''Shrek Retold'' is a fan-made reanimated collab film based on the 2001 film ''

Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 book of the same name by William Steig. It is the first installment in the ''Shrek'' franchise. The film was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jen ...

''. Released on November 29, 2018 to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

, the project was led by

YouTuber A YouTuber is an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006. Influence Influe ...

Grant Duffrin ("3GI", best known for hosting an annual Shrek festival in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

since 2014). It features the work of over 200 creators, each contributing to a portion of the recreation.

Format

As a recreation, ''Shrek Retold'' follows the plot of the original film with only some deviations. The main difference between ''Shrek Retold'' and the original is in its reinterpretation; as a collaborative effort with over 200 contributors, the art style, voice acting, and music change from scene to scene, often being wildly different from the original. Unlike the original ''Shrek'' which is entirely 3D animated, ''Shrek Retold'' features 2D and 3D animation,

live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...

stop-motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames ...

, and other mediums. The film's contributors include many internet personalities and actors, such as

David Liebe Hart David Nkrumah Liebe Unger Hart, also credited as D. L. Hart, (born April 19, 1957) is an American musician, painter, puppeteer and actor. He is best known for his appearances on Adult Swim's '' Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'', performing ...

, Michael Cusack, Ratboy Genius, Anthony Fantano, and

SiIvaGunner SiIvaGunner () (formerly GiIvaSunner; ) is a comedic musical collective, based mostly around bait-and-switch YouTube videos claiming to be "high quality rips" of video game music that are in reality remixes, parodies, and/or mashups, usually ...

Production and release

''Shrek Retold'' was produced as collaborative, but segmented effort; director Grant Duffrin split the film into different scenes of varying length, and each scene was recreated by a contributor. In an interview with ''

Quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...

'', Duffrin stated his love of ''Shrek'' was genuine, contrary to the "ironic" ''Shrek''

internet meme An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...

s of the time. Shortly prior to release, a trailer for the film was uploaded to the 3GI channel which received significant news coverage. The film premiered on YouTube to a live audience on November 29, 2018, and has since remained on the site. On November 29, 2019, it was announced that the film would be available for purchase in VHS format and as a free digital download. In March 2020, ''Shrek Retold'' was followed up by ''Sonic Rebuilt'', a similar recreation of the 1999 ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' film.

Reception

''Shrek Retold'' was received well by critics, who mainly praised its impressive scope for a fan project and its bizarre content.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was released on streaming services and cassette for the film's first anniversary on 29, November 2019. It features covers of songs featured in the original ''Shrek''s soundtrack and additional original songs written specifically for the project.

Upcoming ''Shrek 2 Retold'' project

Originally, on April 1, 2019, 3GI posted an April Fools video titled ''Shrek 2 Retold'' in which the project director discussed the creation of Shrek Retold. During Shrekfest 2019 it was announced that Shrek 2 Retold was no longer just a joke and is actually happening via an animated announcement trailer. The Shrek 2 Retold Twitter posts public updates about the project. On April 22, 2021, as a celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the original film, 3GI posted an official teaser trailer of Shrek 2 Retold.

References

External links

''Shrek Retold'' on YouTube
* {{Authority control Remakes of American films Films about donkeys Films about dragons Films about princesses Films with live action and animation Films using stop-motion animation Fan films Shrek (franchise) 2018 films Shot-for-shot remakes Films released on YouTube 2010s English-language films