Shrek 2

Imagine if you will Walt Disney's 1937 animated heroine Snow White sitting in a hot tub (a mud bath to be exact), with her Prince Charming, farting away under the water as an expression of love for her newly betrothed. It would make old Walt turn in his grave I'm sure but we are a very long way from the prim and proper world that spawned that quite beautiful and pure animated feature, as the fart jokes in Shrek 2 gleefully remind us.

In fact Shrek 2 shows us just how fractured our world – and indeed fairytales – have become over the last 70 years and just how far animation has come as an artform. It seems every week there is a new innovation adopted by this ambitious new generation of computer animators, who strive to make their animations more and more lifelike. Be it a program that animates hair, software to give skin texture, specific commands that control specific facial muscles. And as you might expect, Shrek 2 (like Shrek), is right on the cutting edge of all this innovation. These new CG characters are also allowed to be very cheeky in pursuit of their new audiences.

But spoofing old fairytales isn't Shrek 2's only agenda. It is a cinematic space where modern life is filtered back to us with great humour and insight, where as a viewer it is not only okay but necessary to have a love of cheesy movies and bad TV. It is a post-modern picnic. Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy once again voice The Ogre, Princess Fiona and Donkey in Shrek 2. Shrek and Fiona are rudely hauled out of their nuptial bliss, and their beloved Swamp, when Fiona's royal mum and dad, the King and Queen of Far Far Away, summon the newlyweds to "meet the parents." King Harold (John Cleese) is utterly mortified at the release of his daughter's 'inner ogre,' so he tries to have Shrek rubbed out of the family tree by enlisting Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas) an assassin as sneaky as he is bug-eyed cute. Banderas really steals the show.

Shrek 2 retains all the fun, artistry and pop stylings of Shrek. It is stuffed full of movie and TV references, from COPS and Flashdance to E! Entertainment and Mission Impossible. While it made me giggle like a little kid Shrek 2 didn't make quite the impact of the first. Shrek was such a new animation experience for us; perhaps the novelty wore off slightly second time around. There is also less of the one-on-one character byplay that made the first film so dazzling.

Really that is just splitting hairs though. Shrek 2 is a mighty enjoyable romp through the twisted minds of a bunch of talented writers and animators, who, while they do love their Uncle Walt, have absolutely no problem in making him spin a little in his frozen resting place.

Comments by Jaimie Leonarder:
Shrek 2 exorcises the demons of Hollywood through a fractured fairy tale. Re-visiting this morality play for a second time Far Far Away Land looks very much like LA. Andrew Adamson has preserved the legend and beauty of Shrek with its integrity intact.

Comments by Fenella Kernebone:
That a sequel would be made to the 2001 hit Shrek was inevitable and this just as fun as the original. Packed with a zillion sight gags and pop culture references, you'd need the DVD and the pause function to be able to see them all. The 3D animation is inspired and the vocal characterisations memorable. Notable performances include Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss 'N Boots (Antonio Banderas) version of 'Livin La Vida Loca.