This fact emphasizes 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 giant gingerbread house near the fairytale castle reminds viewers of the famous Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from "Ghostbusters".
• Larry King voiced a character for the first time, rather than an animated version of himself, which he often did in several episodes of the cartoon series "The Simpsons".
• 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.
• “Shrek 2” was the first animated sequel to be nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Animated Feature category.
• In the scene where Shrek and Fiona argue, you can notice a poster of Stonehenge.
• The name of the giant gingerbread man, “Mongo,” is a reference to the film “Blazing Saddles” (1974), where the giant was also named Mongo.
• The main gates of the kingdom strongly resemble the entrance to Paramount Studios.
• On the day of the cartoon's premiere in Italy, the distributor bought out the entire advertising space in the La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper. A distinctive feature of the newspaper is that it has been printed on pink paper for over a hundred years, but on that day the issue was printed on green paper.
• Initially, the creators of the cartoon wanted King Harold to walk naked throughout the film, like in 'The Emperor's New Clothes'.
• In one of the scenes, you can notice that Fiona's mother is reading a book titled 'Kings from Mars, Queens from Venus'.
• John Cleese and Julie Andrews voiced the cartoon at the same time, which is a rather unusual practice, as actors voicing animated characters usually do not meet each other.
• In the scene where Shrek and Fiona arrive in the Far Far Away kingdom, there were over 600 extras.
• Over 300 Hewlett Packard graphics workstations were used in the production of the animated film.
• Shrek's face contains 218 muscles.
• 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.
• The film set a record for opening weekend box office receipts for animated films in the US (over $100 million).
• With his sword, Puss in Boots carves the letter ‘P’ into a tree with three strokes, which is a reference to Zorro. Antonio Banderas, who voiced the character, played Zorro in the film 'The Mask of Zorro' (1998).
• The fireworks over the castle in the final scene are reminiscent of the fireworks over the castle in the opening credits of “Disneyland” (1954).
• In the tavern, the man with a hook playing the piano was originally voiced by Tom Waits, who sang "Little Drop of Poison," and then by Nick Cave with the song "People Ain't No Good."
• The giant gingerbread man says, "Be good," which is a reference to “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982).
• When Shrek and Fiona ride through the streets of Far Far Away, you can see that “Deadly Arrow 4” is playing in the cinema.
• 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).
• 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.
• In the fight scene between Shrek and Puss in Boots, the cat tears Shrek's shirt and appears as if emerging from the latter's chest. This is a reference to "Alien" (1979).
• "Shrek 2" was the first film to be shown in more than 4000 theaters in the United States.
• Shrek, jumping onto a horse during the castle assault, repeats the trick of Legolas from "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (2002).
• "Shrek 2" was the first animated film to feature the new Dreamworks Animation logo at the beginning.
• 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 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.
• 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).
• 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.
• 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 main theme from "Mission: Impossible" (1996) plays when Pinocchio jumps into the chamber containing Shrek, Donkey, and Puss in Boots.
• 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).
• 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).
• 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."
• In the opening scene, Fiona performs two moves from the video game "Street Fighter II: The World Warrior" (1991).
• 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.
• 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).
• 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.
• 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."
• The scene where the Fairy Godmother sings while lying on the piano is a reference to "The Famous Baker Boys" (1989).
• 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.
• When Donkey cries out, "I'm melting! I'm melting!" in the rain, it's another reference to "The Wizard of Oz".
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Initially, the Dragon's role in the first part was supposed to be much larger.
• 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.
• 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."
• 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.
• The Grey Wolf first appears before the audience in the cartoon with 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 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.
• 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.
• 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 giant gingerbread house near the fairytale castle reminds viewers of the famous Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from "Ghostbusters."
• 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'.
• 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.
• The name of the giant gingerbread man, 'Mongo,' is a reference to the film 'Blazing Saddles' (1974), where the giant was also named Mongo.
• The main gates of the kingdom strongly resemble the entrance to the Paramount Studios.
• 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.
• Initially, the creators of the film wanted King Harold to walk naked throughout the entire movie, as in 'The Emperor's New Clothes'.
• 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.
• 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).
• 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'.
• When Shrek and Fiona ride through the streets of Far Far Away, you can notice that 'Deadly Arrow 4' is playing in the cinema.
• 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).