When King Harold falls ill, Shrek finds himself next in line for the throne of Far Far Away—a responsibility the swamp-loving ogre is desperate to avoid. To save himself and Fiona from royal duties, Shrek recruits Donkey and Puss in Boots to set sail across the sea in search of the only other heir: a rebellious teenager named Arthur Pendragon. Meanwhile, back in the kingdom, the scorned Prince Charming gathers an army of fairy tale villains to stage a coup and seize the crown by force, leaving Fiona and a squad of princesses to defend the castle.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
May 18, 2007 |
Running time |
93 minutes |
Genre |
Animation Adventure Comedy Fantasy |
Budget |
$160,000,000 |
Box Office |
$813,367,380 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Chris Miller Raman Hui |
Produced by |
Aron Warner |
Written by |
Jeffrey Price Peter S. Seaman Chris Miller Aron Warner |
Music by |
Harry Gregson-Williams |
Cinematography |
N/A (Animation) |
Edited by |
Michael Andrews Joyce Arrastia |
Production Co. |
DreamWorks Animation PDI/DreamWorks |
Distributed by |
Paramount Pictures |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #03 in Shrek Collection
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The Plot
The Prince's Vow and the King's Departure
Prince Charming, reduced to a laughingstock acting in dinner theater, vows that he will become King of Far, Far Away and avenge the death of his mother, the Fairy Godmother. Meanwhile, within the castle walls, King Harold the frog has fallen fatally ill. His son-in-law Shrek and daughter Princess Fiona are next in line to succeed him, a prospect Shrek dreads. His attempts to serve as the Regent during the King's medical leave end in disaster, culminating in the destruction of a ship during a knighting ceremony and the unintentional injury of a bystander. Shrek insists to his wife that an ogre as king is a terrible idea and that there must be someone else to rule the kingdom.
On his deathbed, with his final few breaths, King Harold tells Shrek that there is only one other heir who can claim the throne: his nephew, Arthur Pendragon. After a mournful funeral for the Frog King, Shrek sets out on a quest to retrieve the new king, accompanied by his loyal friends Donkey and Puss in Boots. As the trio prepares to sail away, Fiona rushes to the dock and yells to Shrek that she is pregnant. The news leaves Shrek in a state of shock; terrified of being a bad father, he begins to have nightmares about being overwhelmed by a swarm of ogre babies while on the journey to find Arthur. Donkey attempts to comfort him by singing "Cat's in the Cradle," but this only deepens Shrek's anxiety about ruining his future child's life.
The Villainous Alliance and the High School Loser
While Shrek is away, Prince Charming heads to the Poison Apple tavern. There, he persuades a host of fairy tale villains—including Captain Hook, the Evil Queen, a Cyclops, Rumpelstiltskin, Mabel the Ugly Stepsister, the Headless Horseman, Stromboli the Puppet Master, and the Talking Trees Steve and Ed—to fight for their own "happily ever after." Charming appeals to their shared history of defeat, convincing them that it is time to rewrite their stories and avenge the Fairy Godmother. United by a desire for power and revenge, the villains prepare to launch an assault on the kingdom.
Shrek, Donkey, and Puss arrive at Worcestershire Academy, an elite magical boarding school. They expect to find a noble warrior, but instead discover that Arthur—or "Artie," as he prefers—is a scrawny 16-year-old underachiever who is bullied by everyone. Artie is at the bottom of the social hierarchy, used as a punching bag by the Jousting Team led by the arrogant Sir Lancelot, and cruelly scorned by Guinevere, the school's "Queen Bee." Shrek interrupts a pep rally to announce that Artie is the new King of Far Far Away. Elated by his sudden rise in status, Artie delivers a rambling, vindictive speech to his bullies and professes his love to Guinevere, prompting Shrek to cut him off and drag him away.
Shipwrecked and the Siege of Far Far Away
Artie is initially thrilled about his future on the throne, but his excitement turns to panic when Donkey and Puss inadvertently terrify him by discussing the heavy responsibilities of kingship, such as plague and famine. Terrified, Artie tries to seize control of the ship to return to Worcestershire, causing a struggle that results in the ship crashing onto a remote island. There, the group encounters Artie's retired and slightly eccentric wizard teacher, Merlin. While they are stranded, Shrek tries to bond with Artie, sharing a heartfelt moment by a campfire where he empathizes with Artie's feelings of being an outcast.
Back in Far Far Away, Charming and his army of villains invade the kingdom. They attack the castle during Fiona’s baby shower, capturing Shrek’s friends: Gingy, Pinocchio, the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs, Dragon, and the Dronkeys. Fiona and Queen Lillian attempt to escape through an underground passage with Snow White, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Doris the Ugly Stepsister. However, the group is intercepted when Rapunzel betrays them; she reveals she is in love with Prince Charming and leads the princesses into a trap. The ladies are imprisoned in a tower, while Charming installs himself as the new King.
Magic Spells and A Daring Return
Captain Hook and his pirates track Shrek to Merlin's island, attempting to capture the ogre and kill his friends. Shrek and Artie work together to defeat the pirates, proving to be an effective team. Before fleeing, Hook mentions that Charming has taken over Far Far Away. Worried for Fiona and his unborn children, Shrek urges Artie to return to the safety of Worcestershire, but Artie refuses to abandon them. He cons Merlin into coming out of retirement to transport them back to the kingdom. The wizard casts a spell that works, but with a side effect: Puss and Donkey accidentally switch bodies.
Upon arriving in Far Far Away, the group finds the kingdom draped in gloomy decorations and swarming with villains. They locate Pinocchio, who reveals that Charming plans to kill Shrek publicly in a musical play that night. Charming’s knights arrive to arrest them, but Artie proves his quick wit by tricking the knights into believing they are part of a costume guild, allowing the group to remain free. They infiltrate the castle during rehearsals, where Charming is struggling with his acting and "killing" fake Shreks. The group bursts into the dressing room, but they are outnumbered and taken captive by Charming's men.
The Sacrifice and the Rescue Mission
Charming prepares to execute Artie, believing the boy poses a threat to his illegitimate rule. To save Artie’s life, Shrek interrupts and lies, declaring that Artie was merely a pawn he used to replace him as King. He claims he never truly cared for the boy. Charming believes the ruse and spares Artie, who leaves the castle heartbroken and feeling betrayed. Shrek is chained up to await his execution. Meanwhile, in the prison tower, Fiona becomes frustrated with the princesses' passivity. Queen Lillian takes matters into her own hands, smashing open the stone prison wall with a powerful headbutt. The princesses organize a rescue mission, while Puss and Donkey work to free Gingy, Pinocchio, and the others.
As the rescue party prepares to storm the castle, Donkey and Puss encounter Artie, who is preparing to leave the kingdom. They explain that Shrek lied to Charming solely to protect Artie, sacrificing his own safety. Realizing the truth, Artie joins forces with Puss and Donkey.
The Final Curtain Call
By nightfall, Charming stages his theatrical musical in front of the entire kingdom. He plans to heroically "rescue" Rapunzel and slay the chained Shrek. However, Shrek wins the audience's favor by mocking Charming’s terrible singing and acting. Just as Charming prepares to strike the fatal blow, Fiona, the princesses, and the fairy tale creatures storm the stage to confront the villains. Despite their bravery, the heroes are outnumbered and quickly surrounded. Just then, Artie leaps onto the stage and delivers a powerful speech to the villains. He tells them that being treated like losers doesn't mean they have to be losers, and that the only thing standing in the way of their dreams is themselves.
Touched by Artie's words, the villains—including Hook and the Trees—drop their weapons and agree to give up their evil ways. Furious at losing his army, Charming lunges at Artie with his sword. Shrek breaks his chains and throws himself in front of the blade. He appears to be fatally stabbed, but reveals the sword merely passed harmlessly between his arm and chest. Shrek mocks Charming's aim and tells him he needs to find his own happy ending. As Shrek pushes him aside, Dragon knocks over the heavy stage tower. The structure crashes down, crushing Prince Charming to death as his crown rolls across the stage.
A New King and a New Family
With the kingdom saved, Artie catches the rolling crown. Shrek tells him the throne is his if he wants it, but the choice is his alone. Artie accepts his destiny, lifting the crown to the cheering crowd and placing it on his head. As the kingdom celebrates, Merlin appears and reverses the body-swap spell on Puss and Donkey, though he temporarily leaves their tails switched.
Shrek and Fiona return to the swamp, ready to begin their next chapter. A few months later, they are shown as the exhausted but happy parents of ogre triplets—Farkle, Fergus, and Felicia. They cope with the chaos of parenthood with the help of their friends Donkey, Puss, Dragon, and Queen Lillian, finally finding their own happily ever after.
