Last week, we reported on a forthcoming scene-for-scene fan remake of the 2001 animated film Shrek that was being produced with the help of over 200 collaborators. We’re now happy to report that this deranged and messy love letter to everyone’s favorite green ogre is available for viewing on YouTube, and it is totally fucking nuts. Behold, Shrek Retold.
Since each contributor was given carte blanche with their individual scene or scene fragment, Shrek Retold functions more as a tribute to Shrek rather than a straight, shot-for-shot remake. Some of your favorite lines won’t be exactly how you remember them and some of the scenes are so distorted you’ll swear you’ve slipped into a drug-induced nightmare. The constant shifting styles—which change from live-action, to CGI, to anime in a matter of seconds— also make it fairly incomprehensible to anyone who isn’t already familiar with the Shrek story.
But, that’s ok, because, at its heart, Shrek Retold is a send up of more than just the original film. It’s a tribute to the meme culture that has built up and metastasized around Shrek. It’s a project that revels in its own absurdity and prioritizes individual expression. It’s also about ogres and farting.
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