The Renegade Animation Shrektrospective! - Animation #16
Tonight, on a layered episode of Renegade Animation: our animation amigos plow through a bevy of news before they get ogre-loaded with a big old retrospective on the influential highs and devastating lows of all five Shrek films (the first, Shrek 2, The Third, Forever After, and Puss in Boots)!
Hello fellow renegades, tis I - THE DIRECTOR - coming at you with another MONSTEROUS EPISODE of the Renegade Animation podcast. Today, Captain Kaye and The Animation Guru take a trip in the wayback machine to give a full look at the entire Shrek franchise! It has dizzying highs, absolutely catastrophic lows, and many smelly layers of corporate passive aggression that makes for such a medium defining franchise!
Before they get into it, they talk about a metric BOATLOAD of news in the animation scene, such as a new look at The Mitchells vs. The Machines, news that Danny McBride has gotten IN TROUBLE (trust me, it’s going to make a lot more sense when you listen to the episode), and our first trailer for Space Jam: A New Legacy. However, because I’M behind the show notes for this episode, and BECAUSE my sheer distain for Ernest Cline is crosses podcasts, I am making a ruling as a managing editor for this site that from here on in, we ONLY refer to this film as THE REAL Ready Player Two. Do I hear any objections? Clearly it’s what Warner Bros. is advertising the film as, and frankly, I’m all for it!
But that’s not what you’re all here for. You’re here for the meme of it all. Well, my ramblings are all ogre now, because now it’s time to dive into the Shrek franchise!
SHREK (2001)
It’s the one that started it all: the film inspired by Jeffery Katzenberg’s raging war on the mouse and Michael Eisner, and made as a giant middle finger to his former employers, as well as the VERY FIRST FILM TO EVER WIN THE ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST ANIMATED FILM, beating out Monsters Inc. and Jimmy Neutron (a crime in my eyes.. not for Jimmy, but for Monsters Inc.).
Cam and Mike are very kind on the film, with both of them agreeing that the cultural impact the film has had on the cinematic landscape is well warranted, even if the motivations behind the film are admittingly petty and hilariously passive aggressive, but its aged surprisingly well compared to other films that were made by the contemporaries. I personally stand that while I do love the film (it was on a constant loop in my house for both me AND my family), but it’s also fallen out of favor for me as I find a lot of other Dreamworks films (as well as most of the competition’s output) WAY BETTER. That said, I also do not dare put down how important it is, and there’s a reason it won the Academy Award. For better or worse, it’s really influential!
SHREK 2 (2004)
Ah, 2004: the year of Spider-Man 2, the theatrical debut of the Sponge, and Shrek 2 lands in theaters! The first film already was a trendsetter, but the second one had to justify its impact by making an even bigger and better affair! It - like its predecessor - has been memed to high hell, and has also been very influential on the animation medium.
Cam and Mike are universal in their love for the film, with special attention being given to the humor as well as the addition of Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots. There are some negatives, especially when we get to Larry King (may he rest in peace) as one of the Ugly Step Sisters aging like milk, but it’s a spectacular sequel that plays up the best parts of the first film, as well as being an amazing continuation for its characters.
However, I do not feel the same. Yes, unfortunately, I’ve always been in the minority when it comes to the second film. It’s a funny film, don’t get me wrong, and Puss is easily one of the best characters Dreamworks has ever created. However, I dunno, maybe it was just the overreliance on the humor that kinda stuck out to me, it’s never had a strong enough balance between the tones they try to go for, especially when compared to the first film that I feel juggled the tones very well. Not only that, but I’ve personally never cared for the Fairy Godmother as an antagonist. I love the idea, especially when compared to Disney’s version, but I dunno — the execution of it never felt right with me.
However, there’s one thing that I’m almost positive we’re in full agreement on.
SHREK THE THIRD (2007)
Yeah, we’re not going to mince words here: this movie sucks. Cam, Mike, and I are all together on this. This is EASILY the worst in the series by a wide margin. The humor is lazy, the story is absolutely bare bones, and Cam hits the nail on the head by saying that it reminds him TOO MUCH like a direct to video sequel — and that perfectly matches the energy given by the voice actors here, who just sound tired. It’s a passionless sequel that frankly you should skip.
SHREK FOREVER AFTER (2010)
The fourth film in the series isn’t exactly seen as the highpoint in the series. I suspect it’s after how absolutely horrid the last film was, that the idea of continuing it just felt like an absolute waste of time. People didn’t bother, and it’s still seen as one of the weaker installments in the Dreamworks pantheon (and that’s saying something, considering Joseph King of Dreams and Home are included in that).
Cam and Mike are lukewarm on the film, saying that it is Citizen Kane compared to Shrek the Third — which admittingly isn’t a high bar, but hey — it’s SOMETHING. Cam’s more critical, saying that the opening act is pretty rough, and I completely agree as I think its by design, and Mike admits that the redesign of Rumpelstiltskin is very jarring, but the ideas on display are a welcome change of pace as a Shrek version of Its a Wonderful Life.
Personally speaking, and I know I’ll get hate for this? I think this is the best film in the series. I think the dramatic elements are at their strongest, and the longevity of the franchise helps with the humor as these characters are widely different and the jokes land pretty well. The biggest thing especially is the animation, as I think this might be one of Dreamworks’ top 5 best looking films, right behind Kung Fu Panda 2, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Megamind, and Prince of Egypt.
PUSS IN BOOTS (2011)
And finally, there’s the often forgotten spinoff film that I’ve seen as the best Robert Rodriguez film NOT MADE by Robert Rodriguez. It came out to a muted fanfare, especially in the same year as Kung Fu Panda 2 and Rango, but it’s definitely got its fans.
Namely, us three! The three of us all enjoyed the adventure angle behind it, with Cam praising it as the true sequel to Zorro that we should’ve gotten, and Mike really enjoyed the playfulness of the adventure. I always had a soft spot for the film, especially since I know Guillermo del Toro had a hand in helping craft the story and I just love heist stories in general. Even if you aren’t a fan of the series, I highly recommend checking this film out. It’s the Solo of the Shrek-verse: a nice one off that newcomers can watch and thoroughly enjoy.
Of course, there’s a lot to admire about Shrek, and I think there’s a lot that the general public is missing out on examining these films. Yes. The memes are funny, and it’s clearly struck a chord for multiple generations (myself included), but I think we’ve also forgotten about the magic of these films. See, between the layers (hah, get it? Onion joke… heh…) of humor and meta-commentary on the animation scene, people miss out on the true lessons behind the Shrek story. The idea that anyone - no matter how society views them - are worthy of love and happiness.
Even the series seems to be aware of this, with the fourth film’s opening act almost acting as a response to the flanderization of the Shrek films with the lackluster third installment. Shrek gets as frustrated with the meme of it all as we - the audience - did. And when we take away the impact the film has, if we were to just wish it all away… the magic fades with it. But yet, we come to realize just how much we took it for granted, just like Shrek did with his domestic life. And even if there’s a reboot on the horizon, at least we can take comfort in the fact that there’ll always be a place for the jolly green giant in our hearts.
Welp, that got really heavy at the end! That’s all folks! Please give a courtesy burp to Kawaii Kyle for editing this week’s episode, and don’t be afraid to share it on the interwebs!
