Shrek (2001): one of the most influential films of the century

Shrek is one of the most influential and revolutionary films of the 2000s not just for the animation genre but for the industry.

Shrek came in during the early phases of computer 3D animation. Some of the only big 3D films were: Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Antz. This alone puts Shrek in very early and very unique company, you could argue it’s on a Mt Rushmore of 3D animation pioneers (Toy Story, Shrek, A Bug’s Life, and - a pre 2004 3D animation movie of your choosing).

Shrek is also a very well received film. Not only is it high on RottenTomatoes with 88% but more impressively it’s high on Metacritic is 84/100, that’s an incredible rating. It wasn’t just a fan/critic favourite, but beloved. Shrek made $485m at the box office (and the impactful legacy it had would procure Shrek 2 to make $920m, or over $1b adjusted). This is comparable to the influence Batman Begins has on the franchise, it made $375m and then TDK made $1b – just to give you an idea of how major Shrek 1 was even post-cinema release.

Did you know that the 4 Shrek movies have made $3b total?

In a post-Snow White (1937) world, Shrek and the Shrek franchise are to fairy tale movies way Deadpool (2016) is to superhero movies. A 4th-wall breaking parody with humour, visuals and characters for kids but also jokes and innuendos (verbal and visual) for adults. In fact, the target audience for Shrek could easily be argued to be the older folks (13+) who have grown out of the visual style, story structure, or tameness of animated fairy tale movies. Akin to The Simpsons and South Park early controversies (being cartoons with adult themes/content), Shrek was more subtle with the mature content, and was obviously very different to Toy Story/A Bug’s Life/etc. However while these movies were all rated G, Shrek was still rated PG, revolutionary in its own right. The type of adult-oriented humor and references that you saw in Shrek has been brought to children's animated films ever since. The kind of humor you still see echoed in Dream Works and Illumination and Wreck-it Ralph movies today

Even the sub-aspects of Shrek have branched out. Entire animation movies such as Sing or Trolls live in the shadow of the dance celebrations or singalongs (I’m A Believer, Bad Reputation, I Need A Hero) from the Shrek saga

Not only did Shrek lampoon the market, but as mentioned it was a pioneer of 3D animation movies, before the market was saturated with 3D animation movies of diverse quality and frequent releases. Shrek hinges on a knowledge of pop culture and genre culture so even without knowing the marketing or story, you know the hook of the film. Shrek also came at a perfect time, right at the tail end of the 90s style of edginess, car crash/trash TV and rebellion. Most notable comparison is when Shrek arrives at Farquaad’s compound and they lampoon WWF wrestling. Another point of innovation, an animation movie being more than a fairy tale comedy/drama – it was an action movie.

Think of the designs of leading animation characters – both 2D is 3D. Princes and Princesses of various movies, Woody, Buzz, Sully, etc. These are fun, silly, approachable looking characters. Shrek is big and ugly. A subversion from industry standards.

Most importantly of all, Shrek is responsible for Smash Mouth’s lasting legacy. Their songs All Star, I’m A Believer (cover of The Monkees) featured on Shrek. Astro Lounge (the album All Star was on) went 3x Platinum in America.

Submitted June 18, 2018 at 01:26AM by Trap_City_Bitch https://ift.tt/2LWloCC