Why Shrek 2 Was Changed For The UK
Though the success of 2004's Shrek2 was global, the Shrek sequel was actually changed for its UK release. General audiences probably wouldn't even know that the version they saw was different from the one seen by those overseas. The versions weren't massively different, but they certainly included a few key changes.
Shrek 2 was an animated comedy sequel in which Shrek, voiced by Mike Myers (though Shrek almost had a different actor), attempted to win the approval of his new father-in-law, the hard-to-please King Harold. Part of the picture's charm was its eclectic voice cast that included Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, John Cleese, Julie Andrews, and Antonio Banderas in hilarious performances alongside Myers. Larry King and Joan Rivers also had cameo roles as Doris the Ugly Stepsister and a Red Carpet Reporter, respectively, or at least they did in the US version of the film.
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In the UK version, the Ugly Stepsister and a Red Carpet Reporter were voiced by Jonathan Ross and Kate Thornton. Both could finally say they had worked on a project involving Austin Powers chameleon Mike Myers. This change seemed arbitrary on the surface, but its reasoning was pretty simple. In localizing Shrek 2, its producers wanted to maximize the effect of its cameos. Viewers in the UK wouldn't be as familiar with Larry King or Joan Rivers as those in the US, where the pair's popularity was much more certain. Jonathan Ross and Kate Thornton were much more known in the UK, almost serving as the UK equivalents of King and Rivers. Regionalized voice cameos have been fairly frequent over the years. For example, Cars featured Jeremy Piven as Harv in the US version, but Jeremy
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