When Princess Fiona and Shrek reach home they find that they have been invited to see Princess Fiona’s parents. Here Shrek and Fiona argue about whether to accept the invite with the last word given by Fiona ‘Yes we are’, with the next middle shot showing them packing. This also shows the adult humour of ‘women getting their own way’. The donkeys annoyances of not given Shrek and Fiona any privacy i.e. by attending their every journey, was comedy to both the adults and the children. The children enjoyed it because of donkeys overall ‘talk –a-lot’ behaviour and the adults because they probably experienced the ‘no privacy’ feeling, perhaps by their own children.
Far Far Away is aptly named, as the couple and Donkey travel by a horse drawn carriage for 700 miles to reach the kingdom. During this journey, donkey being loquacious begins his attributes of his character with him repeating ‘Are we there yet?’ throughout the journey. Shrek is quickly irritated and is reflected in his reply of ‘No!’ getting every more deeper and aggressive ‘The kingdom of FAR FAR Away, Donkey? That's where we're going! FAR! FAR! Away…’ Here adult humour is displayed because they probably know the kind of irritation donkey has which is very similar to young kids. Donkey in this film is used as a sort of distraction from tense scenes as the film generally remembers that it is supposed to be a universal film. It is situation like these that usually involve donkey, which makes the film appeal to young children compared to the other jokes dominantly directed towards the adults. Between the most intensifying scenes such as the scene involving Shrek and Fiona’s argument Donkey makes a comment to relieve the children away from the tension. For example at the end of the argument there is a silence where he cuts in and says ‘I'm an ogre! Arrr!’ that is funny for the children.
When they reach ‘Far Far Away’ we see the ‘Kingdom of Far Far Away’ is the setting for a sledgehammer-subtle satire of Hollywood, which never offers anything dangerous or perceptive - just observation that it's glitzy, glamorous, and commercial. The companies whose names are gently mocked probably do not object to the (free?) advertising. The well-known ‘Versace’ becomes ‘Versachery’ and the recognized Hollywood sign has ‘Far Far Away’ symbol instead. There is also a ‘Farbucks’ coffee shop as opposed to a ‘Starbucks’. This indicates the realism appeal that both children and adults would pick up on.
Filled to its brim with pop-culture references (some to look out for include a giant gingerbread man scene, rather like the Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man finale in 'Ghostbusters' and a marmalade puss who like 'Garfield' announces "I hate Mondays") and with a superb satire of the glam and glitzy Academy Awards and Hollywood in general.
Shrek 2's most consistency is its directors' addiction to making incessant references to various items of American pop-culture. Because these are generally uninspired, clumsy, and forgettable, and each follows the last almost without interruption, they soon pass (in my opinion) beyond boring and actually begin to get annoying. The directors include in the movie an imaginary television show called Knights that, imitating the lurid exploitation program Cops, shows medieval knights in armour chasing and capturing some suspected criminal. In this case they catch Shrek, who is, subsequently, freed from prison by his friends in a sequence mimicking one from Mission Impossible II. The Fairy Godmother runs her vast magical empire like a Mafia don. The guests at the royal ball held to celebrate Fiona's marriage walk down a red carpet, like celebrities attending the Academy Awards, while an animated Joan Rivers (Joan Rivers) makes comments about them. The affluent capital of the Kingdom of Far Far Away bears a remarkable resemblance to Beverly Hills, complete with palm trees, Starbucks-like coffee shops, drive through eateries, and carriages like stretch limousines. How clever. The list goes on and on and on.
During the dinner scene with the Queen, King, Fiona, Shrek, and Donkey at the table go through each other's names twice, ending with Donkey smiling and referring to himself. This is a reference to The Rocky Horror Picture Show where the characters go through each others' names in a chaotic roundabout. Because the directors aim to lower violence for the children they emphasise anger through other alternatives i.e. food. When Shrek and King are arguing they begin to rip apart the food unconsciously. Adults here will understand this sort of aggression but not young children.
The language used with Shrek 2 is sometimes quite discourteous but hidden in the fast pace humour. The sarcastic quick comments is more easier for the mature audience to understand as the have a faster hearing pace and generally know more as most of the jokes came from modern time news (this is one of the reasons why children often miss out on the joke). For example, when Donkey took the magic potion he says to Puss-in-Boots ‘I don't *feel* any different. Do I look any different?’ and Puss-in-Boots replies ‘You still look like an ass to me!’ The language used here suggest adult material whether Puss-in-Boots meant ‘ass’ as in donkey or as a rude comment. Children would only associate the word ‘ass’ as a rude way to say ‘bottom’ unaware that there are two meanings. This happens also in Shrek 1. Shrek 2 also uses informal language that generally applies to both children and adults although children tend to know more informal slang language.
The Fairy Godmothers own character is sadistic and impatient in contrast to the ‘fairy’ she is supposed to be. The Fairy Godmothers anguish to release stress can only be understood by adults ‘I don't care whose fault this was, just get it sorted! And could someone please bring me something deep fat fried and smothered in chocolate...’
Gender bureaucrat enemy of the people "Fairy Godmother" lives a life of dogmatism following the scripts in "Cinderella," "Snow White" and such books that she keeps in her library. Living off the exploited workers, and selling hocus-pocus to the people like many other unproductive sector ‘flim-flam’ artists we can think of today, Fairy Godmother spreads her poisonous visions of the future everywhere and lords over even the king himself. Seeking to appropriate the sexuality of the King's daughter for her son, Fairy Godmother does her best to spread ‘speciesist’ propaganda against ogres, one of which already married the King's daughter, thus making her unavailable to the Fairy Godmother's son. The evil ‘speciesist’ propaganda finds fertile grounds in the King's mind and most of the people of the kingdom. Highly class-conscious characters including Pinocchio watching television immediately see through the ‘Pigdom's’ entertainment media, get off the couch and rush to help their compatriots locked up while filmed for a cop show. Once out of prison, our heroes rely on a toiling baker to launch on all-out assault on the bastion of reaction, on castle taken over by Fairy Godmothers plotting. Using the past to serve the present as Mao instructed artists, the directors of Shrek 2 rattle off cultural references like machine-gun fire. Making Godzilla sounds and tearing down Starbucks on the way to the castle, our heroes arrive in time to do battle with the Fairy Godmother. Borrowing a move from another movie, the King dives to absorb the attack from the Fairy Godmother and he ends up turning into a frog. By running the king-to-frog cultural reference in reverse and making a Godzilla type character a hero, the directors of Shrek 2 show just how upside down and backwards our culture is.
The camera shots within Shrek 2 also make up with the audiences’ reactions as well as the computer graphics. Close up shots are aimed more at adults because there is more detail within the scenes. Whereas children prefer the ‘whole picture’ and scenes that are bold, bright and simple. What appeals to children in the film is the funny looking characters that look almost look real. The difference with the normal animation from the ‘plastic-looking’ animation is that it looks more existent. The big eyed, Scottish mouth, tube eared, bogey coloured ogre is so characteristically different from the average human, (obviously designed lovingly than if it were real) it appeals to children in an interesting awe – the next big thing since the bogeyman.
The music used within Shrek 2 including within the ‘Pop Idol’ ending is generally bubbly as the film is a cartoon comedy. Counting Crows track, ‘Accidentally In Love’ song plays over the opening of the film as we see Shrek and Fiona on their honeymoon. This fits well within the context to both audiences. The catchy tune lures them in for the launch of the film.
Themes within Shrek 2 are:
Prejudice: Because Shrek is an ogre people tend to think he is naturally horrible and cruel and cannot possibly have a feeling of love.
Discrimination: The King does not want his daughter to have a relationship with Shrek because he is an ogre.
Love: The romance between Shrek and Fiona is the centrepiece within the film that is understood by both audiences. As with any good romantic structure the couple go through a series of obstacles to continue to build on their relationship beginning with the denial of the King’s approval.
Lust: The lust for power which is seen by the dominating and intimidating Godmother and the lust of good-looks which is seen when Shrek turns handsome.
Fairytales: The world’s eagerness to see a traditional fairytale come to life through Fiona and Prince Charming especially by the Godmother who insists that a Princess cannot love an ogre.
Sex (?): Puss-in-Boots action when shown to be ‘licking’ his own genitals and amplifying that he could be Shrek if Princess Fiona ‘wanted him to’.
Conflict: There is lot of conflict depicted in the play. There is conflict between: community and Shrek and Shrek between Prince Charming and The Fairy Godmother.
Motifs include:
Marriage: The marriage between Shrek and Fiona parallels with the marriage between the Queen and the King. Shrek and the King have both struggled with the acceptance of whom and what they are by their lovers.
Empowerment: Shrek was given the empowerment by his love for Fiona and hers for his. He and Donkey had taken a ‘Happily Ever After’ potion that made them feel invincible.
Symbolism includes:
Hollywood: The shops present in ‘Far Far Away’ are symbolising the Beverly Hills ‘star-style’ city.
Drugs: Puss-in-Boots is caught with ‘catnip’ representing the ‘drugs’.
Fairytales: The world they are living in is full of fairytale characters which also symbolises that they are actual people as well as story characters.
As you can see, most of these themes, motifs and symbolism are a topic between adults. Fairytales and Love is something of what the children will understand. Whilst topics of Drugs, Sex, Marriage, a deeper feeling of Love and the complication of issues like Prejudice, Lust and Discrimination would not be understood by a younger audience.
Similarities with Shrek 1 and Shrek 2 are that both still share the same worthy message of inner beauty even though it is shown differently. In Shrek 1 the message was given clearly through the symbolism of Fiona beginning forever ‘ugly’ but destined to Shrek despite her state of mind about ‘true love’ before. It turns out that the one who is considered ugly is and ‘unfairytale like’ is the one she loves and shows beauty within. Lord Farquaad however is supposed to be the royal king but inside he is evil and malicious. At the end where Fiona realises that she is destined for Shrek she says ‘But I am supposed to be beautiful’ and Shrek replies ‘But you are beautiful’ this line concludes the message of inner beauty.
The message is reminded in Shrek 2. Shrek feels he is not good enough for Fiona due to what her father and the Fairy Godmother not to mention the fairy dust society. However in difference to Shrek 1, Shrek 2 shows a deeper understanding of inner beauty. Fiona is given the chance to forget about Shrek and actually live happily ever after with her human form that she thought was impossible to have again. Shrek’s love for her is so deep he transforms himself to take shape of a human for her to make her happy. But because of Fiona’s experience with him and her mature mind ever since Shrek appeared, she makes the right decision to be with Shrek whatever people say about his shape or form (the children are relieved). Her powerful message changes her parents view showing that this is the real ‘happily ever after’. Children are able to understand this message but probably not as deep as adults understand. With the obsession with modern day society of anti-ageing creams and plastic surgery, the directors display the concern through humour that is comfortably expressed. This makes children aware and especially adults aware of the message even though the humour. I think that this part plays an important significance to the film, as it is the only scene that is humourless and mildly intense, therefore well enough to engage both adults and children. The jokes are more emphasised in Shrek 2 than in Shrek 1.
Tribulations of Shrek as a whole with his fight with society’s obsession with figure and beauty depicts a state of realism and can de understood and applied to both children and adults. The reason for this is that through the strong humour children notice the pale plot hidden through the animation and is blatant to the adult audience. The creators of Shrek actually use the known fairytales to craft together their own ‘fairytale’. This idea actually lures in the child audience. For example in every fairytale there is a problem particularly to do with the villain. In this case it was the Fairy Godmother who was the villain with her ‘evil sidekick’ Prince Charming. And of course the supposedly ugly ogre is seen as the hero. Using design and graphics they actually turn what would have been realistically horrendous into good and what is usually the good saviour in stories, the rogue.
Many other animation films do not possess the qualities that Shrek 2 has. Although most animation films have a moral message (family, love, friends etc) they only seem to apply themselves to children only. For example, Pixar’s animation movie ‘ToyStory’ displays their message about love and friends purely unadulterated by using low language and through the symbolism of ‘talking toys’. The humour is not as frequent and is clearly lame to the adult viewers. There are no modern day references but simply jokes making it a defined ‘kid’s film’.
To conclude Shrek 2 most obviously shows strong signs of maturity from the language to the actions. Although it carries some ciphers of children it is clearly not enough to cover the adult references and it is no wonder the film has made so much money as most of the money-carriers are adults anyway. Shrek 2 being a comedy is just not fulfilling. I think instead of making the film ‘O.K.’ for two audiences why not make it ‘Brilliant’ for just one. And it is because of this blatant desperation of trying to impress both that Shrek 2 had lost my appetite.
Shrek 2 is definitely I feel is an adult context film probably not to a far degree however. It may be suitable for teens but for young children it is only right to be ‘parentally guided’.
