Shrek fans are about to be head ogre heels when Dec. 4 rolls around.
As students are swamped with finals, Campus Events + Entertainment Showtime provides an escape to happily ever after. “Shrek X Shrekwest,” a play on the title South By Southwest, offers a screening of 2001’s “Shrek” and will be followed by an intermission filled with “Shrek”-themed trivia, snacks and karaoke. The night will close out with a screening of 2004’s “Shrek 2."
Shannon Weidner, English junior and public relations officer for E+E Showtime, said the Shrek-themed event started out as a joke.
“We have a lot of members in Showtime that really like ‘Shrek,’” Shannon said. “It kind of started out as a joke, and then somebody added on, ‘we’re gonna call it Shrek by Shrek West!’ It kind of just evolved into this massive event.”
“Shrek” has been available long enough that it exists as a VHS tape, yet there is still an audience for the computer-animated film. The film has maintained its popularity by appealing to a sense of nostalgia, Graeme Gorra, government junior and a member of E+E’s planning team, said. “Shrek” plays with familiar tropes and fairytales to make the film more enjoyable.
“‘Shrek’ has a lot of nostalgia attached to it,” Greene said. It has a lot of fairy tale subversions and changes around some tropes that really makes it last. We, in college, can still watch it and fully enjoy it.”
Radio-television-film (RTF) freshman Colin Spalten is planning on attending the Shrektastic event. As a fan of the films, Colin talked about how Shrek seemed like a concept that wouldn’t work, it ended up being very funny.
“When you look at ‘Shrek’ and the time it was made, there’s no way it should’ve worked, and yet, it’s perfectly cast,” Colin said. “The jokes go beyond just being funny and extend to a whole other realm.”
Another RTF freshman, Emily Poprik, said that “Shrek” was a great film for its time and helped to spotlight animated films.
“It was way ahead of its time,” Poprik said. “Compared to the other films that were coming out in 2001, it was so much better. It really jump started DreamWorks Animation.”
While students are drowning in finals and last-minute exams, E+E Showtime hopes Shrek X Shrekwest will serve as a stress-reliever. Norma Perez Duran, a psychology junior and Shrek X Shrekwest event contributor, said that she hopes students can destress while watching “Shrek.”
“Right now everybody’s a bit stressed, and ‘Shrek’ brings a little hope in us,” Perez said. “It makes us just relax and bring back memories from when we were younger — simpler times.”
Colin said he wants to attend so “(he) can appreciate “Shrek” with (his) entire campus and get to relive the magic.”
As always, membership is free to UT students, and students may bring one guest to the screening if they can present a valid UT ID.
“We’re looking to finish this semester out with a bang,” Shannon said.
