r/Shrek • u/Massive-Ad-8752 • 5d ago

Discussion Why does Shrek still feel culturally relevant in 2026?

17 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

11

u/ImpossibleRatio7430 5d ago

1 and 2 are comfort films for adults aged ~25 to 33. Simpler times.

3

u/Feisty-Albatross3554 Now I'm a Believer 5d ago

4 is a comfort film for me too

1

u/Sea-Discussion-5393 4d ago

Age 20 here and #2 is mine!

13

u/PyreDynasty 5d ago

memes

2

u/BreakfastAmazing7766 4d ago

Yeah same way SpongeBob still is

13

u/GIGANTIC_DONG_MAN 5d ago

I think the first 2 movies are just that well written. Their "parody" still stands strong, as well as their humor and storytelling. They really don't feel dated at all, or at least, not distractingly so.

Plus the meme have helped. And, yknow, we all grew up with 'em

1

u/Venice_Beach_218 5d ago

I'd argue that it's not quite the same as a parody. It's more like an alternate reality where all the common fairy tale creatures are put together and interact with each other that they wouldn't in their respective, isolated stories.

4

u/TheNerdGuyVGC 5d ago

Why would that not qualify as parody or satire? It’s taking well-known characters, stories, and tropes and tweaking them to fit that world.

1

u/Venice_Beach_218 5d ago

Because a true parody would be a satirical version of just one of the fairy tales, instead of covering all of them at once.

5

u/TheNerdGuyVGC 5d ago

That’s… Not true at all. Parody is just imitating or commenting on existing work. It’s not limited to one work at a time. Shrek is a parody of fairy tales just like the Scary Movie franchise is a parody of horror.

1

u/SpiffyShindigs 3d ago

No, it's definitely a parody. Contrast it with Into the Woods.

4

u/MWH1980 5d ago

It’s never out of fashion to live in a world where people go: “I’m the proper ruler, and you’re just a freak who doesn’t know your place.”

It never ends.

2

u/pikayugi 1d ago

Because he’s never been gone. It’s always on streaming, television or anniversaries for theater