The First Shrek is the Best Shrek

Despite first hitting cinema screens over twenty years ago, the Shrek franchise continues to be a quintessential aspect of our popular culture. While the first film was nothing short of groundbreaking in its box office numbers and what its success meant for the future of Dreamworks and computer animation in general, it was also the first children's movie that was genuinely appealing to adults as well. Other movies have attempted this art form and failed miserably; but Shrek (2001)'s ability to bring a story with such strong themes of compassion to life in a way that is both entertaining and appropriate for kids while also including a plethora of clever double entendres that go right over their heads is what makes it, in my expert opinion, one of the greatest movies of all time.

In addition to the first film's unprecedented success, sequels, spinoffs, and the pervasive nature of meme culture have made Shrek a substantiated name in the modern American vernacular. The highly anticipated Shrek 2 was released in 2004, followed by Shrek the Third in 2007, and finally Shrek Forever After in 2010--not to mention the Puss in Boots movie that premiered in 2011 and the musical stage adaptation of the original film that graced Broadway in 2008. But Shrek's relevance certainly didn't end there: in 2014, an anonymous 4chan user's story of a young boy's NSFW encounter with the green protagonist was made into an animated YouTube video that took the internet by storm, making "Shrek is love, Shrek is life" a rallying cry for weirdos everywhere. As a longtime Shrek super fan and chronically online teenager at the time, you'd think this kind of content would be right up my alley; but to me, this video along with all of Dreamworks' follow ups to the original film have only bastardized this historic piece of art that I hold so dearly to my heart.

All of this brings me to my controversial yet incredibly brave take: the first Shrek movie is the only one that matters. Now hold on! Don't crucify me just yet! I know plenty of Shrek 2 stans and let me tell you--they are abundant and absolutely anchored in their beliefs. But I'm here to remind you folks that raising your voice will never be enough to improve your argument. While I obviously love my generation and wear my zoomer badge with pride, my personal experience has shown me that it is typically people around my age who hold the flawed belief that Shrek 2 is the superior film--and I think I know why.

As a member of gen z with three millennial siblings, I had the privilege of being exposed to a wide variety of cultural references from before my time as a child. I was only two years old when Shrek (2001) was released, but because my older siblings and my mom loved it so much when we saw it in theaters, we naturally owned a copy of the movie as soon as we could. With unbridled access to such an incredible piece of media, my younger sister (who was barely six months old when it premiered in theaters) and I watched it every single day for a significant portion of our childhood. As Shrek lore and quotes took up the majority of my little brain, I was understandably horrified when Shrek 2 was released and other kids on the playground admitted to loving this new movie but never even watching the original. Even today when I engage in Shrek discourse with my peers, I am startled by the amount of people (who are in their early-mid twenties now) who confess to watching Shrek 2 before the first Shrek or who still haven't seen the first Shrek at all. While I don't think Shrek 2 sympathizers should be absolved of all responsibility for this opinion that is so wrong it borders on criminal, it is not lost on me that my birth order and authentic experience of the Shrek franchise puts me in a place of immense privilege. So for those of you who aren't as privileged as me in the way we enjoy pop culture, allow me to enlighten you.

First, Lord Farquaad is the superior villain.

While I understand that there was no way to bring Farquaad back for the sequel(s) considering that Dragon eats him at the end of the first movie, it doesn't change the fact that the uniqueness and nuance of his character completely blows Prince Charming and the Fairy Godmother out of the water. Since the first movie was meant to serve as a direct parody of the classic Disney fairytales, having Prince Charming--a role that was historically reserved for the protagonist in previous stories--as the villain makes perfect sense; but it's a little too on the nose for my taste, especially when Lord Farquaad already served as a more creative adaptation of the "Prince Charming" type character. The two of them share almost all of the same traits (inflated ego, insufferable personality, entitlement, etc.), but it's Lord Farquaad's distinction as a short king (or prince in this case) with an ugly haircut and insecurity in his masculinity that provides the audience with a more comprehensive understanding of where his incel behavior is stemming from. This blatant insecurity in his masculinity and desire to compensate by being a power hungry dickhead makes him a much more complex villain than the boring cardboard cutout we get of Prince Charming in Shrek 2.

As far as the Fairy Godmother goes, I will admit that I am a sucker for a crazy, evil female character--like that's mother. However, her connection to Prince Charming and her enabling of his incel tendencies in the way that she babies him just pisses me off . Like wake up, queen! Your son is a loser! If there was ever an appropriate way to do a Shrek spinoff it should have been about Fairy Godmother dropping her deadbeat son and doing menacing girlboss stuff on her own--now that I would watch.

In almost all of the real life Shrek vs Shrek 2 debates I have participated in in real life (and trust me, there's been a lot), the most common counterargument I am presented with goes something like, "But what about the climax when Fairy Godmother sings Bonnie Tyler's classic 'Holding Out for a Hero' while Giant Gingy helps Shrek and Donkey break into the castle?" That moment is undeniably iconic, yes, and by far my favorite part of the second movie; but this one scene does not outweigh the power and beauty of the first Shrek movie's overall story and message.

Puss in Boots is an unnecessary character.

Let me start by saying that Donkey is one of the best characters in cinematic history. Full stop. Period. End of story. His ability to bring whimsy and joy into the life of this outcast who has created such a tough and unfriendly exterior around himself out of necessity makes him both the catalyst for the entire plot to move forward and also the ideal sidekick. Every grumpy, crotchety guy needs a sweet, annoying little fella to balance him out. It's just the perfect recipe! I don't make the rules.

If by the grace of god Antonio Banderas is reading this, I want to be excruciatingly clear that I mean absolutely no hate to you personally or your performance in this franchise. You are incredibly talented at what you do and I am especially fond of your work in Spy Kids. However, the unfortunate truth of the matter is that Puss in Boots as a character disrupts the state of equilibrium that Shrek and Donkey had already established. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Sorry Mr. Banderas.

The first Shrek is more than a parody.

As I have mentioned previously in this post, the first Shrek film along with all of its other installments were meant to act as a parody of the classic Disney princess movies that, prior to Shrek, had practically monopolized the entire children's movie industry. But what separates the first film from its successors is that it takes the concept of parody to a more intellectual level: it's not just a parody, it's a rhetorical criticism of the harmful messages we so carelessly allow to influence our children through the media they consume.

The first movie follows the same classic quest narrative that's basically intrinsic to all fairytales: Shrek is promised that if he rescues Princess Fiona from her tower for Lord Farquaad, he will be granted the peace and solitude of his swamp–prompting an epic journey to commence, but with the crass, humor, and realism that you could never get out of a Disney movie. When Shrek and Donkey first arrive at the kingdom of Dulac, they are greeted with an unsettlingly cheery song followed by photo taken of them without their consent and a creepy little dude wearing a Lord Farquaad costume as a clever way to poke fun at the ridiculous consumerist cringefest that is Disneyland.

But beyond the layout of the story and the silly easter eggs sprinkled throughout, it is the overarching message that true beauty is found within that makes it one of the most important pieces of media of our time. Despite our title character’s tough exterior and snarky cadence, when he and Donkey are gazing at the moon, Shrek explicitly confides in Donkey the fears he has about being rejected by society because of the way he looks. Unbeknownst to Shrek, Fiona is also struggling with her own fears of rejection due to the spell that was cast on her as a child forcing her to turn into an ogre every night as well. She is eager to meet Lord Farquaad because it is “true love’s kiss” that will change her to “love’s true form”, which she obviously assumes will be human. But since Shrek and Fiona had been gradually falling for each other and their love transcends conventional standards of beauty and societal norms, she becomes a full-time ogre like Shrek, revealing that being true to themselves was love’s true form all along. This film continues to stand the test of time since Shrek as a character represents anyone who might not be conventionally attractive or just diverts from the status quo. Fairytales and happy endings aren’t just for people who fit the patriarchal mold of the perfect prince and princess. Real love is deeper than that; and the first Shrek film communicates this flawlessly.

While I clearly am not thrilled with Dreamworks’ other iterations of this perfect movie, I will admit that I am grateful its large scope has allowed a variety of generations to have access to such a touching story. Over two decades have passed since Shrek’s screen debut and the love for this quirky tale has persisted strong as ever–with everything from Shrek themed restaurants to raves and festivals. By empowering children and adults alike to open their minds to a world beyond the tight confines of the narratives our hegemonic mainstream society feeds to us, we can and will continue to create a better tomorrow. So, bask in your swamp. Celebrate all of your unique qualities that make you an all star. And remember to love and accept others for whatever onion/cake/parfait they choose to present themselves as; because at the end of the day, everybody has layers.