Shrek spin-off Puss in Boots debuted at number one its opening weekend and has continued to dominate the box office ever since. Although much worse films have had that honor (lookin' at you, Paul Blart Mall Cop), we must still ask -- really? This makes the fifth film of the Shrek genus and while Boots was an amusing addition to the first movie, we're feeling a little Shrek fatigue.
The success of PIB also sets a dangerous precedent for other animated origin stories. Are we now going to be subjected to films about that tow truck from Cars and from whence the Chipmunks' human father Dave Seville came? Oh wait.
A combination of not much original screen time and having all the best lines make comedy relief characters easy favorites and ripe for the spin-off picking. But if Art Attack had our way and the $130 billion budget that Puss in Boots did, these are the origin stories we'd prefer to see get made.
5. Megan of Bridesmaids
The general assumption is that Melissa McCarthy won her Emmy for Mike & Molly because everyone liked her so much in Bridesmaids. Based on that alone, Universal Pictures is probably hearing the sound of silence over spin-off possibilities right now, because the sound of billions of dollars falling from the sky is actually pretty quiet.
Like any good comedy relief character, Megan is completely over the top but she also exhibits great heart and inner conflict -- the root of any worthwhile origin story. The story Megan tells about falling off a cruise ship and talking to a dolphin that changed her life is probably a good start.
4. Franck Eggelhoffer of Father of the Bride
Martin Short's role as the fey wedding planner in this heartwarming Steve Martin classic typifies comedic relief. He is responsible for bringing swans in the picture and even goes so far as to have a pan-European accent. So beloved was he that Franck figured into the sequel to a much greater extent. The tale of Franck's origins would finally reveal just where he's from, other than the planet of not wanting to die by a drive-by shooting.
The original film was made back in 1991, but given the political realities of the present day, perhaps a film about Franck planning his own wedding would be more appropriate.
3. Bad Horse of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Much of the charm of Joss Whedon's short but sweet Web series was the fact that good guys and bad guys of varied powers existed without question. Of course a Snake Bite, Dead Bowie, Captain Hammer and Bad Horse populate the world, just as naturally as pandas and pigeons do.
But you can't help but wonder about the Thoroughbred of Sin. When and why was the Evil League of Evil founded? What horse parts, specifically, does Bad Horse have and was he born with them? Did he train under a sensei in Tibet to get his special powers? Either way, we imagine his origin story would be a lot more interesting a movie than the first 20 minutes of Batman Begins.
2. Gromit of Wallace and Gromit
It's rare when a cartoon character can be described as having quiet dignity, but it's true of Gromit. The sidekick to his goofy, cheese-loving human master, Gromit not only exhibits remarkable common sense when rescuing Wallace from harrowing situations, he also shows a practical knowledge of mechanical engineering, keeps up with world events and is an avid cook. Where did he learn these skills? Unlike the characters in the apocalypse-heralding Chipmunk sequels and Puss in Boots, Gromit is actually a character with depth and a story that might really be provoking.
1. Tony Stark: The College Years
Iron Man is an origin story as is, and Robert Downey Jr. managed to provide a majority of the comedy as the main character. But before the bed-hopping businessman got in touch with his heroic side and all the technological trappings that come with that, he was merely an overconfident college student with some dad issues on a bender. We imagine that story would be something like a combination of Old School and Hackers.
