OxfordPress.com

Grade: B+

Verdict: A hilarious and heartwarming chip off the old lime-green block.

By DAVE LARSEN
Cox News Service

The Grimm truth for Shrek is that "happily ever after" with Princess Fiona means facing his in-laws.

Shrek, the 2001 computer-animated comedy about the unlikely relationship between a not-so-jolly green ogre and an enchanted princess, was a fairy-tale success. The monster hit earned $268 million at the box office and won the first Academy Award presented in the new category of best animated feature.

Consequently, a sequel was conjured, meaning more problems for Shrek and more big laughs for his fans.

Shrek 2 isn't quite as fresh or funny as the original film, which skewered the fairy-tale conventions of Disney classics, as well as the Magic Kingdom itself. But once it gets past an initial, post-opening lull in which a new plot and characters are established, the sequel builds to a hilarious and heartwarming chip off the old lime-green block.

The original voice cast of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz reprise their roles, joined by a spot-on roster of Brits that includes John Cleese, Julie Andrews, Rupert Everett and Jennifer Saunders. However, the film is virtually stolen by Antonio Banderas, who sends up his Zorro persona as the swashbuckling cat, Puss In Boots.

Shrek 2 opens with a side-splitting honeymoon montage that pays quick, cheeky homage to countless film classics. For example, Shrek and Fiona roll in the crashing surf, a la From Here to Eternity, only to have a large wave replace Fiona with a certain red-headed mermaid, whom Fiona pulls off her hubby and tosses to the sharks.

Returning home, Shrek (the voice of Myers) and Fiona (Diaz) receive an invitation from the latter's parents, the king and queen of Far Far Away, to receive the royal blessing for their union. King Harold (Cleese) and Queen Lillian (Andrews) are unaware that their daughter has married an ogre and, in fact, has become one herself.

It turns out that Fiona was to have been rescued from the dragon's lair by Prince Charming (Everett), but Shrek beat him there and made off with her heart.

Joined by his motor-mouthed sidekick Donkey (Murphy), Shrek reluctantly agrees to accompany Fiona to Far Far Away, a candy-colored parody of Hollywood and Beverly Hills. His trip to the image-conscious kingdom is a disaster, prompting Harold to hire infamous ogre-killer Puss In Boots. Meanwhile, Shrek attempts to undergo an extreme makeover with the help of Fairy Godmother (Saunders), whose motives are hardly good-hearted.

Shrek 2 starts to hit its stride with the arrival of Puss, who gives Donkey some unwelcome competition for the role of "annoying talking animal." His deceptively disarming, dewy eyes are straight out of a velvet painting.

Once again, the film scores its biggest laughs by lampooning beloved fairy tales -- Red Riding Hood's nemesis is referred to as a "gender-confused wolf" -- as well as popular films and television programs.

However, contemporary pop-culture references such as a poster of "Sir Justin" on Fiona's teen-age bedroom wall -- an inside reference to Diaz's real-life love, singer Justin Timberlake -- may date the film in years to come.

Visually, the film is even more vibrant than the original, thanks to further advancements in computer animation.

The uproarious, action-packed climax will have you grinning like the Cheshire Cat, if not laughing out loud. There's a charming fairy-tale twist, as well as a rousing musical number that echoes the first film's finale.

But it's doubtful that our hero will be allowed his happily ever after -- Shrek 3 is already in the works.