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We had the pleasure of chatting with the brains behind Shrek 2 Retold. Be sure to check out this iconic project. Fans of Shrek will LOVE what they have in store.
1. Can you tell us about Shrek 2 Retold?
Co-Director/executive producer Grant Duffrin: Gladly! Shrek 2 Retold is an ambitious and collaborative fan project that recreates the entirety of the beloved movie Shrek 2. Following the same approach as our previous project, Shrek Retold, this sequel involves hundreds of talented animators, filmmakers, musicians, and storytellers from all over the world. Each contributor reimagines a small segment of the film, bringing their unique style and creativity to the project. The result is a dynamic and eclectic tapestry that mirrors the original movie while offering fresh and surprising twists through shifting art styles and creative interpretations.
Co-Director/lead producer Conner Japikse: Absolutely! Shrek 2 Retold is, as we like to day, a crowd-sourced, mass-collaborative, scene for scene
remake of the greatest sequel ever made. For people not already acquainted with retold/reanimated films, the easiest way to describe it would be like a tribute album, where an entire album is covered by different bands. So like that, but with a movie!
2. What inspired the creation of Shrek 2 Retold?
Co-Director/executive producer Grant Duffrin: Shrek 2 😀
Co-Director/lead producer Conner Japikse: Shrek 2 Retold is, of course, the sequel to Shrek Retold. Back in 2018, 3GI released Shrek Retold and it was a smash success! So the specific inspiration for Shrek 2 Retold was to build upon and expand on the work done in the first Shrek Retold. But if you want a deeper answer, then the inspiration for Shrek Retold came from similar fan-remade films like Our Robocop Remake. It wasn’t until around 2017, when Grant first became aware of “reanimated” youtube projects like Mama Luigi Reanimated and Gem Reanimate 2 that he saw the potential for taking that energy and putting it towards a full film.
3. Goals for the project?
Co-Director/executive producer Grant Duffrin: Simply put, to unite all artists! Our goal was to capture the same collaborative spirit and creative energy that made the first project so special, while pushing the boundaries even further with new contributors and artistic styles.
Co-Director/lead producer Conner Japikse: We want to expand on the first Shrek Retold and really see what the limits of low-budget filmmaking and mass-collaboration can take us. If just one or two or even ten people tried to remake a full film, it would take nearly a lifetime (see the Raiders of the Lost Ark remake)! But getting over 900 collaborators to all turn in a piece has allowed us to really push the limits of this type of filmmaking.
4. Advice to someone who wants to run a project?
Co-Director/executive producer Grant Duffrin: Don’t! It’s more fun to participate in a project like this than to run it. The collaborators get to be creative and have fun in whatever medium they choose, while the hosts get stuck with organizational work. But if youMUST run a collaborative project like this, foster a sense of community and mutual respect among your collaborators.
Co-Director/lead producer Conner Japikse: My main advice would be to identify strong source material, and make sure everyone is working together. A movie or TV episode that came out a year or two ago might not have the staying power you’d expect. I’ve seen a lot of massive projects pop-up and then fizzle out. You’d probably want something that’s at least 5-10 years old and has still remained culturally relevant. A Barbie reanimated might be cool, but there’s no easy way to tell if it’ll still be in the zeitgeist in 5 years. If you’re just starting out as a filmmaker or animator, I would focus on participating in existing projects and doing smaller scale original collaborations with friends to build your skills and network before jumping into hosting one of these things. Grant actually tried to do Shrek Retold all the way back in 2014, but it fizzled out before he tried again in 2017. In those three years, he made a lot of films for the 3GI channel and built Shrekfest into a recognizable name. When he came back to try again, he had enough under his belt that he could really sell the idea to animators and filmmakers that he reached out to.
5. Favorite Shrek 2 scene?
Co-Director/executive producer Grant Duffrin: Hmm so many great scenes to pick from! I’d have to say, the dinner scene and the I Need a Hero Sequence are not only great scenes, but they lend themselves PERFECTLY to the reanimated genre.
Co-Director/lead producer Conner Japikse: Holding Out For a Hero takes the cake every single time. You’d think that after five years of working on this film, that I would be a little too familiar with the story and the plot to get excited about anything in it, but no matter how many times I rewatch the Holding Out For a Hero sequence (both the original and retold versions) I get chills!
6. Thoughts on our platform All Ages of Geek?
Co-Director/executive producer Grant Duffrin:Any platform that interviews us is FANTASTIC! We’re thrilled to be featured and to have the opportunity to connect with the All Ages of Geek audience.
Co-Director/lead producer Conner Japikse: I echo Grant’s sentiment of course! I also appreciate that you focus on uplifting smaller creators and seek out interviews with unique voices!
7. What is your next project after Shrek 2 Retold? Will you cover the other movies?
Co-Director/executive producer Grant Duffrin: I think this will be the last reanimated film you’ll see from us in a while. I need a break! While we don’t have any immediate plans to cover the other Shrek movies, we are always open to new ideas and opportunities. Our primary focus will be on fostering our creative community and finding innovative ways to tell stories that resonate with audiences.
Co-Director/lead producer Conner Japikse: I don’t think another reanimated film is in the cards for 3GI. We are pulling out all the stops to make Shrek 2 Retold a crowning achievement of fan-retellings and it would be near dang impossible to try and outdo ourselves again. Both Grant and I think it’s time for something new and original, but that doesn’t mean that the style-shifting mass-collaborative element of Shrek 2 Retold won’t come along with us on our next endeavor!
8. Where can folks support your work?
Co-Director/executive producer Grant Duffrin: Folks can support 3GI by subscribing on YouTube (youtube.com/3gi) and donating to the patreon (patreon.com/3gi), OR the most fun way to support 3GI is simply by watching our vids and sharing with your friends 🙂 Every bit of support helps us continue to create and bring unique projects like Shrek 2 Retold to life!
Co-Director/lead producer Conner Japikse: I echo Grant on this one too!
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