Why the Shrek movie is God-Tier

Published by: Eleana Ramirez | November 17, 2022

Shrek (2001) is an animated film that has remained a timeless piece of pop culture since its initial release in the early 2000s. Its perfectly orchestrated soundtrack and crafty humor combined with an innovative twist on standard fairy-tale characters allowed the film to become a groundbreaking animation many generations hold onto. By surpassing the traditional concepts established by pre-existing Disney fairly-tale films, Shrek gave the world an unrestrained, messy, and hilarious love story.  

The longterm impact of Shrek

In 2021, the world celebrated Shrek’s 20-year anniversary. According to “Shrek” from Wikipedia, it has “influenced a later generation of mainstream animated films, receiving recognition for being one of the most influential from the 2000s”, as “films began to incorporate more pop culture references and end-film musical numbers” because of the film’s incorporation of bringing dated music to life.

Being someone who has adored the Shrek movie for over a decade due to its significance in my childhood, I still very much appreciate moments when an iconic Shrek song such as All-Star or I’m a Believer by Smash Mouth randomly pops into my head or gets played on shuffle, because it takes me back to everything I love about the movie. In fact, the soundtrack is one aspect of the animated film that audiences hold onto the most. Writer for Pop Culture Happy Hour and NPR Music host, Stephen Thompson states in the anniversary article, Shrek - A Weird, Flacuant, And Beloved Franchise - Turns 20:

‘The film would go on to win the first-ever Oscar for Best Animated Feature, spawn a stage musical, become enshrined in the aforementioned National Film Registry (thus canonizing it as a work of historical and cultural significance), and even vastly expand the shelf life of the band Smash Mouth, whose performances of "All-Star" and "I'm a Believer" bookend the movie” (Thompson). 

Further, the classic Smash Mouth tracks are closely associated with iconic scenes from the Shrek movie such as the ending scene song, I’m a Believer, becoming a paradigmatic reference to the movie as its lyrics “I thought love was only true in fairy tales, meant for someone else but not for me” remain applicable to the theme of a fairy tale where someone as a broken, isolated ogre was able to find true love. The second Smash Mouth hit, All-Star plays during the opening scene where Shrek slams open his shack-bathroom door, introducing the audience to his infamous swamp home that he protects throughout the rest of the film.

Shrek soundtrack trends on TikTok

People also continue to reference favored scenes from the Shrek movie through memes or parodies on social media. The opening scene from 2001 featuring All-Star even made its way into the 2022 trends of the modern social media app, TikTok, as people are using clips of the movies to recreate situations where they enter something and it is not as glorious as expected during the words “Somebody once told me” as Shrek unapologetically welcomes us to his glorious swamp. This demonstrates how generations have displayed appreciation for the film by resurfacing iconic moments into today's pop culture (TikTok trends) due to its pertinence to our lives in modern society.

Breaking chains of traditional fairytales

Shrek continues to hold a place in pop culture through the one-of-a-kind fairy tale characters such as a masculine princess, a monstrous ogre as night in shining armor, and accomplices ranging from gingerbread men and donkeys to the cat, puss-in-boots. Shrek fans will always connect with quirky aspects of the film in their own personable way, which makes it all the more a beautiful piece of pop culture that I will ensure my future children experience.