The History and Evolution of the Summer Blockbuster

Shrek Proves That Action and Sci-Fi Aren’t the Sole Owners of the Summer

Even though the history of computer animated movies will undoubtedly tout Toy Story as the first and best of the new generation of cartoons, it wasn’t until six years later, in 2001, that a grumpy green ogre named Shrek asserted that animated films had a place in the summer movie rush. It’s hard to call Shrek a “kid’s movie,” because the film is so widely appealing that practically anyone can watch and enjoy the cracked fairy tale. Toy Story is wonderful, of course, but it’s a movie aimed squarely at children. Shrek refused to be thusly classified, including a series of sly jokes only adults would get (just say the bad guy’s name a few times out loud if you don’t believe). The result was a movie that helped mold animated films for years to come,