Shrek and Donkey return for another adventure as Shrek must face his most nefarious foes, his in-laws.
After an invigorating opening song for Shrek and Fiona’s honeymoon, Fiona’s parents, not knowing she is an ogre, send for the newlyweds to return to their kingdom, appropriately named Far Far Away.

Right from the opening Shrek 2 continues its parodies from the original, this time on The Lord of the Rings, Spider-Man, From Here to Eternity, Frankenstein, Little Red Riding Hood, and an insult to The Little Mermaid. Writer J. David Stem and directors Andrew Adamson and Kelly Asbury put in a lot of effort in order to bring more laughs than the original and they succeeded.

Shrek and Fiona return to Fiona’s kingdom and surprise her mother (Julie Andrews) and father (John Cleese) with the news that her husband is an ogre as is she. As their carriage tours the kingdom it seems to be more like Hollywood than a medieval kingdom. With the "Far Far Away" letters up on the mountain side,the Starbucks featured on every corner, and the huge homes for celebrities such as Cinderella and Snow White, the kingdom seems a little ahead of its time.

Disaster strikes when they arrive as the King and Shrek face off in a manly wits contest to prove who is the better man or ogre. Upset by her father and husband fighting, Fiona storms out of the room and races off to her childhood home, which is decorated with Sir Justin Timberlake posters. To enable his wife to live happily ever after, Shrek and Donkey head out on another world wide adventure.

On the way to the Fairy Godmother’s (Jennifer Saunders) factory where Shrek hopes to find a potion to make himself handsome, he encounters the assassin Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) whom closely resembles a feline Zorro. Fortunately, Shrek is able to best the tiny kitty and Boots joins Shrek and Donkey on their quest.

When Shrek reaches the Fairy Godmother’s factory he learns that the old lady is responsible for most of the turmoil in Far Far Away because she planned for her son, the metrosexual Prince Charming (Rupert Everett, to marry Fiona. In response, Shrek steals a happily ever after potion and he and Donkey become beautiful.

As the story, continues Shrek begins to realize that beauty is not happiness and he goes back to the kingdom to stop the King and Fairy Godmother from putting a spell on Fiona.

Shrek 2 brings back all of the features that made the original great and some more to make it better. A good sequel requires not only a clever plot, but also new characters to amuse the audience. The movie brings a basket full of new characters that achieve this purpose, including Puss in Boots, Prince Charming, and the King. Puss in Boots creates a nice trio with Shrek and Donkey and the rivalry between Donkey and Boots to be Shrek’s best friend is quite amusing.

Despite the success of this sequel, Shrek 2 is flawed by gratuitous songs. Nearly every song besides the opening and ending sequences is mistimed and ruins the mood. However, this is merely a minor error and does not take away from the film’s overall quality.

Tip to those who have yet to see it: stay after the credits to be introduced to another new character that will probably have a big role in Shrek 3.