The Megahit Movies

by Richard Stefanik

  The dragon roars. Shrek leaves Fiona to rescue Donkey. During the action, the dragon mistakenly kisses Shrek’s butt. The chained chandelier falls around the dragon’s neck. The chase is on! Shrek, Donkey, and Fiona run for their lives while being chased by the fire-breathing dragon. They run across the bridge. The dragon sets the bridge on fire. It collapses. Donkey almost falls to his death but Shrek saves him. The dragon leaps across the bridge but is restrained by the chain around his neck Shrek, Donkey and Fiona make it to safety on the other side of the abyss, while the dragon cries.

  Fiona thanks them for rescuing her. She wants Shrek to remove his mask and kiss her. She is filled with romantic thoughts and thinks that Shrek is her true love. Shrek and Donkey laugh. Shrek explains that he just came to get her for Lord Farquaard. Shrek takes off the helmet, and Fiona sees that he is an Ogre. She is disappointed. “I am supposed to be rescued by a prince,” says Fiona. Shrek picks her up and carries her away toward DuLoc.

  Donkey and Shrek make “size” jokes about Lord Farquaard. It is getting dark. Fiona demands that they make camp for the night. Fiona hides in a cave. Shrek and Donkey lie outside and look at the stars. Shrek tells stories about the characters in the stars. Shrek tells Donkey that there is no we! After this is over, Shrek is going back to his swamp alone! Shrek wants to keep everyone out, because the world has always rejected him. Fiona hears all of this from her cave.

  Lord Farquaard is in his bedroom. He tells the mirror to show him Princess Fiona again. Fiona comes out of her cave and sings to a blue bird. When she hits a very high note, the blue bird explodes. Fiona then takes the bird’s eggs and cooks them. She makes breakfast for Shrek and Donkey. They walk toward DuLoc. Shrek burps. Fiona burps, too. Robin Hood swings from the trees and sweeps Fiona away. He announces that he has saved Fiona from the Ogre. He is Robin Hood. He introduces his Merry Men who do a song and dance routine. Robin Hood gets punched in the face. Fiona uses her martial arts techniques to defeat Robin and his men. Shrek gets an arrow stuck in his butt. Fiona tells Donkey to find a blue flower with red thorns. Finally, Fiona pulls out the arrow. Donkey faints.

  Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey continue on their journey. Finally they see DuLoc in the distance. Fiona doesn’t want to reach the castle, so she stalls. She says that Donkey does not look well, and that they should all stay where they are for the evening. Donkey agrees. Shrek cooks them a dinner. The sun begins to set. Fiona goes into the nearby cabin for the night. Donkey and Shrek talk about Shrek’s feelings for Fiona.

  Donkey goes into the cabin looking for Fiona. When he finds her, he sees that she has transformed into a fat ugly ogre-like creature. This is a surprise plot twist. It happens to her every night since a witch cast a spell on her when she was a child. This is not how a princess is supposed to look. Only true love’s kiss can break the spell!

  Shrek overhears the conversation, but misunderstands. He thinks that Fiona is saying that he is too ugly to love. Shrek turns and walks away. In the morning, Fiona is debating with herself about whether she should tell Shrek she loves him: “Tell him, tell him not!” Fiona comes out of the cabin and approaches Shrek. He is angry because of the misunderstanding. “Who could love a hideous, ugly beast!” says Shrek.

  Lord Farquaard rides up. Shrek turns Fiona over to him and takes the deed to the swamp. Farquaard laughs. “It’s not like the Ogre has feelings!” Fiona accepts Lord Farquaard’s proposal and rides away with him. Shrek argues with Donkey, telling him that he lives alone. Shrek rejects Donkey.

  Montage of Shrek and Fiona separated as she prepares for her wedding, and he lives alone. This is the end of act two, with the classic desperation sequence in which the hero’s cause seems hopeless. The love interest is in the possession of the antagonist, and it appears that there is no way that the protagonist can win her back. The “Hallelujah Song” plays over the montage. Dragon and Donkey also meet again. Donkey makes a wall in the center of the swamp. He argues with Shrek, saying that half the swamp is his since he went on the journey to get the princess. Donkey calls Shrek “Onion Boy.” Fiona was not calling you ugly,” says Donkey. Donkey forgives Shrek, and Shrek forgives Donkey. They are friends. They remember the wedding. Donkey whistles for the dragon that swoops down and flies them to LuDoc.

  The marriage ceremony between Lord Farquaard and Fiona is taking place.

  Shrek and Donkey go to the church door. Donkey tells the dragon to wait until he whistles for her. Donkey says that they have to wait for the right moment when Shrek should run in and say, “I object!” Shrek throws Donkey up into the sky so that he can see through the church window. Donkey realizes that it is too late. Shrek drops him and runs into the church. Shrek runs down the aisle screaming “I object!!!”

  ”Now you want to talk?” says Fiona. Shrek shouts out that Lord Farquaard is not her true love! He just wants to marry her in order to become King!” Lord Farquaard and the people in the church laugh at Shrek. Farquaard tells Fiona to kiss him. She stops, as she sees the setting sun. It transforms her into the ugly ogre-like creature. Farquaard is repulsed by the sight of her. He orders his guards to take her and Shrek away. A fight starts up. Donkey whistles for the dragon, which flies through the church window and swallows Lord Farquaard. Dragon spits out his crown.

  “I love you,” Shrek says to Fiona. They kiss. Fiona is lifted up into a swirling vortex of magic dust. She is transformed and then gently falls down to the floor. Shrek goes to her side. She has not changed. She is still the plump little green ogre. This is another surprise twist in the story. “I was supposed to become beautiful,” says Fiona.

  ”You are beautiful,” says Shrek.

  Resolution Scene: Big party in the swamp. Everyone is singing and dancing, including the Gingerbread Man and Donkey with Dragon. This is the standard resolution scene in which the community celebrates the triumph of the protagonist and love interest: Shrek and Princess Fiona. But the celebration is made unique by the antics of the Fairy Tale creatures. But, in the end, “They live happily ever after.”

  THE END

  SHREK 2 Logline

  Shrek 2 (a.k.a. The Princess Fiona Story)

  “Meeting the Parents meets The Magic Kingdom”

  “The Trials and Tribulations of the Ogres’ First Year of Marriage”

  “How I Learned I Married an Ogre and How I Learned to Love the

  Ogre I Married”

  Theme

  You must be willing to make changes for the one you love (Shrek), but if you really love someone, you must accept them as they are (Fiona).

  Introduction of the Antagonist

  Prince Charming rides through the rain and blazing sun, storming the castle to get to the top and rescue the fair maiden. He is the bravest and most handsome knight of all. He will win his bride with a kiss. But there is no sign of Princess Fiona, nor a fire-breathing dragon. Instead, there is a wolf in a granny gown, who tells him that Fiona is on her honeymoon at the Gingerbread House. Surprise twist: the stereotypical Prince Charming does not get to kiss the sleeping princess.

  Introduction of the Protagonist, Love Interest, and ProtagonistSupporter

  The sequence begins with a montage of Shrek and Fiona on their honeymoon. Back in the swamp, Shrek carries Fiona over the threshold, only to find Donkey sitting in the living room chair, singing a song expressing his loneliness. He has left home because his Dragon love has been too moody. Donkey doesn’t want to leave. Shrek says that he and Fiona are now a married couple and want to be alone. This is the protagonist’s primary motivation and dream. When Donkey finally lives the cottage, he finds more guests on the front lawn.

  Inciting Event

  A royal page, accompanied by heralds with trumpets, invites them to a royal ball being held by the King and Queen, Fiona’s father and mother. Fiona and Donkey want to go, but Shrek believes it is a bad idea and refuses. The next morning, they embark on their journey in an Onion carriage. This is the inciting event which changes their lives and starts them on the journey to the m
agic kingdom to become part of the family. There is now a conflict of primary objectives. Shrek wants to stay at home with his wife while Fiona wants to visit her parents. Fairy Tale creatures run into Shrek’s home to house sit as Shrek, Fiona and Donkey embark on the journey to the magical kingdom of Far, Far, Away. They travel through mountains, rain, snow, and the wilderness. Since this is a transition scene, the scenery needs to be visually diverse in order to keep the audience from getting bored. Shrek is not happy and has to deal with Donkey’s incessant talking and his annoying question: “Are we there yet?” The straw that finally breaks the Ogre’s back is Donkey’s “popping of his lips.”

  They finally reach their destination, and the kingdom is as wonderful as anyone can imagine. When Shrek and Fiona step out of the carriage, the crowd is aghast and becomes silent. They were expecting Prince Charming and Princess Fiona, but instead they got two ogres. Doves are released into the air. But one dove is so disoriented at the sight of the ogres that it flies into the side of a building and drops down to the feet of King Harold. Shrek and King Harold both display discomfort and unhappiness at meeting each other.

  At the welcome dinner, Shrek and the King openly show their disdain for each other. The silence is deafening. Harold is appalled that his only daughter has married an ogre and has become an ogre herself. Shrek is disgusted that the King would lock his daughter up in a castle. Donkey, who comes to dinner late, and by watching Shrek learns not to drink out of a finger bowl. Donkey blurts out that Shrek lives in a swamp which upsets King Harold. Then the conversation moves on to the topic of grandchildren, and the King is repulsed by the thought that they would be ogres. “Nothing wrong with that,” says the Queen. “Of course not,” says the King, “assuming that you do not eat your young.” The King and Shrek simultaneously grab for the roasted pig in the center of the table. The pig is heaved up into the air then slams down on the table. The argument between Shrek and King Harold intensifies until finally Fiona becomes upset and runs out of the dining room. Everyone else becomes deathly silent.

  Fiona hides in her childhood bedroom. She believes her parents will never accept Shrek in the family which also means they will never accept her. All the people in the kingdom would shun Shrek and her for the rest of her life. A single teardrop falls from her eyes. Suddenly, a pink bubble appears. Inside is the Fairy Godmother. It is Fiona’s fallen tears that have called her. When the Fairy Godmother sees that Fiona is an ogress, the bubble burst. She is shocked. The Fairy Godmother tries to make her happy by changing her dress, making the furniture dance, showing her the type of handsome man she will attract, and giving her a little puppy. Then, Shrek and Donkey arrive. The Fairy Godmother learns that it was Shrek who saved Fiona from the castle and not her son. Shrek takes the Fairy Godmother’s business card. The audience at first believes that the Godmother is supportive of Fiona, but the twist will come when it is revealed that she is really the antagonist of the story. The writers chose to take a traditionally supportive character and twist the stereotype to make her the villain, thereby surprising the audience.

  Shrek wants to pack up and leave. Fiona argues with him. “You’re unbelievable, you are behaving like

  an …” says Fiona. “Like what? An Ogre?” shouts Shrek. “And guess what Princess, that is not going to change,” says Shrek. “I made changes for you,” replies Fiona. With a heavy heart, she leaves the room. This introduces the basic theme of the movie.

  In their bedroom, the King and Queen argue about Shrek. The Queen wants to accept him, but the King does not. The King goes out onto the balcony to brood. Suddenly, the Fairy Godmother appears in a floating carriage. The King goes for a ride with her, accompanied by two brutes and her son, Prince Charming. He tells King Harold that he journeyed to the castle but found that Fiona had left. This makes the Fairy Godmother very angry and forces her to break her diet. They stop at Friar’s Fat Boy, the Fly-by Deli in the sky. Prince Charming orders the Medieval Meal that comes with a battle-axe. This is the way to write effective humor to which the audience can relate: take an ordinary situation (fast-food eating) and place it into a different context (fairy tale story).

  The Fairy Godmother is not pleased and commands King Harold to fix the situation. “We made a deal, and I assume you don’t want me to go back on my part?” she threatens. This creates a mystery. What was the deal? It is also a setup for the surprise payoff in the climax scene when King Harold turns back into a frog, revealing that he was the original Fairy Tale Frog Prince. “Believe me Harold, it is what is best, not only for your daughter, but also for your kingdom.” Now, it is not only two characters that are at risk but the whole community. This raises the stakes for the audience.

  Under the disguise of a cloak, King Harold visits The Poison Apple pub. The pub is filled with characters from the dark side of the Fairy Tale world, including a talking frog that seems to recognize him. The King speaks with the wicked step-sister barmaid in order to find the only killer vicious enough to take on an ogre. When the King visits the killer in his room, he can only see a pair of boots and glowing eyes. They make a deal to kill the ogre. We do not see the face of the killer which keeps mystery in the story.

  Back at the castle, Shrek cannot sleep so he walks around the bedroom. He finds Fiona’s diary which she wrote as a young girl. Shrek reads about her wanting to be a beautiful princess and marry a Prince Charming. Shrek begins to have doubts about their marriage. Perhaps he is not the best thing for Fiona. Suddenly, there is a knock at the door. It is King Harold who invites Shrek to go hunting with him the next day so that they can bond.

  In the morning, Shrek and Donkey go into the forest but cannot find the King. Suddenly, Shrek is attacked by the hired assassin, Puss in Boots. When Puss gets a hairball in his throat, Shrek defeats him.

  Puss In Boots tells them he was hired by the King to kill Shrek. Shrek is sad because he wants to make Fiona happy. Then, he pulls out the Fairy Godmother’s business card. Puss makes Donkey shed a tiear by stepping on his foot. The tear drops on the card and the Fair Godmother appears in a bubble. But this is her “answering machine” message since she is not in her office. Shrek sets off to seek the Fairy Godmother’s help to be accepted by his in-laws and win back Fiona’s heart. Puss requests to accompany Shrek and Donkey. He pledges to help them until he has saved Shrek’s life since Shrek has spared his.

  Back at the castle, the Queen is making preparations for the royal ball. She asks Harold to help her choose the fabric for the event. The King is uneasy because he assumes that there will be no event since he believes that Shrek has been killed by Puss in Boots. Fiona joins the group and asks if anyone has seen Shrek. They argue again about Shrek. “Shrek loves me for who I am. I would think you could be happy for me.” “Darling, I’m just thinking about what is best for you. You are a Princess and deserve much better than this,” says King Harold. This sets up the character arc for King Harold, because he eventually comes to realize that Shrek is best for Fiona.

  Shrek, Donkey, and Puss go to the Fairy Godmother’s Potion Factory. It is a massive factory with several smokestacks filling the air with billowing magical soot. The male receptionist tells them that the Fairy Godmother is not in, but then she calls on the intercom and orders coffee. Shrek, Donkey, and Puss sneak into the Fairy Godmother’s lab and find her mixing together a magic potion. Shrek tells her that Fiona is not happy. She tells Shrek that princesses and ogres do not mix. She then tells Shrek to go! They pretend to leave but actually they go into the Fairy Godmother’s private potion room. There, they steal a bottle of the “Happily Ever After” potion. “For you and your true love. Drink of this potion and bliss will be thine. Happiness, comfort, and beauty divine.” They are discovered, the alarm goes off, and security elves run after them. They run from the guards and escape from the factory. The Godmother and Prince Charming discover that Shrek has stolen the potion, but the Fairy Godmother thinks that this could work to their advantage.

  Once in the woods, Donkey and Shre
k drink the ‘Happily Ever After” potion, but nothing happens.

  Then it starts raining. As they walk down the road, a drop of the potion transforms the toadstool into a rose, foreshadowing the changes that will take place in the other characters. They take shelter in a barn. Shrek and Donkey then pass out.

  Back at the castle, Fiona tells her mother and father that as soon as she finds Shrek, they will leave the kingdom and return to the swamp. She leaves the room, with the King and Queen following. When Fiona reaches the open front door, she faints. The King and Queen place her in her bed.

  The next morning, Shrek wakes up inside the barn to find he is surrounded by beautiful farm girls who

  are clinging to him. Normally, women run away when they see him. He sees his reflection in a bucket

  of water and realizes that he is handsome. Donkey has also changed and become a gleaming white stallion. Puss in Boots reads the label on the bottle and discovers that the effects of the potion are not permanent unless Shrek can kiss his true love before midnight. “Midnight! Why does it always have to

  be midnight?” says Shrek. This introduces the “ticking clock” structure to build suspense for the climax scene. Shrek needs some new clothes, so they hold up a carriage and steal the clothes from an elder man. Shrek looks ridiculous in the outfit. But then the son pokes his head out of the carriage, and Shrek takes his clothes instead.

  Shrek, Donkey, and Puss go to the castle and tell a guard to get Fiona because her husband, Shrek, wants to see her. Fiona wakes up and she is beautiful again. The potion that Shrek drank had an effect on her, too. Fiona screams. Shrek hears the scream and runs to find Fiona, only to be met by the Fairy Godmother, who blocks him from leaving the room. Fiona runs out to the castle courtyard where she meets Donkey (as Noble Steed). Fiona then runs back into the castle to find Shrek and meets Prince Charming, who pretends to be the transformed Shrek. Back in the bedroom, the Fairy Godmother shows Shrek Fiona talking to Prince Charming, who is pretending to be the handsome Shrek in order to win Fiona’s heart. Shrek thinks that Fiona is happy with Prince Charming. “If you really love her, you will let her be,” says the Fairy Godmother. He leaves the castle dejected.