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Fiona and Shrek are blissful ogres on their honeymoon in "Shrek 2," the delightful new animated film from Dreamworks. Shrek would like nothing better than to wallow in the swamp and lie on the beach with the love of his life. The couple's solitude is disturbed, however, when the fast-talking and impudent donkey who was Shrek's sidekick in the first movie knocks on their door and makes himself at home. Donkey is too clueless to know that two's company and three's a crowd. Shrek is even more chagrined when Princess Fiona's parents, the King and Queen, invite their daughter and her new husband to the palace. Shrek correctly predicts that his in-laws will be shocked when they discover that their daughter married an ogre. In fact, the King desperately wants Fiona to dump Shrek and marry Prince Charming, a fey blond egomaniac who is overly attached to his pushy mother. All this conflict puts a strain on the newlyweds.

"Shrek 2" scores in all areas. The acting is marvelous, with Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz heading an all-star cast. Jennifer Saunders is a standout as an aggressive fairy godmother with a mean streak. The animation is terrific, the special effects are marvelous, and there are musical numbers, satirical allusions, and lots of sight gags to entertain kids and adults alike. Kick back and enjoy this perfect summer movie.

The irreverent big green ogre is back, and so are all of the wit, charm and hilarity of his original big screen outing. As well, there are a few new surprises, and one of 'em packs a mighty furry punch; as Puss-in-Boots, a kitty cat assassin, Antonio Banderas works comic art, aping both Zorro and his own image as a suave Latino heartthrob. The plot itself is simple enough, finding Shrek (Mike Myers) heading to Far Far Away with his new wife, Fiona (Cameron Diaz), to meet her parents - with Donkey (Eddie Murphy) in tow, naturally. Of course, Mummy (Julie Andrews) and, especially, Daddy (John Cleese), are none-too-thrilled to see the transformation their daughter has undergone. Nor is the Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders), who had designs on Fiona marrying her over-coiffed son, Charming (Rupert Everett). Once again, the people behind the scenes manage to deliver a story that is not only laugh-out-loud funny, but heartwarming and memorable as well. There are nifty plot twists, hysterical sight gags, and stellar turns by all members of the voice cast. It comes THISclose to matching its wonderful predecessor, and is likely to stand head and, er, ears above the rest of the family film competition this summer. A definite winner.

Hilarious. Adults will love it's fast paced, bit mature, twisted humor. I liked it much better than the first Shrek. The laughs come at a non-stop fast pace. There are no boring parts. Small children may not catch much of the humor (at least I hope not), but the movie is a visual masterpiece. A feast for the young viewer's eyes. Great fun. Loved it.