Shrek appears outwardly to be a normal animated film series aimed at children. But in the now 4 films, many jokes are hidden that can only be appreciated by adults. One that most have missed is in the 2nd film.
Although the Shrek franchise has been around for several years, there are still countless fans, including many adults. There is a reason for this, as even in the 1st part, there were some jokes hidden in the films that were not meant for children only.
One of them can be found right in the intro of Shrek 2, which was released in 2004. For this, you just need to pay attention to a specific magazine that is being read by the Big Bad Wolf.
There are also gags in the trailer for the upcoming Shrek 5 that are not aimed solely at children:
What magazine is being read there?
What happens in the intro? As in a classic fairy tale, at the beginning of Shrek 2, you see the new character Prince Charming traveling like a heroic knight to the dragon’s castle to rescue Princess Fiona. Once he arrives in her room, he realizes: Fiona is nowhere to be found (after all, Shrek already rescued her in the 1st part).
In Fiona’s bed is the Big Bad Wolf. The obvious gag in the scene is Charming’s question of whether the wolf is Fiona. But there is another joke hidden in the image if you pause correctly or pay attention to the magazine the wolf is reading. He is reading Pork Illustrated. The cover features a pig on the beach in a bikini.
You can see the scene here:
What does the magazine reference? Sports Illustrated is an American sports magazine that has been published since 1954, and there is also a German version of the magazine. The magazine focuses on articles about various sports and has produced various other sub-magazines over the years.
One of the most well-known is probably the swimsuit magazine, which is published annually in the USA. This is also the reference for the wolf’s magazine, who apparently enjoys looking at pigs in bikinis. It works as a gag on multiple levels. On one hand, there is a visual element, a pig in a bikini. On the other hand, it is a reference to something that only adults understand.
This way, Shrek 2 manages to speak to parents who have watched it in theaters or on television with their children. The entire series has multiple jokes directed at adults, which also has the advantage that one discovers new things when rewatching as an adult.
What do you think of the Shrek franchise? Do you still enjoy watching the films today, or are you no longer interested in the green ogre? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments. If you have wondered which Shrek characters are the strongest, you can find the answer here: The 10 strongest characters from Shrek in the power ranking
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