Despite just celebrating its 20th anniversary, one of the most popular Internet memes and fanbases for many years has beenShrek. The original film was about a lovely green ogre who lived in a swamp, was tasked to rescue a princess in a tower, and ended up falling in love with her. There were three sequels witha few holiday specials and spinoffs, but the films themselves are just the tip of the iceberg.
Since the film series began,Shrekas a brand and a franchise has just been wildly popular. Outside of the movies and spinoffs there have also beenShrekgames, and even aShrekBroadway musical. He’s a very popular character to be meme-ified, as are other characters in the series and events of the films as a whole. People online just seem to be so into it. This isn’t hugely uncommon. Many films every year get the onlinememe and fandom treatment. But what makesShrekspecial is just how long it’s reigned supreme.
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While most of these films that become memes or gain a ton of Internet attention also lose it very quickly,Shrekhas not experienced this. The green ogre is still all over social media, 20 years after the first film and over 10 years since the final movie. Something about the series clearly stands out in a sea of meme-ifiedfilms with a cult following. Some of this is probably just due to the incredible amount of memes and commentary that came out aboutShrek, as well as the vast amount of material to work with. It also might be because this franchise is just generally really good.
The film is mostly known for its memes and Internet presence now, but it’s actually highly critically acclaimed and even won an Oscar. WhileShrekisan animated film that certainly appeals to children, it’s also full of adult-friendly jokes. It’s a comedy, and a great one at that, that can be enjoyed by everyone. People who grew up watching it as children are now adults, and can enjoy it in a different way now. This certainly aids in its quality and longevity, even if some of the later sequels decrease a bit in quality.
While it would be nice to think thatShrekis simply popular because it’s great, that’s just not the case. It certainly helps, but there’s also a whole world ofShrekthat has basically nothing to do with the movies and only exists on social media. One of the first things that reallyblew up as a memeis “Shrek is Love, Shrek is Life.” It was a sort of poem or a song that was extremely popular in the early 2010s despite also being very graphic and disturbing, and it’s still talked about.
People also very often talk about all of theShrekmerchandise and food that has been released over the years,as well as the soundtrack. The soundtrack ofShrekin particular seems to be something people have really latched onto. This is true for both the soundtracks of the films, as well as the songs from theShrekmusical. The film soundtracks have a lot of popular songs, from quite a few genres. Most notably probably being “All Star” by Smash Mouth, which plays in the opening scene of the very first film, as well as Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For A Hero.” This song was of course extremely popular beforeShrekever existed, but it is sung byShrek 2’s villain Fairy Godmother in the climax of the film, which is an incredible scene, and that itself skyrocketed to meme-dom.
The character of Shrek and the messages within the films have really resonated with people, and that is something that also affects the continuous popularity. He is an outcast, a monster, and people judge him for it. He isolates himself from society in a way thatreally has an effect on his mental health, but throughout the series that all changes. Viewers see him find love, with a princess nonetheless, and start a family. He’s thrust into royalty, but he never loses sight of himself and who he is. Shrek doesn’t change himself so society will accept him, he instead gets society to change how prejudiced they are towards people like him. It’s a great message, valuable to children and adults alike, and it’s relevant as ever. There is still plenty of discourse online and among movie lovers, even 20 years later.
The legacy ofShrekseems to be everlasting. The ogre has so many fans, mostly adults who grew up with the film, andShrekcontent is still posted online every day. There are even in-personShrek-themed conventionsfor the most die hard fansof the franchise. Part of why it has the longevity it does could certainly just be luck and volume of content, but it seems unlikely that that would be the whole story. As a film series and as a franchise,Shrekis a special one and it deserves the long-lasting attention that it gets.
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