Line #74 YMMV/Shrek


1	----
2	!!Works with their own YMMV pages:
3
4	[[index]]
5	* ''YMMV/Shrek1''
6	* ''YMMV/Shrek2''
7	* ''YMMV/ShrekTheThird''
8	* ''YMMV/ShrekForeverAfter''
9	* ''YMMV/{{Puss in Boots\|2011}}''
10	* ''YMMV/PussInBootsTheLastWish''
11	* ''YMMV/ShrekFourD''
12	* ''YMMV/ShrekTheHalls''
13	* ''YMMV/ScaredShrekless''
14	* ''YMMV/TheAdventuresOfPussInBoots''
15	* ''YMMV/ShrekTheMusical''
16	[[/index]]
17
18	----
19	!!''Shrek! (Book)''
20	* AdaptationDisplacement: Few people know of its existence and those who do normally discover it via [=DreamWorks=]' franchise.
21	* CommonKnowledge:
22	** Shrek is NotEvilJustMisunderstood is the takeaway from the film, but in the book Shrek is every bit the monster he's said to be and proud of it.
23	** In the book, Fiona is not an ogre like Shrek, and there is no curse. She's just a particularly ugly human woman.
24
25	!!Franchise-wide
26	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
27	** Donkey. He's either hilarious, lovable, and part of the charm and soul of the series, or just plain annoying to the point of being TheLoad at times, especially in the sequels where his annoying tendencies are [[{{Flanderization}} flanderized]]. Overall, the fanbase's opinion of Donkey is much like Shrek's own.
28	** Fiona's human form. Some find her design to be adorable, beautiful, sexy, and more conventionally attractive than her [[CuteMonsterGirl ogre form]], and wish that human Fiona would make a reappearance of some sort.[[note]]For instance, some fans were [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot baffled by her exclusion from]] ''Shrek Forever After'', due to the fact that Fiona in the alternate universe was still cursed, and would have wanted to see what human Fiona looked like as a warrior.[[/note]] Others find human Fiona to be unnecessarily [[UnintentionalUncannyValley uncanny]] due to dated CGI, and not as unique, iconic or endearing as ogre Fiona.
29	* BrokenBase: How the films should be regarded for their quality and influence, especially over time. There's little doubt that ''Shrek'' was far more universally beloved in its heyday, and that most people consider more emotional and story-based animated movies[[note]]such as the Creator/{{Pixar}} canon, the higher points of the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon, and even [=DreamWorks'=] own ''Franchise/HowToTrainYourDragon''[[/note]] to be superior. That said, there are those who consider the movies (especially the first two) to be just as fun and lovable as they were in the day, those who consider the series SoOkayItsAverage, and those who find the series to be overrated and unendearing. The latter two camps generally consider the unanimous praise of the first two ''Shrek'' movies to be [[OnceOriginalNowCommon a product of circumstance]], due to the fact that the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon was running dry at the time. Members of all three camps (even those who enjoy ''Shrek'' on its own merits) bemoan how the series [[GenreKiller killed traditional animation]] and caused animated movies to become more crass and gag-based, but whether it retroactively ruins the series itself is a matter of debate.
30	* CompleteMonster:
31	** ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfPussInBoots'': [[OmnicidalManiac The Bloodwolf]], an [[AncientEvil ancient being of fear that existed before time itself began]], once attempted to destroy the entire world before being sealed away by a wizard named Sino in the Netherworld. Upon being released by Uli, the Bloodwolf [[UngratefulBastard shows no gratitude]] and tossed him aside while coldly stating that he'll destroy him and the whole town of San Lorenzo. The Bloodwolf later [[IKnowWhatYouFear tortures the whole town with their greatest fear]] so that he could wait for the Blood Moon where he would reach his full power, so he could continue his quest to bring about [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the complete destruction of the world]].
32	** ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'' {{novelization}}, by Cala Spinner: [[Characters/PussInBootsJackHorner "Robbin' Big" Jack Horner]] lacks most of the comedic elements of his film counterpart to [[AdaptationalVillainy become something far more sinister]]. [[FromNobodyToNightmare Once a lonely baker's boy]] who sought true happiness, Jack hopes to use the power of the Wishing Star to acquire all the magic in the world, uncaring that it would incite chaos, mass panic, and total destruction [[PsychopathicManchild just as long as he can hold the whole world under his thumb]]. [[BadBoss Carelessly killing and abusing his own Baker’s Dozen until they're all dead]], from burning one alive, to whipping them for fun, Jack proves himself one of the cruelest characters encountered by Puss and friends.
33	* CrackPairing: Plenty of fans seem to enjoy shipping [[TalkativeLoon Donkey]] with [[DashingHispanic Puss in Boots]] for some odd reason, despite Donkey already being HappilyMarried to Dragon.
34	* CrossoverShip:
35	** Thanks to the power of [[MemeticMutation memes]], [[https://fiztheancient.deviantart.com/art/otp-180556841 there's plenty]] [[https://xchibi-rinchu.deviantart.com/art/Shrek-kun-don-t-leave-me-180739181 of people]] [[https://cmara.deviantart.com/art/Shadow-begs-Shrek-150746720 who ship]] Shrek with [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Shadow The Hedgehog]]. Why, you might ask? [[CrackPairing Your guess is as good as ours.]]
36	** On a slightly more serious note, [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Rapunzel]] sometimes gets shipped with Shrek or Princess Fiona (in human or ogre forms).
37	* FriendlyFandoms:
38	** A very strange one has popped up with ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', mostly because of both series' [[MemeticMutation memetic]] status as well as the fact that Shrek and Goku are both {{Memetic Badass}}es[[note]]although Goku is one in a more unironic sense[[/note]] and were frequently treated as ThoseTwoGuys in terms of JokeCharacter suggestions for the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series.
39	** A more sincere one is with ''Franchise/SpongeBobSquarePants'', as many fans grew up with both animated franchises at the same time during the [=2000s=], they have superficially similar comedic tones, and both series were distributed by Paramount and Viacom at the time (with the ''Shrek'' movies getting promoted in Nickelodeon Magazine, which heavily featured [=SpongeBob=] naturally). Both series also have a similar GleefulAndGrumpyPairing dynamic between their main characters, namely Donkey with Shrek being compared to [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick with Squidward. ''Shrek 2'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'' were even released during the same year and are fondly remembered by people who saw both as kids. Even their theatrical adaptations are compared and contrasted to each other, as fans of ''Theatre/TheSpongeBobMusical'' point to it as an example of what ''Theatre/ShrekTheMusical'' should have been as a ScreenToStageAdaptation. And obviously, one of the biggest factors is both franchises' contribution to [[MemeticMutation meme]] culture, with both Shrek and [=SpongeBob=] being two of the biggest meme sources out there.
40	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: To this day, the first two movies are very popular in Poland (and, to a lesser extent, Russia), mainly due to SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing and {{Woolseyism}}.
41	* HollywoodHomely: The ogres themselves, including Shrek and Fiona. They're repeatedly told to be horrifying, MirrorCrackingUgly creatures, but they hardly look that different from humans. They just have green skin and weird ears.
42	* MagnificentBastard:
43	** ''[[WesternAnimation/ShrekForeverAfter Forever After]]'': [[TheMusicMeister The Pied Piper]] is a tall, dark and mysterious BountyHunter with an ability to control the form of anything he chooses [[MagicalFlutist through use of his flute]]. His past of overthrowing the Rat King to conquer his kingdom detailed in prequel comics, the Piper is hired in the present by Rumpelstiltskin to hunt down the Ogre rebels, to which the Piper proves himself capable of the job by humiliating Rumpelstiltskin's witch minions. Luring the Ogres into staging an ambush of Rumpelstiltskin's chariot, the Piper disguises himself as Fefe the goose to complete the trap before whipping out his flute and taking control of nearly the entire rebel army, forcing them to "fandango themselves into oblivion" as Rumpelstiltskin's captives.
44	** ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'':
45	*** [[Characters/PussInBootsTheWolf The Wolf]] introduces himself as a BountyHunter come to claim Puss's life. He ends up inflicting a CurbStompBattle on Puss, before letting Puss flee intending to build terror and humiliation in him. Throughout the rest of the film he appears taunting Puss with his presence and [[KnightOfCerebus psychologically tormenting him]]. Finally confronting him again, he reveals himself to be [[spoiler:[[TheGrimReaper Death]], come to punish Puss for his arrogance and cavalierness towards his past eight lives]]. Puss flees again to wish for nine more lives but the Wolf confronts him. Facing his fears, he battles the Wolf and acknowledges that while he can never truly beat the bounty hunter, he'll never stop fighting for this life. Briefly throwing a tantrum, the Wolf quickly calms down, noting that he came to kill an arrogant legend, but he "doesn't see him anymore." Acknowledging they'll meet again, he walks off into the night, whistling.
46	*** [[LondonGangster Goldilocks]] is the leader of a gang of her and three bears. Hoping to find a wishing star, she tracks Puss down so he can help her steal a map to it from Jack Horner, only to find his apparent grave. Deciding to steal the map herself, she ends up there too late as Puss and Kitty have stolen it first. Following them while Jack trails close behind, she ends up in the magical forest where the wishing star resides. She proceeds to use her wits and combat skills to keep the bears on track, especially when they get into conflict with Jack or Puss and Kitty, and eventually reveals her wish is [[spoiler:to [[AdoptionAngst have a real human family]]. Hurt by this, the bears still decide to help her, and when [[FriendOrIdolDecision given the choice between saving the youngest bear or getting her wish, she chooses the bear]]. She then decides to help defeat Jack Horner, and afterwards leaves with the three bears to take over Jack's pie empire]].
47	* MandelaEffect: Many people remember the titular ogre saying "Change is good, Donkey". This line is never uttered at any point in any of the ''Shrek'' movies by any character. People may be confusing King Harold's line "Yes, he is a bit different, but people do change for the ones they love" in ''WesternAnimation/Shrek2'' with Shrek's line "That'll do, Donkey" from the [[WesternAnimation/Shrek1 first movie]].
48	* MemeticMutation: Has its own page [[Memes/{{Shrek}} here]].
49	* MemeticPsychopath: Some "Shrek is Love Shrek is Life" variants depict Shrek as a blood thirsty slaughterer, almost always depicted in a positive light and pseudo-serious religious tone for BlackComedy purposes.
50	* OnceOriginalNowCommon: One of the sources for fuel for the Shrek series, the general disdain directed towards Michael Eisner, was effectively cut off when Eisner was removed from Disney the year after the second ''Shrek'' movie hit theaters, along with other studios, including Disney, trying and failing at the FracturedFairyTale trend; ''Kung Fu Panda's'' critical and commercial success along with Disney Animation making another comeback sounded the death knell for this idea (the final ''Shrek'' film actually took itself more seriously with Rumpelstiltskin alone, and the ''WesternAnimation/PussInBoots'' spinoff took on more of a high fantasy and adventure tone).
51	* PopularityPolynomial: At its peak, ''Shrek'' was a franchise as big as the green ogre himself. The original ''Shrek'' won the first Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and ''Shrek 2'' became one of the highest-grossing films at the time. After that, the franchise's formula quickly grew stale as [[FollowTheLeader it spawned a host of mediocre imitators]], which seeped back into ''Shrek'' itself with the poor reviews of ''Shrek the Third''. This led to the downfall of ''Shrek''-style "snarky" animated movies and the rise of more drama-based animated movies such as ''WesternAnimation/{{How to Train Your Dragon\|2010}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen\|2013}}''. However, MemeticMutation led to an upsurge of ironic popularity for the ''Shrek'' series, which eventually grew into ''unironic'' popularity as its fans grew up and revisited the movies, and were able to appreciate them anew due to their wittiness and 2000s nostalgia. As of the late [[TheNewTens new tens]], while not to the level of the early [[TheNoughties noughties]], the first two ''Shrek'' movies are well-liked and appreciated as modern classics, and ''Shrek Forever After'' (and, to a lesser extent, ''Shrek the Third'') has quite a few fans and defenders as well. The successful release of ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'' at the end of 2022 also helped bring a lot of people back, especially with [[spoiler:the film ending with a SequelHook to a potential continuation of the main ''Shrek'' franchise]], to many a fan's delight.
52	* RecurringFanonCharacter: Brogre memes frequently feature Drek, a [[PaletteSwap blue]] EvilKnockoff of Shrek, as their equivalent of {{Satan}}. Because Lord Farquaad is also an antagonistic figure in Brogre "mythology", his relationship with Drek varies DependingOnTheWriter, from Drek being a disguise for Farquaad to Farquaad being TheDragon to Drek.
53	* RetroactiveRecognition: The composer for the ''Shrek'' movies is Harry Gregson-Williams, who would end up gaining fame for his work as a composer on the ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' series starting with ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' (which came out the same year as the first movie, while ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater Snake Eater]]'' would come out the same year as ''Shrek 2'').
54	* {{Sequelitis}}: This is the general consensus for ''Third''. Fans are [[BrokenBase divided]] between whether ''Forever After'' is just as bad as ''Third'' or better. Reception has been much warmer for ''Forever After'' than for ''Third'', however.
55	* SacredCow: Is widely considered to be one of, if not the best [= DreamWorks=] franchise ever made. Its fanbase is still active to this day and criticizing it can led to some misunderstandings.
56	* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: "Welcome to Duloc" has the same rhythm as "It's a Small World After All", fitting for a song welcoming you to a Disneyland pastiche.
57	* SoOkayItsAverage: ''Third'' and ''Forever After'' are considered this by fans and critics, with ''Forever After'' as the slightly better one of the two.
58	* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing:
59	** The Hungarian version has an extremely clever choice of voice actors and well-adapted cultural references.
60	** The voices that they've picked for each of the main characters in Latin American spanish is nothing short of iconic for there, specially in Mexico. Special mention goes for Creator/EugenioDerbez voicing Donkey, who was often a FountainOfMemes.
61	*** Even the most negatively recieved ''Shrek The Third'' was better recieved in Latin America due to the voice cast still giving it their all in funny moments.
62	* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: All four movies have this to some extent, with occasional mild cursing and direct references to adult situations such as drunkenness.
63
64	!!Video games:
65	Examples for ''VideoGame/ShrekSuperSlam'' go [[YMMV/ShrekSuperSlam here]].
66	* HilariousInHindsight:
67	** After ''Shrek Forever After'' has been released, it is rather hilarious to frequently fight witches in an adaptation of the preceding film.
68	** In the first game, Humpty Dumpty and a giant mother goose appear in the same level.
69	** The BigBad of [[VideoGame/{{Shrek}} the very first game]] is Merlin, who becomes a supporting good guy in ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird''.
70	** ''Shrek: Fairy Tale Freakdown'''s box art has Lord Farquaad's face located right above the ESRB rating, unintentionally predicting the "E" meme.
71	* ItsEasySoItSucks: Frequently the case with these games. A shame, because in ''Shrek The Third'' at least, there actually was a decent amount of effort put into the enemy design and variety, but it goes to naught because of overly powerful RegeneratingHealth and enemies not dealing sufficient amount of damage.
72	* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: Many of the games have received consistently tepid reviews in the territory between low 50's and high 60's on Metacritic. Some of the earlier games, such as ''Shrek: Fairy Tale Freakdown'' (which got an abysmal ''0.5/10''), ''Shrek: Super Party'', ''Shrek: Swamp Kart Speedway'' and even [[VideoGame/{{Shrek}} the very first licensed game]], are considered absolutely horrid.
73	** The V.Smile game, Shrek: Dragon's Tale was quite infamous for [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KT-kasO1HNY blatantly ripping off music from other games]], mostly those from VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime.
74	* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames:
75	** The rare Shrek games that aren't considered absolutely terrible are usually considered fun licensed games in their own right. Notable examples include ''VideoGame/Shrek2'' and ''VideoGame/ShrekSuperSlam''.
76	** The [[Pinball/{{Shrek}} pinball machine]] has also been received pretty well, being ranked 93rd overall on the Internet Pinball Database with a 7.8 average rating out of 10 and earns a good amount of money in public. It may have been a PaletteSwap of ''Family Guy'', but it had better sales too.
77	* SoBadItsGood: Because Shrek is so egregious in meme culture, watching and playing the games, even - or ''especially'' - the really bad ones can be a riot.
78	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: The first ''Shrek'' game was rated T by the ESRB[[note]]Granted, this wasn't exactly a special case - the game was released during an odd time in the early 2000s before the E-10 rating was made, so it alongside other kid-friendly games (such as ''{{VideoGame/The Incredibles\|Game}}'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'') were being given a T rating due to having more realistic graphics.[[/note]].

Context YMMV / Shrek