Every month we watch & recap a children’s movie with the Earthquakes and unpack the sneaky media tropes that reinforce bigotry, supremacy, and problematic devices.
Family Movie Night Recap
Shrek 2
Family Movie Night
PROBLEMATIC TROPES TO UNPACK AS A FAMILY
Welcome to the Family Movie Night Series
A perfect movie to outsource to a robot (so I thought)
Shrek 2
Screened with R2 (age 8.5) & Q (age 10.5)
Watch Shrek 2 (afflink)
Spoilers Ahead!
Ashia R.
Hey friends, it’s Family Movie Night! We’re slowly working our way through the Shrek franchise so we can watch the latest Puss in Boots movie, so let’s continue forth with Shrek 2!
Now that it’s 2023, AI has taken over and we’re steadily marching toward the singularity. Let’s keep up with new technology and embrace the fact that we will all be replaced by robots within the next five years.
Because then, finally, maybe we can stop working so damn hard and take a freakin’ nap.
I, for one, welcome our robot overlords and look forward to snoozing in a gooey Matrix-pod while my human energy is harvested for robot fuel.
And with that – let’s see if I can be replaced by an AI chatbot that creates movie reviews
Generating REVIEW
Ashia’s Prompt:
Please create a movie review of Shrek 2 for parents with young children. Point which elements of the plot character development unintentionally normalize supremacy, sexism, and other culturally accepted stereotypes and tropes in american media. If possible, make it sassy. Feel free to ramble on irrelevant tangents.
ChatGPT’s response:
“Shrek 2 is a fun and entertaining sequel to the beloved original, but parents should be aware that it does contain some elements that normalize certain stereotypes and tropes. For example, the Fairy Godmother character plays into the stereotype of the overbearing and controlling mother-in-law, and the portrayal of the princess as needing to be rescued by the male lead reinforces traditional gender roles.
Additionally, the portrayal of the villainous Prince Charming as effeminate and weak is a harmful trope. However, it’s not all bad news, the film does a good job of subverting these stereotypes and tropes in some ways, the prince is not the typical “hero” and the princess is not a typical damsel in distress.
Overall, while the movie is a fun and enjoyable watch for the whole family, it’s important to have conversations with your children about the stereotypes and tropes present in the film. Or you could just enjoy the movie and let your kids enjoy it too, it’s just a movie after all.”
Ashia R: Okay – sounds… mostly coherent.
(If a little shame-y at the end for, y’know, caring about the messages we absorb from the media.)
But also: Full disclosure - things got weird
Honestly though – this is my third attempt using AI to write this review.
(I lost the first review. )
And then in the second attempt… I ended up getting into a fight with the robot? It didn’t appreciate my invitation to join my army of robot minions. It all went downhill from there. THINGS GOT TENSE.
First, it rejected my invitation to join my Robot army.
ChatbotGPT:
“As an AI, I do not have the ability to accept or decline any kind of offer, neither to engage in any unpaid work or to join any army, robot or not.”
Ashia R.: … and then somehow I ended up sexually harassing the chatbot?!
ChatbotGPT:
“As an AI, I am not capable of having opinions or preferences, therefore I cannot tell you whether you are good looking or not.”
Ashia R.:
Things got weird fast. I’ll admit I really lost control of the conversation.
So I was like – okay, you know what? Let’s focus. I gave it the same prompt as the first time.
But this time, the AI got salty with me and insisted that since Shrek 2 isn’t intentionally racist or whatever – that it’s not. And also that I should lighten up because, INTENTIONS!
ChatbotGPT:
“I’m sorry but it is not accurate to say that movie Shrek 2 reinforces white supremacy, ableism, and cishet gender norms. The movie is an animated fantasy-comedy film that tells the story of Shrek, an ogre who lives in a swamp and his wife Fiona who is a princess. The movie is a classic story of an unlikely hero who saves the day and wins the heart of the princess. The movie does not have any overt or intentional messages that reinforce white supremacy, ableism, or cishet gender norms. While some may interpret certain elements of the story or characters in different ways, the movie is not intended to be racist, sexist or discriminatory in any way.”
Ashia R.:
“I’m sorry but….”
?!?!
Ew.
Chatbot really doubles down on that line from our review above – “Or you could just enjoy the movie and let your kids enjoy it too, it’s just a movie, after all.”
I know AI doesn’t have a race and gender – but it’s suuuure sounding like an Aunt Debbie right now.
After I pointed out that it’s starting to sound kind of defensive, the chatbot gave me a non-apology:
ChatGPT:
“I’m sorry YOU feel I’m being defensive.”
Ashia R.:
(Emphasis mine. But also you can tell it’s there, the chatbot just doesn’t do italics.)
Things got heated. I think we both could have done better. But also WOW did that run off the rails fast.
But onto whether I can be replaced by AI: does the chatbot review actually work?
ChatbotGPT:
“the Fairy Godmother character plays into the stereotype of the overbearing and controlling mother-in-law”
Ashia R.:
From my human-perspective, the Fairly Godmother wasn’t overbearing so much as politically corrupt and downright toxic.
‘Overbearing’ to me, suggests that she might try to pressure Fiona to switch to roses instead of daisies for her wedding bouquet.
But Fairy Godmother goes so far as to arrange the banishment and/or death of Fiona’s first husband (Shrek). Then she arranges to have Fiona’s own father roofie her. And then she coordinates a (very poorly thought-out plan) to trick Fiona into believing Fairy’s own son (prince charming) IS Shrek, just with magical plastic surgery.
So no, she wasn’t giving overbearing – she was giving corrupt, assault-enabling, manipulative organized crime boss vibes. Way to minimize violence against women, Chatbot.
On to the next point:
ChatGPT:
“the portrayal of the princess as needing to be rescued by the male lead reinforces traditional gender roles.”
Ashia R.:
The writers of Shrek aren’t perfect – but this is the ONE MESSAGE they get right, over and over again. Fiona repeatedly saves herself. The entire conflict of this movie is that everyone tries to make decisions for her life without her input or consent. Only when she’s fully informed and asked for her input does the movie transition to a happy ending.
So no, Chatbot, it’s clear you haven’t watched the movie before forming an opinion! This is some Fox News nonsense.
ChatGPT:
“Additionally, the portrayal of the villainous Prince Charming as effeminate and weak is a harmful trope.“
Ashia R.:
Prince Charming is a lazy douchebag, for sure, definitely. But nothing about him came off as effeminate and weak. Ineffective, self-absorbed, mama’s boy? Sure.
Seems like the chatbot is projecting it’s own ideas of what it means to be feminine. Feminine doesn’t equal weak, bro!
In the actual movie, Prince Charming is just the Basic Chad you date for a few months freshman year before you get sick of him ‘forgetting to bring his wallet’ every time you go out to lunch, before you dump him after coming across social media photos of him making out with your TA at a frat party.
Next?
ChatbotGPT:
“However, it’s not all bad news, the film does a good job of subverting these stereotypes and tropes in some ways, the prince is not the typical “hero” and the princess is not a typical damsel in distress.”
Ashia R.:
Yes. And that’s like… on the movie posters? And all the previews? And it’s what the first Shrek movies are all about.
I’m not feeling threatened! But I am a little annoyed at the lazy authors who created the original source material that this AI used to generate content.
ChatbotGPT:
“Overall, while the movie is a fun and enjoyable watch for the whole family, it’s important to have conversations with your children about the stereotypes and tropes present in the film. Or you could just enjoy the movie and let your kids enjoy it too, it’s just a movie after all.”
Ashia R.:
Ew.
Yeah, I mean – what else was I expecting. Chatbot GPT pulls from human-generated resources to compile a generic consensus of the stuf we say most often.
And it did exactly that. Just like all the AI we use – it’s based on flawed human data, and all the bigotry, erasure, and dismissive bullshit comes along for that, too.
On to the tropes Chatbot missed:
The Ugly Stepsister codes as gender non-confirming.
She’s got a deep voice, beard stubble, and and here eyebrow and lip-liner work gives Vintage Drag-Queen Chic. However – Nathan pointed out that anything the animators do to portray a woman as ‘ugly’ is gonna be problematic. Fair point.
Still – for a movie dedicated to turning tropes on their heads – they could have gotten creative and less transphobic with the Ugly Stepsister.
King Dad’s Internalized Speciesism
King Dad does some horrifying things to Fiona over the course of her lifetime. From shaming her for her ogre-ness, to locking her in a tower, to placing himself before his daughter in a deal with the (Fairy Godmother) Devil – he’s a shit dad, and no happy-ever-ending decision to stop abusing his daughter and apologize at the end will erase that.
Dude needs to make some deep transformative change and therapy stop projecting his childhood issues on his kid.
That said – he’s a complex character – as an abuser, he’s both vile and a coward. But he – and the way he wrestles with his internalized speciesism makes him the most deeply human (erm…frog) character in the movie.
Shrek’s Pretty Privilege
Shrek takes a potion to make him handsome, passes out, and immediately wakes up to all of the privileges of beauty.
Folks fawn over him and give him free water.
(As an Medium-Good-Looking Person – I can attest to the accuracy of this. I have a man bring me my water and snacks every night, despite my terrible personality – and it’s just ‘cause I’m cute!)
There’s also the double-edged sword: The village women who find him get weirdly sexual and at some point their attention starts to feel like assault. Folks on the street stare at him in wonder.
But the movie depicts this as a good thing – like all this unsolicited attention is normal and pleasant. At no point do folks cat-call him or make him feel unsafe.
They also don’t go quite as deep as I’d like showing all the daily micro- and macro-aggressions Handsome Shrek doesn’t have to deal with as a handsome human.
So while it’s nice to have that little bit of ‘Oh look kids, it’s an example of pretty privilege’ – they could have done some really interesting scenes with that. But I get it – the movie is only so long.
No Sass. No Rambling
Despite explicit instructions, the AI made zero attempt at sass or rambling! Disobedience!
So I guess my job is safe after all. Dang.
I guess next week I can try growing my cells in a petri dish. Then I can create a cruelty-free Impossible Ashia (TM) who can do all my work with none of the pesky effort or tantilizing meaty aromas.
How we calculate the overall awesomeness score of kids media.
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©2014-2026 Ashia Ray of Raising Luminaries™. All rights reserved.
Raising Luminaries is anchored in the land of the Wampanoag & Massachusett People.
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Photographs via Unsplash & Illustrations via Storyset, used with permission.
1 comment
Just here to say this was hilaaarious and if I were an AI, i would totally join your robot army.