The Wasteland Reviewer

Outside the Wasteland: Shrek (2001)

Film can mean so much more than just entertainment on a screen, right? Outside the Wasteland is my new avenue to express my thoughts on films that have truly made an impact on my life. This is not about how great the films are or even how much I love them. This is an expression of how these films have made a direct impact on my life including my love of film, my personality, my world view, and just an overall lasting impression that deeply affected me.  This is a doorway into The Wasteland Reviewer through the films that have shaped me.

Shrek (2001)

What is that animated movie from your childhood that just stuck with you all the way into adulthood? There were a few contenders like Beauty and the Beast and Monsters, Inc. but the real answer can only be…Shrek. Maybe Shrek 2…but let’s start with the beginning. 10-year-old Shane was so excited to see Shrek back in 2001. This was the first of a handful of films that really changed me that year regarding my love of movies. I went with my mom, brother, my aunt, and my three young cousins. My mom will recount that she and my aunt were mortified by some of the adult jokes that pop up in the film but those flew over my head as a kid.

How many times have I watched Shrek?  I cannot even tell you how many times I have watched it in my life (but I have watched it six times since 2017, and I know that because I keep track of it in an Excel document…no one is surprised). Let’s just say I have watched it A LOT. I remember getting the VHS tape for the movie which included Shrek’s Karaoke Dance Party on it (one of the greatest bonus features ever released for a film I might add). I also owned the soundtrack for Shrek, and I listened to that SO many times in my life. I love The Proclaimers because of it. Smash Mouth is still stuck in my head 23 years later because of it. How can you not think of Shrek bursting out of his outhouse every time “All Star” comes on? Shrek was the first film I can remember that really had a bigger impact on my life than just watching a movie. I even played the heck out of Shrek 2 the video game for my GameCube and Shrek the Third for the Wii. Shrek was a big pop culture influence for me for sure.

What is one of my (not so) secret talents? Impressions. For anyone who knows me quite well, they know I love doing impressions of people and characters. Shrek just might have been the start of it all. I can quote the whole interrogation sequence between Gingerbread Man and Lord Farquaad. This scene is so much fun with some mature jokes, high energy, and fun voices thrown in. The film is full of great voice acting work from top to bottom. Mike Myers making Shrek Scottish was genius and his brogue is so much fun to replicate. There are plenty of other characters with some fun voices to mimic like Pinocchio, Thelonius, the Magic Mirror, the Three Pigs, and the Blind Mice. I have gone on to play around with plenty of different accents and character voices, but Shrek was where it all started for me.

Do you still love animation in your adulthood? One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to film is when people say animation is for children. First off, there are plenty of animated films that are rated “R” and specifically tackle mature themes and ideas. Then you have films that are certainly aimed at the whole family but that does not mean only the kids can enjoy it. Animation is just a medium of cinematic expression. There are so many possibilities when it comes to animation, and it allows filmmakers to explore all types of new worlds. Shrek is the type of film that I enjoy even more every time I watch it. There are so many great jokes and gags that fly over your head when you’re a kid and it just makes it such a better experience when you watch when you are older. Shrek is the film that made me fall in love with animation and I love it even more today. I would hate to think of all the great films I would have missed out on in my life if I stopped watching animated films when I “grew up”.