Month: July 2024

SpongeBob SquarePants (Seasons 9-11) Retrospective: The “Revival” Era

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Right around the time these three seasons came out, there was a whole generation of the SpongeBob fandom that had basically given up on this show. Whether it’s because of the inconsistent to poor quality of the later seasons or that they just got too old for the show, there was a significant group that had basically stopped watching SpongeBob SquarePants entirely. This was around this time where the show had to basically go through an awkward transaction phase from one era to the next if it were to continue for the foreseeable future. Now that the kids of the 1990s and 2000s had grown up and moved on, Nickelodeon had to find a way to appeal to the kids of the 2010s. And I guess Nickeldeon thought that the best way to get these kids to care about SpongeBob is by going back to what made the original seasons so good while also adding a new identity with itself to make this era feel incredibly distinctive of itself and compared to the rest of the other seasons.

This include the likes of new and stylish animation, bringing back characters, callbacks, and references to the original three seasons, and the biggest one of all, bringing back the creative folks that helped make SpongeBob SquarePants an icon in the first, most notably the original writers and the show creator himself, Stephen Hillenburg. In a way, Seasons 9-11 felt like a revival series for SpongeBob SquarePants without technically being a revival series. This felt like the show wanting to usher in a new generations of SpongeBob fans while still appealing to the ones that grew up with the show and we’re still watching it to this very day. It might have been a trickly balance act but for the most part, it paid off about as well as it could have.

Seasons 9-11 not only acted as easily the best era of SpongeBob SquarePants since the original, it was genuine proof that the show still had plenty of life left in it, even over 12 years later. It might have had some rough spots here and there and certainly consisted with particular animation styles that would certainly not being everyone’s cup in tea, but for the first time in a long time, it felt like there was genuine love and passion for our favorite yellow sponge. SpongeBob no longer felt like a corporate product for Nickelodeon, he just felt like……SpongeBob.

Season 9

Okay, I’m not gonna lie. I was REALLY questioning whether or not to put this as part of the “other good” era of SpongeBob that we are discussing this month. Mostly because, the first half of the season was not so great. It contained a handful of some of the most infamous episodes through the show’s history such as Squid Baby, Little Yellow Book, and the absolute ABSYMAL “special” that was SpongeBob, You’re Fired!. After Season 8 ended on an incredibly promising note with Hello Bikini Bottom! and It’s A SpongeBob Christmas, it seems like it was back to the “same old, same old” with SpongeBob, barley hanging on life support with Nickelodeon refusing to put their cash cow to sleep. It was definitely not all bad with also a handful of legit good episodes mixed in (My personal favorite being Plankton’s Pet!) but the bad ones were legit awful, being up there among the absolute worst episodes in SpongeBob’s history.

It is worth mentioning that this season alone went on for about FIVE years, starting in July 2012 and not ending until February 2017. I was still in high school by time this season started and by the time it ended, I was in my second year of community college. A large part of that likely had to do with Nickelodeon’s annoying habit of airing the episodes of a show out of it’s original order and airing them literally whenever the heck they wanted to. Another part of that had to do with the fact that in between Seasons 9 and 10, Nickelodeon along with the cast and crew of the show put the majority of the focus on the next SpongeBob movie, Sponge Out of Water. Needless to say, this season was just…..all over the place.

Thankfully, the second half of Season 9 was much more consistent and was the positive shift in quality that many were hoping for after Season 8. Some of the best episodes include Lost in Bikini Bottom, Tutor Sauce, Squid Plus One, Two Thumbs Down, Bulletin Board, Pineapple Invasion, along with plenty of others. It was able to cut down on the flaws that plagued the previous seasons such as the mean spirted tone, the characters one known trait being cranked up to 11, and all of that Squidward Torture Porn. Instead, the episodes felt more heartfelt, genuine, and earnest, while recapturing the style of humor and animation that made the original three seasons stand out as well as it did. Even with the somewhat bumpy first half, the second half was able to be much stronger and consistent, giving the series another lease on life.

While Season 9 turned out to be a pleasant surprise, I’m sure there were plenty of fans if Nick would be able to keep up with that consistent level of quality for Season 10 and onwards. Between this and Sponge Out of Water, there were encouraging signs to SpongeBob but it still felt like it needed that consistent voice that can guide the series forward without these constant sudden dips in quality. So what did Nickelodeon after this season? They bought back a handful of the writers of the first three seasons, including the creator and showrunner of the first three seasons of the show, Stephen Hillenburg. Needless to say, after all of that was confirmed, the vibes could NOT have been more positive for the future for our favorite yellow sponge.

Season 10

To say that Season 10 was a return to form for the series would be an understatement. This is when SpongeBob SquarePants finally just felt 100% right. While that is likely due to Stephen Hillenburg returning to the show with a role greater than a creative consultant that checked into office every now or then, the show has not felt so joyful and genuine since perhaps the first SpongeBob movie.

This is a season that everyone from the cast and crew seemed like they brought things back to basic, almost acting like this is a soft reboot of the franchise. The cast felt looser and more locked in with their performances than ever before, there was a newer and slicker animation style that felt like a progression from the prior seasons, and you can just see the handfuls of story ideas and slapstick comedy just bursting on the screen at every given moment.

Season 10 was also the season had put more focus on the overall continuity of the show. There were plenty of one-off supporting characters and jokes that are given more time to shine throughout the season, most notably with the likes of Bubble Bass, Nosferatu, and even the “MY LEGS!” guy. That’s not to say it introduced a bunch of plot threads that would be followed upon later on down the road or introduce new story elements to the canon but it was just a reminder that the crew that returned to the show did not forget their achievements from back in the day.

One other main element of Season 10 was how this was when the show put quite an emphasis on revisiting ideas from their past but doing new things with it. The most positive example of this is with Mimic Madness. That was an episode that took ideas and cues from the infamous Face Freeze episode but they were able to make it work WONDERFULLY here. That episode in of itself is how this entire season operated in a nutshell. Taking a handful of ideas from the past, throwing in new elements with the newer style of animation, and make into something worthwhile that can stand on it’s own. Mimic Madness alone best represents the style of animation, humor, slapstick, ideas, and creativity that Season 10 would have.

Other standout episodes include Code Yellow, House Warming, The Getaway, Patrick’s Coupon, Burst Your Bubble, and Feral Friends. It was a season that was able to combine ideas old and new and still finding ways to make them fresh, funny, and entertaining. In a way, Season 10 basically played like a special revival series, similar to the likes of X-Men 97 and even a handful of revival movies that Nickelodeon took time our of their day to make with their old classic shows. It was able to act as a modern update of the show while still be able to capture that joyful and silly wonder that SpongeBob SquarePants had during the show’s original prime.

That’s not to say the season was perfect by any means. As I mentioned, there were plenty of episodes that reused ideas from the past and, even if many of them executed better than it did in the past, it does become noticeable the more episodes you watch during this season. This was also the beginning of introducing the new crazy, wacky, and just plain “out there” animation that the show basically used as a staple from here on out. While it does help to give this era it’s own unique personality and charm, there are times where the animation can become WAY too “in your face”. So much so that I honestly wouldn’t blame anyone that couldn’t get into these newer episodes because of it.

What’s most shocking about Season 10 was that this was the shortest season of the show by quite a bit. It only consisted of 11 episodes total with just 22 episodes, with no half hour long episodes or holiday episodes to go along with it. While that is likely due to the focus that Nick had on Sponge Out of Water at the time, it does make Season 10 feel a bit like a protype for Season 11 and onwards. And this was even before the trend where each new show would only consisted of six to ten episodes top per season.

Even so, while brief, Season 10 brought some much needed energy and spark to a long-running show that was starting to lose it’s steam big time. While plenty would still argue that SpongeBob didn’t need to keep going for this long, if the show HAD to keep going, at least it seemed like the cast and crew were putting the same love and effort that they have done with the past. And it’s that same kind of love and effort that was able to carry itself into Season 11.

Season 11

While I’m not sure I would say Season 11 is objectively the best season of the show, it is most certainly the most creative, unique, and inventive season of the entire show. I stand by that statement completely! I can’t recall a season of SpongeBob SquarePants that felt like it was trying to get every single creative inch that it could scratch and give the show it’s own unique voice to it. The animation is at it’s peak, the story found a perfect blend of comedy and stakes while being told in a functional structure, each characters no matter how big or small would get a moment and/or episode to themselves, the world building brought a brand new side to the Bikini Bottom we had yet to see, the ideas for each episode have never been explored further, and all the characters just felt totally in form with very little sense of unlikability and mean sprit to them.

Season 11 was non-stop hit after hit, classic episode after classic episode. Just off the top of my head! Spot Returns, Karen’s Virus, Man Ray Returns, The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom, Squid Noir, My Leg, Mustard O’ Mine, No Pictures Please, Bottle Burglars, Plankton Paranoia, Creature Feature, Moving Bubble Bass, and Scavenger Pants. These are all episodes that is not only good enough to fit wonderfully with the first three seasons but it was show that SpongeBob still had plenty of creative bones left in his body, standing firmly on it’s own two feet without feeling the need to change the past. Even the ideas and characters from previous episodes that are brought back here have enough fresh and new elements added to them that it almost feels like you are seeing them for the very first time.

Season 11 is when the show was arguable as it’s most energy-filled and feels so alive. It’s expansion on the worlds, characters, and lore of SpongeBob SquarePants was so fun and refreshing to see. I love the attention to detail, I love seeing the new roles that certain characters was able to play as, I love that it brought it’s own sense of humor and slapstick, I love seeing this universe being expanded upon further than ever before, and I just love the fact that I can say that I adored a new season of SpongeBob without feeling ashamed or having reservations for it. This really felt like this show as back in absolute peak form. Yes, there might have been one or two duds in here, most infamously Pink Lemonade, but those are much easier to ignore or accept because the rest of what Season 11 had to offer was just so good.

The main thing that I got from Season 11 was this was when the cast and crew that returned to the show felt fully at home here. They knew that in order for the show to keep going in a positive way, they would have to remember what worked so well about the original run of the show while also bringing in fresh and new elements of it’s own to make this season and era of SpongeBob stand out more than just trying to recapture that magical lightning in a bottle. While I’m sure everyone has their own thoughts about Season 11 and this era as a whole, I say they succeeded greatly.

If there was any season that showed there was zero contrast between pre-movie SpongeBob and post-movie SpongeBob that would be this. When it comes to quality, there is no pre-movie SpongeBob and post-movie SpongeBob to me. In my eyes, there’s just good SpongeBob and bad SpongeBob. And Season 11 was some darn good SpongeBob. This wasn’t just the best that SpongeBob SquarePants has been in ages. This was SpongeBob SquarePants reaching a new level of peak. That kind of peak that everything afterwards have yet to replicate.

There will undoubtedly some hater that will read this post and think I’m being a weirdo for gushing over a season from the “modern” SpongeBob era but I don’t care. For a SpongeBob season to be as good as it is considering how long the show has gotten is a miracle. Whether it’s because of the old blood that returned to the show or the new blood that came into the show around this time, Season 11 of SpongeBob SquarePants just rocked.

In Conclusion

They say it could never be done but at long last, SpongeBob SquarePants had finally had a consistently good era once again. You can debate on whether or not it compared to the first three seasons of the show but no doubt, Seasons 9-11 were able to stand strong on their own, no matter what you compare it to. There are some flaws to be found such as the constant reusing of old ideas and the new animation style will either really work for you or put you off entirely but it’s so nice to be able to talk about SpongeBob in such a positive light again. This era was so good that I didn’t need to bend over backwards to defend it like I do with Seasons 4-5, it’s just good in it’s own right.

It really just goes to show how anything is possible and you should always learn to never say never. This era of SpongeBob SquarePants should be proof that long-running franchises can reach greatness even after it’s peak. If you have the right cast and crew that are 100% committed to what they do, they can achieve anything. With all the momentum on this show’s side at long last, would they still be able to keep up that quality for the foreseeable future? Well…..just tune in next time.

Next Month: ???

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) Movie Review- RIP Film Twitter

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A wise man once said that there are no two words in the English language more harmful than “fan service”. I paraphrase of course but if that exact quote was legit, I imagine a film like Deadpool & Wolverine would be EXACTLY what that person would be talking about. Whenever a film is said to be filled with fan service, that always to act as some sort of certified trump card to neglect any kind of legit criticism to be regarded against the film, giving free realm to label critics that don’t like it as haters of un. It is also enough to basically determine what one will feel about the movie before they even set foot in the theater. When taking all those factors into account, you should know exactly what you are getting into with Deadpool & Wolverine because the film clearly doesn’t try to be anything but what you expect it to be like.

For fans that were excited just by the mere fact of Hugh Jackman coming back as Wolverine in his classic yellow spandex outfit and interacting alongside with Ryan Reynolds’s Deadpool, they will be happy. For fans that basically wants this to be the equivalent of MCU Reddit Fan Theory: The Movie, they will be happy. For fans that want to see Marvel poke fun at itself and take shots at itself for their recent shortcomings, they will be happy. For those that are bother by just one single aspect that I just mentioned, not only will they NOT be happy but they will likely be the ones to cry this as being the death nail of Marvel and cinema in general, A.K.A. Film Twitter’s worst nightmare. To put it simply, Deadpool & Wolverine is both as good as fans wanted it to be and as bad as haters wanted to be at the EXACT same time!

I can basically stop right there because that alone should indicated if this movie is for you or not. Even in an age where everyone already makes up their mind how they feel about something months before it even comes out, Deadpool & Wolverine has no interest in subverting or exceeding expectations but meaning it at the exact same level. For me, as someone that is a big fan of the first two Deadpool movies, I enjoyed myself well enough but I really hope that Marvel doesn’t make a film like this ever again. There’s only so many times where you can go “WOAH! I can’t believe they got *SPOILER* to come back as *SPOILER*!” before it gets incredibly old.

Premise: Deadpool’s (Ryan Reynolds) peaceful existence comes crashing down when the Time Variance Authority recruits him to help safeguard the multiverse. He soon unites with his would-be pal, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), to complete the mission and save his world from an existential threat.

I would go more in-depth than usual when reviewing these big movies but the plot is barely the point for a movie like this. All it mostly amounts to is a giant excuse to get Wade Wilson into the MCU, team up with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, throw some shades at itself and superhero movies in general, and insert as many cameos as one could find on an MCU reddit fan page. Sure, there are moments of emotional weight here and there (particularly with two standout sequences with the worst Logan confronting his past) and all of the characters have clear cut motivations which they follow through on but for the most part, it would be hard to mistake this from other recent “fan service”/course correction movies out there, most notably The Flash.

To be sure, Deadpool & Wolverine is a better movie than The Flash without a doubt. There’s nothing in here even as remotely awful as the abominable CGI cameos of dead actors, all of the cameos are live and breathing people, and it’s all played for laughs while even drive forwarding the rather paper-thin plot. However, similarly to one of last year’s biggest summer bombs, you still can’t help but feel like the entire reason for this film’s existence is solely based with the audience in mind first and the characters of the story second. It’s not so much the way that the characters reacts to these moments of fan service but rather how the fanboys feel.

Say what you will about Spider-Man: No Way Home but that film knew to put Tom Holland’s Peter Parker front and center and that is what his story that had to be told. Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse used it’s multiverse concept to perfection to craft genuine, multilayer stories with fan service being the icing on the cake. You also had X-Men: Days of Future Past, a movie which existed just for the sake of erasing two bad X-Men movies, who used it’s time traveling mechanic and obvious course correction template to craft a film about our heroes fixing the mistakes of their past to make for a better and more uplifting future. Unlike those movies I just mentioned, Deadpool and Wolverine never really amounts to much under the skin than being a easter egg fest and a love letter to the 2000s era of Marvel superhero movies.

Thankfully, despite relying solely on action, comedy, and fan service, it does deliver on that when it counts the most. While not being the best in any of those categories in the Deadpool movies, there is genuinely enough fun to be had with what the movie has to offer. The fight scenes has just as much blood and gore as the first two movies, with the main standouts being the opening action sequence and the duels between Deadpool and Wolverine, it had just as much fourth wall breaking humor and pinches as itself than before, and there will certainly be one or two moments that will put a genuine smile on a longtime Marvel fan’s face. (There’s two in particular that I BETTER see in an upcoming Avengers movie.) The cast and crew knew exactly the movie that they were going to make and they made for the best of it.

Of course, Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine is the main selling point of the movie and what helps to differ this one from the past two movies. While this is not the same version of Logan that we have followed from 2000 to 2017, Jackman is still able to sell this new, “worst” version of Wolverine far better than the script demands for it. He makes for a perfect bitter counterpart to the always crazy and wisecracking Merc with the Mouth, fitting the new yellow spandex, something that has been in the making for nearly 25 years (Screw you, Bryan Singer!), like the absolute perfect glove you would expect. And as stated before, he does have two genuine standout moments with Dafne Keen’s X-23 (She’s already been in the trailer so it’s NOT a spoiler!) and Emma Corrin’s Cassandra Nova that only work as well as they do because of Hugh Jackman’s adding that extra emotional depth to the character. There is no way this movie would have worked without the pairing of Hugh and Ryan respectively but since it does, I could not help but love the hell out of those two bouncing off one another.

As for shortcomings, outside of the ones I mentioned, there are times to where the pacing grinds to a screeching halt with the characters adding some mumble jumble about the TVA and multiverse and just too much spent on trying to make sense in any of this. I also found myself missing 99% of the side characters from the first two Deadpool movies, with only really two main scenes with the whole gang. And while some of the jabs at the MCU and Multiverse Saga are funny, there are some that comes across as rather mean-spirited (especially in regards to a certain variation of Deadpool. It also doesn’t help that there are so much jabs at it that it seems like it’s going to lead to an ending that confirms that Marvel is done with all of these multiverse shenanigans and they are ready to try something different but then……doesn’t.

If this review makes it seem like my thoughts of Deadpool and Wolverine are all over the place, that’s because I’m trying to give multiple perspectives as to whether or not this movie will be for you. For the longtime fans, there’s a lot of fun and enjoyment to be found here with the insane amount of cameos, action beats, full 4th wall breaking humor, and just seeing Hugh Jackman in that classic yellow X-Men suit for the first time ever. That being said, if you are expecting a compelling straight-forward plot on par with the first two Deadpool movies and look for more than just fan service and easter eggs in a movie, you will likely be disappointed. As enjoyable as Deadpool and Wolverine is, I can’t help but find the character more engaging on his own adventures with his own friends and family, which is why this is perhaps my least favorite of the Deadpool movies and inferior to the last two standalone Wolverine movies.

But still, I enjoyed the action when it happened, I enjoyed (most of) the gags when they happened, I enjoyed the cameos when they happened, and I couldn’t help but be happy when I got to see Deadpool and Wolverine actually interacting together in their proper comic book counterpart suits. I just only wished it I enjoyed as much as I enjoyed all of those in the first two Deadpool movies.

This is a movie that the discourse surrounding will make me want to hate it, especially with the outrageous “THE MCU IS BACK!” to “THE MCU IS DEAD!” takes I’ve been seeing online, but for the moment I got what I mostly wanted for Deadpool and Wolverine, even if I wanted a bit more from it.

I’ll give it a three out of four stars for now.

Until the discourse and aftermath drives me sooooo bananas that it will make me drop it to a two and a half out of four stars.

Again, you’ve already decided whether you like or hate this movie so think for yourself.

Other comments:

  • I can’t get BABY BYE BYE BYE out of my effing head!

  • I would LOVE to know the backstory behind how Ryan Reynolds was able to get that one actor to come back given the bad blood that both sides had for one another.

  • Also, the backstory on that one other cameo for Wolverine!

  • It’s awkward how the same studio that made Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, that uses it’s cameos to flirt with and mock the find of fandom that care more about filmmakers making Reddit fan porn than their own work of art, make a film that basically acts as a tongue-and-cheek “Sorry!” to fans that didn’t like that movie.

  • Shawn Levy doesn’t have the “sauce” that Tim Miller and David Lynch has. Did I do that right?

  • And please stop using the phrase “sauce” all the time. It’s annoying!

  • This weekend I learned that the internet and social media was mistake.

  • Also, about you know what coming back as Doctor Doom for Avengers 5? Um………we’ll see how it goes…….I guess.

Ranking The X-Men Franchise

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With the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, it is now officially the end of the Fox-solo run of X-Men movies. Even if you have yet to see the film, it’s been basically confirmed beforehand that the film was to act as a a farewell to that era of superhero movies and open the door for Deadpool’s introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

I don’t think you can find a superhero franchise that is this inconsistent and all over the place in terms of quality. The highs remain very, very high while the lows remain very, very low. While the X-Men movie franchise deserves credit for laying the groundwork for the 21st century domination of superhero flicks, they are certainly not without their faults.

Because of all that and more, let’s take a look back at this superhero series before the MCU does their own spin on it in film form.

Here is my ranking of all 14 X-Men films from worst to best, including Deadpool & Wolverine.

14.) Dark Phoenix

Simon Kinberg returned to do yet another adaption of the Dark Phoenix saga that he screwed up last time only to somehow do an even worse job here. As underwhelming as Last Stand was, that at least had more effort put into it and had some sort of emotional investment from the first two X-Men movies to pay off of. Dark Phoenix on the other hand lacks any sort of groundwork or proper payoff. We are expected to care about versions of X-Men characters we just meet one movie ago and is expected to have the sort of gravitational emotional weight that Avengers: Endgame provided. It doesn’t even come close to capturing a quarter of that since these are the versions of the characters we have spent the least amount of time with and there’s not much of a proper finale to build to. Not to mention the cheapness of the filmmaking on display despite it’s massive budget, set pieces that lack any sort of weight or proper direction, a villain that is so forgettable that no one even knows what her name is (Not even Jessica Chastain herself!) and wasting talented actors that are clearly over this franchise. Not even Han Zimmer bringing his A-game and the final scene between Charles and Xavier can save this disaster! I don’t know if it’s because of the numerous delays, the Disney and Fox merging, and/or Simon Kinberg trying to do the same story he already screwed up but no matter what way you look at it, Dark Phoenix is an utter failure of a motion picture and the worst film in this franchise by a country mile.

13.) X-Men: Origins Wolverine

For a long while, this was the worst that the X-Men franchise got. X-Men Origins: Wolverine shows what happens when a comic book movie tries to do too much with so little effort. This glorified attempt at making an compelling origin story for it’s main character falls flat in every single way. With too many characters, overloaded subplots, endless retcons and contrivances, awful effects, and insulting logic, this comes across more as a textbook example of how NOT to make a comic book movie and prequel at the same time. And don’t get me started what they did with the Merc in the Mouth (Screw you, Fox!) Although unlike Dark Phoenix, the cast, the clear standouts being Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, and Liev Schreiber, give their best efforts and there are PLENTY of unintentional laughs to be found here. It may no longer be the worst X-Men movie (Dark Phoenix) nor the worst Fox Marvel movie (Fant4stic) but Origins: Wolverine remains the lowest point of Hugh Jackman’s tender as Wolverine and possibly his whole career.

12.) X-Men: The Last Stand

I never in a million years thought that this would be the best film adaption of the Dark Phoenix saga to date. At least there’s actually a plot driving the movie forward and and had payoffs to the first two movies of some sort. That being said, The Last Stand still doesn’t come close to being the satisfying conclusion to the original trilogy it aims itself to be. The pacing is way too break neck without giving you a second to breathe, the direction makes the film look lifeless and rather bleak to look at, there are decisions made by the characters that are just baffling, and (until Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League), you would be hard pressed to find a superhero adaption that gave such disrespectful death scenes to beloved comic characters. It’s certainly more action packed than most X-Men movies and there’s a emotional beat or two that work but X-Men: The Last Stand still remains one of the most disappointing superhero movies of all time.

11.) X-Men: Apocalypse

How do you follow up with one of the best and most exciting X-Men movies in the series with Days of Future Past? By wasting Oscar Isaac in an incredibly boring villain role, that’s how! X-Men: Apocalypse is not without it’s redeemable moments, which some good character beats scattered throughout (Quicksilver always steals the show!) and solid performances from the last old and new. It still can’t get over glaring flaws such as super slow pacing, a middle act being practically non-existent, wasted supporting cast, dodgy CGI and green screen effects, and of course, Apocalypse being an incredibly wasted villain. It’s baffling how the one X-Men movie that Bryan Singer did strictly as an obligation (Days of Future Past) turned out to be a million times better than the one X-Men movie he actually wanted to make from the start (Apocalypse).

Also, f*ck that stab at Return of the Jedi!

And f*ck Bryan Singer as well!

10.) The New Mutants

A re-watch has made this movie aged better in hindsight. The New Mutants had an interesting idea going for it by being more small-scale than most superhero movies and going with a more horror-like tone. It also has a commendable cast who do the best they can and even a lgbtq+ relationship that doesn’t feel pandering or forced. If only more time was spent on the new mutants developing their powers and NOT on constantly explaining their motives and themselves to everyone else and it fully committed to it horror elements. No one saw this movie when it came out because it released in theaters during the pandemic nearly three years but when watching it again on Disney Plus, there are more redeemable elements to this movie than I initially thought. Perhaps if it didn’t get caught between Covid and the Disney-Fox merge, The New Mutants could have been a refreshing change of pace to the superhero genre.

9.) X-Men

The original X-Men deserves credit for being the one that started it all and laying the foundation of this franchise for over the past two decades. It introduces the superb cast of characters that fit their role like a glove such as Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellen, it established the core of beloved X-Men characters from the comics, and brought to the table the number of timely themes about civil rights and discrimination (X-Men has ALWAYS been woke btw!). That being said, it has not aged the greatest. It feels more like a POC (Proof of Concept) or pilot for an eventually long-running television series than it does a movie, with poorly aged effects and dialogue throughout (Do I even need to mention that one line from Storm?). Not to mention, turning Rogue (No fault of Anna Paquin!) into a scared little girl rather than a sexy badass and the middle finger it gives to the classic X-Men suits. As an introduction to this game-changing franchise, it does it’s job well enough. As it’s own movie, it’s passable but far from great.

8.) Deadpool & Wolverine

The newest Deadpool film finally introduces the long-awaited arrival of Ryan Reynolds’s Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For the longtime fans, there’s a lot of fun and enjoyment to be found here with the insane amount of cameos, action beats, full 4th wall breaking humor, and just seeing Hugh Jackman in that classic yellow X-Men suit for the first time ever. That being said, if you are expecting a compelling straight-forward plot on par with the first two Deadpool movies and look for more than just fan service and easter eggs in a movie, you will likely be disappointed. As enjoyable as Deadpool and Wolverine is, I can’t help but find the character more engaging on his own with his own friends and family. Also, I really hope Marvel doesn’t take the wrong lesson from this movie’s inevitable box office success and start making every movie going for just “MCU Reddit Fan Theories The Movie”. That will get old and fate very, VERY quickly!

7.) Deadpool 2

You can go back and forth between the sequels with the Merc with the Mouth but I learn towards it’s second installment due to the more creative filmmaking and emotional weight on display. Deadpool 2 shows David Leitch bringing his own inspiring flavor to the Deadpool franchise, getting a chance to play in the massive sand box with Marvel’s beloved anti-hero. What holds this back from the original are some of the creative decisions involved with trying to add more depth and weight to the character, particularly killing off the romantic hook that drive forward the first movie just to make our main protagonist sad. Also, certain bits dragging on and on and on got tiresome quick. Thankfully, the action, gore, and 4th wall breaking still work here and the new players of Josh Brolin’s Cable and Zazie Beetz’s Domino fit into the Deadpool world incredibly well. Even if it is a step down from the first, Deadpool 2 is still a blast overall.

6.) The Wolverine

Even if this one just misses the top 5, I can’t help but feel like this is the most underappreciated X-Men film to date. Perhaps it has to do with Logan coming out later on and the big CGI robot at the tail end of the picture but The Wolverine is still a really solid action flick and the Wolverine film we needed after Origins: Wolverine. Here we get to see the haunted and immortal Logan going on his own adventure to Japan, seeing a more darker and riveting take on the character than the prior movies up to this point. There’s plenty of good fight scenes all the way through and seeing Wolverine go through a James Bond-like arc is really fascinating to see on screen. The third act doesn’t work with the big CGI robot and a villain reveal being so underwhelming, almost as if Mangold forgot this was suppose to be a comic book movie, but everything else in The Wolverine is so strong and deserves more recognition. Even if Mangold and Jackman did everything better together next time around, their first time together was pretty damn good as well.

5.) X2: X-Men United

Talk about a sequel that steps it’s game up in every way possible. The original X-Men walk while it’s sequel X2: X-Men United was able to run like hell. This is where we see the X-Men get striped away of everything they hold dear and both sides of the mutants in Professor X and Magneto force to team up to stop Striker before being forced to go to war with the human race. There is not a single thing from the original that is not improved upon big time here. The story is better with more momentum and stakes, the characters get a lot more to do, the action is more creative and exciting, the score and direction has more life to it, and it’s just so interesting to see these characters that were fighting against each other in the first movie being forced to work together in this one. While there have been comic book movie sequels that would later surpassed this one, X2: X-Men United still remains a damn good X-Men movie and a really top notch sequel.

4.) X-Men: First Class

After The Last Stand and Origins: Wolverine came out, the X-Men franchise felt about as good as dead. Thankfully, Matthew Vaughn was able to bring the series back to new heights with the excellent (No pun intended!) prequel known as X-Men: First Class. This really felt like a proper origin story about the very first members of the X-Men becoming a team along with the start of the biggest love-hate relationship ever with Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr. The cast are all excellent and have perfect chemistry with one another (James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender might just even better than their older counterparts!), the action is fun and inventive, the soundtrack is great, and it’s able to fit all the requirements needed for a prequel film without the baggage that tends to weight these kinds of films down. The film’s villains could have been fleshed out more (Even if Kevin Bacon is clearly having a blast in the role!) and yes what they do with Darwin absolutely SUCKS but as a whole, X-Men: First Class is the real deal and one of the best installments in this franchise.

3.) Deadpool

After over a decade of development hell and test footage that got leaked all over the internet, we were finally able to get a proper Deadpool movie in 2016. After the character was botched horribly in Origins: Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds and Tim Miller was able to deliver the film that fans have always wanted with the Merc with the Mouth. The comedy is brilliant, the action is fantastic, the violent is as bloody and gruesome as it can get, the soundtrack is heat, the romance is one of the best in any superhero movie, and it’s able to make for the best use and subversions of all the most common superhero tropes imaginable. Not to mention, Ryan Reynolds was clearly born to play Wade Wilson/Deadpool, it’s what God clearly always wanted. Yes, you can argue the origin story itself is a tad formulaic but since this was Deadpool’s first movie I can give it a pass. This is not only one of my favorite comic book movies, X-Men or otherwise, but also one of my favorite comedies period.

2.) X-Men: Days of Future Past

While there’s definitely a strong argument to be made that First Class might be superior in terms of being a more proper team-up movie, Days of Future Past still stands as my absolute favorite team-up X-Men movies in the series. This basically acts like the Avengers: Endgame of the Fox X-Men universe, the culmination of the entire franchise up to this point, with seeing the old cast members teaming up with the new ones. From the superb character development to the amazing action set pieces (The Quicksilver scene is still an all-timer!) to the warm, dark tone to the resonate themes to the inventiveness of the time travel storytelling to the inspired score, this is basically everything you can ask for in an X-Men film or in basically any superhero movie in general. I can’t really recall any movie in recent memory that was able to be a kind of course-correcting movie without feeling the need to sacrifice it’s own quality for a brighter future. There are definitely nicks that can be picked (How does Kitty have time travel powers all of a sudden?!), but these are forgiving for how rewarding the whole experience is. As curious as I am with how the Marvel Cinematic Universe handles the X-Men property from now on, I can’t imagine them topping this film or craft something as creative and inventive as this. Perhaps I’ll be wrong but as the film itself states, the future is never truly set!

1.) Logan

Of course, it was gonna be this one. Logan not only stands as the best X-Men film but up there with one of the best that the superhero subgenre has ever offered. This is about as perfection of an adaption of Old Man Logan as you could get, delivering the hard R-rating that everyone always wanted for a Wolverine movie and bringing together that perfect conclusion to Hugh Jackman’s original run with this character. The performances by Hugh Jackman, Patrick Steward, and Dafne Keen are outstanding, the direction by James Mangold could not be more perfect, the action is incredibly well-handled and gruesome, it’s able to weave into the gritty western genre very well, and it’s tells a really compelling story about time being an enemy when you are on your potential last remaining days. (Also, you are a robot if you don’t cry at the ending of this film!) Regardless if you look at Logan as an X-Men film, superhero film, or as a film in general, it is still top-tier cinema on all accounts, with that one final shot being a special cherry on top. Even though Hugh Jackman would come back as the title character seven years later, that doesn’t change the fact that Logan is a masterpiece and one of the best comic book films ever made period!

How Deadpool Was A Miracle

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We are now getting closer and closer to the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, the next film entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which will see the long-awaited returns of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman as the titled characters. Although the discourse will likely be insufferable (most notably the hundreds of articles and YouTube videos about whether or not the film “saved” the MCU), this should be a fun time in it’s own right if it can live up to the buddy cop premise that it promises itself to be. However, I think it’s best to take a step back in the time capsule about how a Deadpool movie even existing is a miracle within itself. Not necessarily because just about any big movie that has ever gotten made is a miracle but particularly the circumstances surrounding the production of the first Deadpool movie, particularly what it took for Fox to actually greenlight it and give it that hard R-rating that fans wanted. We have to go back to practically the beginning of the 21st century to get the full dive-in the production of Deadpool.

Back in May 2000, Artisan Entertainment announced a deal with Marvel to co-produce, finance, and distribute several films based off of Marvel Comics’ characters, including Deadpool. It wasn’t until nearly four years later in February 2004 where there was any active development of a Deadpool movie, with David S. Goyer and Ryan Reynolds being attached to the project, both of whom worked together on the Marvel film, Blade: Trinity. Ryan became interested in playing Deadpool after learning that the character was refereed to in the comics as “Ryan Reynolds crossed with a Shar-Pei”, compelling him to get the movie made. However, there were rights issues with 20th Century Fox and the X-Men films, which halted the project completely.

About a year later in March 2005, Ryan learned that Fox might have changed their mind and were once again interest in a film featuring Deadpool. However, it wasn’t until 2009’s X-Men: Origins Wolverine where he finally got casted in the role of Wade Wilson/Deadpool and be given a chance to play as the character he’s wanting to for so long. While originally meant to be a cameo, his role would be expanded later on in production of the film, leaving room for a potential future spin-off movie for that version of Deadpool. Unfortunately, the film’s portrayal deviated HEAVILY from the original comic character.

There were decisions made with the character of Deadpool in Origins: Wolverine that INFURIATED not just the fans but Ryan Reynolds. Elements such as giving him illogical superpowers, no comic accurate suits, lack of funny one-liners, and worst of all, sewing his mouth complete shut. Ryan was against the majority of the choices made but was forced to go along with it after being blackmailed by the studio execs into having the character recast if he didn’t keep his mouth shut (no pun intended).

Despite the negative reception of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it’s strong opening weekend at the box office encourages plans for a Deadpool standalone movie. Ryan would be attached to the project along with X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner. The spin-off would ignore the version that was presented in Origins: Wolverine and return the character back to his well-known comic suits, with a slapstick tone and plenty of fourth wall breaks. This project would be in the work for the next two years, with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick helming the script, Tim Miller attached to make his feature directorial debut with it, and Ryan Reynolds being in the background to make sure everything was coming together.

The project would later be halted again after Green Lantern released in 2011, which starred Ryan Reynolds himself and was a critical and financial disappointment. Fox executives were already nervous about releasing a superhero film that was R-rated and the fact that Ryan himself as had quite a losing streak with comic book movies such as Blade: Trinity, X-Men: Origins Wolverine, and now Green Lantern didn’t help wonders either.

After Ryan and Tim Miller had several meetings with Fox, the studio did agree to give them a low-six-figure budget to product some test footage to see if a R-Rated Deadpool film could translate on the big screen. Miller would use CGI from his animation company Blur Studio in 2012, with Ryan voicing Deadpool himself. When presenting the footage to Fox, it did not convince them to greenlight the film. Just like that, the production was halted once again.

In the same year of 2012, The Avengers released in May and became the third highest-grossing film of all time. While some attached to the Deadpool project thought that would help pick serious momentum after it being in development hell for nearly a decade up to that point, Fox became even more doubtful of a R-Rated Deadpool movie working. Because of that, Fox began exploring ways to include Deadpool in an Avengers-like team-up film. Considering the fact that this was still years before Disney would own Fox, it would be pretty difficult to find popular Marvel superheroes outside of ones that Fox already own such as the X-Men and Fantastic Four to make a movie like that work. Yet again, it seems as though the project was still far away from having any actual development.

Despite having plenty of supporters over a Deadpool movie, even from some highly notable directors in Hollywood such as James Cameron and David Fincher, Fox still did not want to pull the trigger and give the proper and faithful Deadpool movie that his fans have been wanting for years now. It was at this point where it seems like a Deadpool movie was just never going to see the light of day. Due to a mix of studio politics and results of prior projects with some of the crew attached to it, it just felt like a Deadpool movie was never meant to be. Already so much time and effort had been wasted to a movie that was never officially greenlighted and it might be better off for everyone to just move on to other things. But then in July of 2014, the unthinkable happened.

Right around the time of Comic-Con in 2014, that test footage that Ryan Reynolds and Tim Miller made together two years prior got leaked all over the internet. The test footage mostly acted as a template to the opening action sequence in the final finished film. Deadpool is on a highway where he makes quips, slice and dices up some bad guys, flips the car open, and turns to the camera to break the fourth wall, with the cherry on top being Deadpool dropping an F bomb at the end along with Angel in the Morning playing in the background.

This leaked test footage absolutely BROKE the internet! Everyone and their mother went absolute BANANAS over it! THAT right there was Deadpool! Those two minutes of test footage along felt more like Deadpool than ANY scene with him in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This got Marvel fans so fired up and excited that it led to plenty assuming that a Deadpool movie was in the works. Despite Fox denying Ryan and friends a chance to make a hard R Deadpool movie for the past decade now, they just had to yes now, right?! With the MASSIVE acclaim this two minute-long test footage alone got, this had to be a sign that a Deadpool movie was made to exist. And as it turns out, that was exactly what the cast and crew needed to get Fox to FINALLY say Yes!

About a month after the test footage was leaked, Fox confirmed that a Deadpool movie would be in the works and they gave it a release date of February 12, 2016. At long last, Ryan Reynolds, Tim Miller, and everyone else who has been attached to this project for so long would finally get a chance to make the Deadpool movie they have wanted to make since at least the mid 2000s. All it took was for someone to leak test footage to get Fox to finally greenlight the project.

It has never been stated who exactly was the one who leaked the footage. Ryan Reynolds has gone on records saying that he, miller, and the writers had previously discussed leaking the test footage themselves, with Ryan initially thinking Miller had done it but that was also never confirmed. He later believed the leak came from someone at Fox but no name has ever come out on who was responsible for the test footage coming out. Even so, Fox did agree to have an R-rated Deadpool movie made but Ryan and crew would have to do with a much smaller budget compared to most superhero films out there.

Deadpool finally released in February of 2016 to strong critical acclaim from critics and fans alike. It was able to gross over 782 million dollars worldwide, becoming the highest grossing X-Men film and the highest grossing R-rated film at the time it came out. Despite the concerns from Fox about an R-rated hurting the sales and quality of the movie, it turned out to be a massive hit. One that eventually lead to a sequel two years later and a third one, subtitled Deadpool & Wolverine, that is set to come out at the end of this month.

When looking back on the production history of Deadpool, I think you got an understanding as to why the film’s existence is a miracle in the first place. Not strictly because of it being in development hell for so long and the constant back-and-forth between the studio and Ryan Reynolds himself but the fact that it took leaked test footage to get the film made. All of this was possible because one brave soul out there was able to take time out of their day to leak test footage that went viral all over the internet. If it weren’t for that, there could be a strong chance this film didn’t get made at all.

A strong chance that Ryan Reynolds and Tim Miller wouldn’t be able to make the Deadpool movie they wanted to make. A strong chance that Fox would have passed on hundreds of millions of dollars and found the next big superhero hit franchise for them. A strong chance that the character couldn’t be brought into the MCU and eventually be in a movie alongside Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. This all had a strong chance of NOT happening! And it was able to get that strong chance because of leaked test footage.

Between this and the backlash over Sonic’s movie design, I guess the internet still has some good use for itself after all. I think I have an idea for an upcoming piece right when the holidays roll around.

Why Are People Hyped For Shrek 5 But Not For Toy Story 5?

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Recently, DreamWorks Animation has announced that Shrek 5 is planned for a theatrical release for July 1st, 2026. This is an installment that has been rumored to be in the making for years now, with most believing that the sequel was in active development after Puss in Boots: The Last Wish came out, which had an ending where Puss and company arrived at the kingdom of Far, Far Away. There was then a report last year that confirmed that a Shrek 5 and even a planned Donkey movie was in the works, with Eddie Murphy supporting those claims a few weeks ago during the press tour for his latest film, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. And now we have a confirmed planned release of Summer 2026, which will see Shrek getting his fifth installment along with Buzz, Woody, and the gang getting their fifth installment a few weeks earlier with Toy Story 5, which leads me to the other upcoming animated film I’ll be discussing.

Despite believing that Toy Story 4 would be the definite end of the series, Disney announced last year that a Toy Story 5 is in the works, with the return of Tom Hanks as Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, which is also set for a summer release for June 19th, 2026, about two weeks before Shrek 5 will release. Although never 100% confirmed by Hollywood Reporter themselves, it was announced by Pixar CEO Pete Docter during a Q&A that the film would be directed by Andrew Stanton, who previously directed Finding Nemo, Wall-E and Finding Dory for Pixar along with co-writing the first four Toy Story films.

With Shrek 5 and Toy Story 5 acting as more entries in two long-running beloved animated franchises, you would think they would have the exact same reaction of hype and/or concern among fans of the franchise. However, that has not been the case whatsoever based on the reactions that I have seen.

Whenever you ask someone if they are excited for Shrek 5, they usually respond with…..

And whenever you ask someone if they are excited for Toy Story 5, they usually respond with…

In a way, this is basically like the exact OPPOSITE reactions regarding the last time that Pixar and DreamWorks squared off in the same summer with their most popular animated franchises with Shrek Forever After and Toy Story 3. Last time out, it was the Toy Story sequel that got hype and praise while the Shrek sequel got concern and hate. Talk about the shoe being on the other foot now!

While everyone is entitled to their own opinions and I more than understand concerns for Toy Story 5, I’m quite baffled how lopsided the reactions to the development of Shrek 5 and Toy Story 5 are overall. Both of these are fifth installments to beloved animated franchises, both of these are some of the most popular brand for both Disney and DreamWorks, both are likely going to be massive box office hits at the time it comes out and both are series that once had definite stopping points but continued on strictly due to their financial success and popularity. Which yet again begs the question as to why one movie is receiving more hype and anticipation than another. I’m gonna break down the main reasons as to what I’ve seen online why Shrek 5 is getting hyped and Toy Story 5 is not.

“There are still more stories to be told with Shrek and not for Toy Story!”

Is there though? For what I recall, most of the criticism surrounding the last two Shrek films with Shrek The Third and Shrek Forever After was how the series was starting to run out of ideas and stories of it’s own to tell. Shrek the Third got ripped apart for elements such as having Arthur being helmed as the one to run the throne of Far Far Away, not knowing what to do with Puss and Boots, and having Prince Charming being the lead villain when he already was a villain in the last movie. Shrek Forever After also took flack by stealing the premise of It’s A Wonderful Life and having all the characters go back to square one but in a different timeline. Does that sounds like a franchise that has plenty of room and growth for more stories?

Say what you will about the Toy Story sequels but at least each installment felt like it was taking the characters to the next step in their development and the whole franchise is constantly moving forward instead of backwards. Each entry of Toy Story basically took the themes and messages of it’s previous movie and expanded upon it in the next one. Toy Story 2 had Buzz and Woody switching roles with Woody this time around questioning his own morality, by coming to the realization that one day Andy will grow up and won’t need him anymore. Toy Story 3 expanded upon that and have it build to a climax which saw Woody and the toys learning to move on. Toy Story 4 expanded upon that by having Woody finding a happy ending of it’s own after letting Andy and his fellow toys have there’s. You can save what you want about the execution of those ideas or whether or not they justified their own existence enough but at least the series always feels like it has it’s head set straight forward instead of constantly looking back. That is something that I can NOT say about the previous two Shrek films.

Perhaps Shrek 5 will find an engaging story of it’s own whereas the previous two installments fell flat. Until then, I have yet to think of a big reason for there being more stories to tell with Shrek than there is with Toy Story.

“There’s a larger year gap between the last installment with Shrek than Toy Story!”

This is one reason that I actually agree with. There will in fact be a larger yearly gap between Shrek Forever After to Shrek 5 then there will be for Toy Story 4 and Toy Story 5. Shrek Forever After came out in 2010 and Shrek 5 is due to come out in 2026, that’s 16 (!) years in between those two installments. Whereas Toy Story 4 came out in 2019 and Toy Story 5 is due to come out in 2026, making it just 7 years in between those two installments.

Sure, if you dig deeper and count spin-offs such as Lightyear and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, that would just be a four year gap for both. However, when it comes to the main entries of both respected series, it’s a fact that Shrek 5 will benefit or not due to it being a larger year gap than Toy Story 5. In an age where it feels like time has gone faster than you can say to infinity and beyond (2019 was literally FIVE YEARS AGO!), there is a strong point to be made that the anticipation for Shrek 5 does in fact have to do with it being so long since the last main Shrek film came out.

“DreamWorks is better at making sequels than Disney!”

When looking at it in the long term, you might have a point here. DreamWorks tend to always bring their A-game when it comes to their sequels, especially with their Part Twos. Shrek 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, How To Train Your Dragon 2, and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish rank up there as DreamWorks Animation absolute best work. And even the likes of Kung Fu Panda 3, How To Train Your Dragon 3, and the Madagascar sequels didn’t turn out so bad either. However, outside of The Last Wish, has DreamWorks really been that great with their sequels in recent memory? Or at least since the 2020s rolled around?

Megamind 2 was a cinematic abomination that was able to united every single human being on the planet with it’s terribleness, Kung Fu Panda 4 was considered the weakest and least necessary of the four Kung Fu Panda movies, and is there anyone outside of young kids and the cartoon community that thought that highly of Trolls World Tour and Trolls Band Together? And did you know that The Croods and The Boss Baby got sequels in the 2020s because I keep forgetting that they exist?

And if we are talking about the Shrek series alone, there are plenty of people that would agree that the last two Shrek films left plenty to be desired. Shrek the Third was considered at the time to be one of the most disappointing animated sequels of all time and isn’t looked upon that much fondly to this day. Shrek Forever After has seen it’s fair share of reappraisal in the coming years (even I will admit that it has aged better based on a recent re-watch of it) but not enough to where people put it on par with the first two Shrek movies.

Say what you will about the track record of sequels for Disney and Pixar but in regards to Toy Story, all four of them receive widespread critical acclaim and enormous box office success! Some might have their haters (most notably Toy Story 4) but they were able to please critics and audience at the time of the release and even now. If Pixar was able to deliver four well received Toy Story films thus far, why not trust them to do it again?

I don’t entirely disagree that DreamWorks sequels tend to stand out more than most sequels from Disney but if we are going by the recent track record and the last two installments from Shrek, there should be just as much if not more skepticism surrounding Shrek 5 as there is with Toy Story 5.

“Toy Story 4 and 5 do not need to exist and Toy Story 3 was suppose to be the true ending!”

You mean like how Shrek 4 and 5 don’t need to exist? Or how Shrek Forever After was suppose to be the true ending as well? So much so that the literal marketing and trailers propped the 4th Shrek film as being the legit final chapter of the story! Did we all just forget about that?!

I’m not going to argue with those that feel like Toy Story 4 and 5 don’t need to exist but like what was the point of say Shrek Forever After and 5 existing outside of dollar signs. They could have ended the story with Shrek The Third as most stories tend to end after a trilogy but they made a 4th one because the Shrek brand was still popular. Yes, you can argue that it was made to write the sins of the previous installment and successfully did so but that doesn’t mean it had to exist. And if you are able to take that into account, Shrek Forever After was designed and promoted as THE FINAL CHAPTER! of the story of Shrek. Do any of you remember the marketing for Toy Story 3 and 4 putting so much emphasis on those being the final chapter of their own respective franchise because I sure don’t?!?!

If you think that Toy Story 4 and 5 don’t need to exist because Toy Story 3 was the perfect ending, that’s totally fine and fair. But, let’s stop this notion that Shrek 5 completely justifies it’s existence alone when the last one made it 100% clear that it was fully intended to be the last one. Nothing remains sacred in Hollywood and it’s pointless to deny that is the same case with Shrek 5.

“Toy Story 5 only exists to make money!”

Repeat after me: ALL MOVIES EXIST TO MAKE MONEY! Not only all movies but ESPECIALLY studio IP movies! There is not a single second of development for these two films or ANY film for that matter where the studio execs are NOT thinking of all the money that they will make by banking on families and nostalgic adults! It’s not an opinion, that’s just a fact!

Toy Story 5 exists because Disney and Pixar are at a time where they need multiple box office hits in a row to justify still playing their films in theaters and it’s best to develop new films based off IPs that have already been successful. Shrek 5 exists because DreamWorks and Universal want another Shrek movie and want to make more sequels to perhaps make up for recent box office losses such as Trolls Band Together and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. Both of these statements can be correct and there is no shame in admitting!

At the end of the day, it’s all business in Hollywood! If Shrek 5 and Toy Story 5 make a ton of money during the summer two years from now, then it will be a success in the eyes of studio executives regardless of the actual quality of the film. Yes, Toy Story 5 only exists to make money but guess what, the same thing can be said for Shrek 5 as well.

In Conclusion

I know nothing I say can change one’s mind if they are super excited for Shrek 5 and super dreading for Toy Story 5. However, I want to at least get some points across as to the reasons that one is receiving much more hype than the other makes little to no sense to me. It’s okay to be excited for one movie and not for another but at least know why you feel the way you do in regards to Shrek 5 and Toy Story 5.

It’s bad enough we now live in an age where losers on the internet are always wanting to start a culture war on any new movie, show, or game that comes out nowadays. (There are literally folks claiming that Nintendo has gone “woke” because Zelda, the title character of Nintendo’s most successful non-Mario franchise, is getting her own game!) The last thing we need is another one in regards to these two long-running animated franchises that we all grew up with. A fun debate and comparison is all well and good but not when it starts to get needlessly cruel, mean spirited, and political for no reason.

I have nothing against Shrek or Toy Story. I’ve loved both series when I was a kid and I still have fond memories for them as well! I hope nothing but the very best for Shrek 5 and Toy Story 5 when they come out in summer of 2026. However, I do think there is plenty of room for worry and concern considering how they exist more because of the business side of things and not for the artistic side. Which yet again makes me wonder why most folks are propping up Shrek 5 but not Toy Story 5? I guess we will all find out the answer together in two years!

Regardless, Toy Story 5 will release on June 19th, 2026 and Shrek 5 will release on July 1st, 2026!