Remember when we brought up how millennials have a weird sense of humor? Well, I think this project ran by Shrek superfans is the pinnacle of that.
Last weekend, over 200 self-proclaimed “Professional Shrekheads” released their remake of Dreamworks’ Shrek. 3GI, the folks behind the annual Shrekfest, was behind Shrek Retold. These 200 “Shrekheads” collaborated on the large-scale project and remade the Dreamworks classic.
Color me ogre green when I say this, but Shrek Retold might be the peak of meme culture.
Read more: On millennial humor and what makes it so weird
So far, Shrek Retold has a heaping 1,148,609 views upon its release four days ago. From terrifying 3D animations to Shrek scenes shot in someone’s backyard, professionals and diehard fans made the film possible. And it is chaotic, confusing, and wonderfully weird.
“It’s very crazy and kind of gross, but very nostalgic and sad. There’s something in that – that mix of strong emotions – that’s tied into internet culture,”—Scott Wark
“A big driving point for making this remake was pooling together a bunch of talented people online for a singular project—the kind of people I want to see work on a movie,” Grant Duffrin of 3GI says in his Wired interview. “The kind of entertainment I wish there was more of: bizarre, surreal, homemade.”
Scott Wark, a “memes specialist” at Warwick University (yes, we’re not fucking with you), weighed in on Shrek’s legacy on internet culture and memes. “It’s very crazy and kind of gross, but very nostalgic and sad. There’s something in that—that mix of strong emotions—that’s tied into internet culture,” he tells Wired.
Read: 6 videos on SCOUT’s Youtube channel to beat your FOMO
Color me ogre green when I say this, but Shrek Retold might be the peak of meme culture. We have to admit, Shrek’s not the best animation series out there. But it does hold a special place in dank meme culture’s heart.
We truly do live in a weird, post-memes timeline. Still, we have to give it to these diehard “Shrekheads.” Common interest and sheer willpower fueled them to create something wonderfully bizarre.
Watch Shrek Retold here.