In this meet-the-parents sequel to the romantic fairy tale in which two ogres fall in love, SHREK 2 brings the loveable green menace (voiced by Mike Meyers) back to the big screen for the second round of mischief.

This time around, in addition to the voices of Cameron Diaz (as Shrek's sweetheart Fiona) and Eddie Murphy (as their companion Donkey), Julie Andrews and John Cleese chime in as Fiona's parents, Queen Lillian and King Harold. Surprising newcomer Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas)--a slyly funny tabby honed for swashbuckling adventure--joins the crew.

Last but certainly not least, the conniving duo of vain Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) and his power-hungry mom, the Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders), spice up the action. When Fiona insists that her new husband Shrek visit her parents, they travel to Far Far Away (a Disneyfied medieval version of Hollywood) where everything goes wrong.

The King and Queen are outraged to see their daughter married to an ogre, and while Fiona tries to calm them, Shrek sets out to find a solution. He finds it, in the form of a Happily Ever After potion, which only complicates matters, drawing all parties into a confusing exchange of magic and spells, all for the sake of true love.

With shimmering Pixar animation giving SHREK 2 near-3-D visuals, the witty scripting and eclectic pop music soundtrack keep the film hopping along with an upbeat pace. "Holding Out for a Hero" by Frou Frou, and "Livin' la Vida Loca" by Eddie Murphy are the most raucous of the film's many great songs, though more subtle numbers such as "Accidentally in Love" by Counting Crows, and "Little Drop of Poison" by Tom Waits certainly enrich some key scenes of this enjoyable family film.

The newlywed Shrek and Princess Fiona are invited to Fiona's former kingdom, Far Far Away, to have the marriage blessed by Fiona's parents--which Shrek thinks is a bad, bad idea, and he's proved right: the parents are horrified by their daughter's transformation into an ogress, a fairy godmother wants her son Prince Charming to win Fiona, and a feline assassin is hired to get Shrek out of the way.

The computer animation is more detailed than ever, but it's the acting that make the comedy work--in addition to the return of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz, Shrek 2 features the flexible voices of Julie Andrews, John Cleese and Antonio Banderas, plus Jennifer Saunders as the gleefully wicked fairy godmother. -- Bret Fetzer