Shrek is a total success, and we cannot wait for the fifth part to be released in 2022. We are getting closer, and we know we have to wait for a bit, but here are some facts to get to know the franchise better.
They wanted to do a musical
The franchise was so successful that people wanted to do a musical. Imagine how hard that would have been, but we are sure that the result would have been worth it.
The musical would have had a backstory for Shrek and a cameo of a young Princess Fiona. We would have found out that Shrek had left his home at the age of 7 in order to see the world. But he is hated by everyone, except young Princess Fiona. This was a secret scene that was crucial in the character development of Shrek.
A famous line almost forgotten
Usually, when people make films, they also make mistakes. It happens often. Did you know that IMDb has an entire section full of these mistakes? It’s gold, really. And these mistakes also appear in Shrek. But the scene is quite confusing.
We’re talking about the scene in which Shrek discovers all of the banished fairytale creatures in his swamp. He yells: “What are you doing in my swamp?!”. However, in the original, the line was never read by Mike Myers. They forgot to record it. So the producer had to fly to New York, meet with Myers, and have him read the line while they were in the back of a limo.
Is Shrek really that scary?
One of the main aspects of this movie is that everyone thinks that ogres are frightening. But Shrek is harmless. All that he needed from the very beginning was his swamp and to be left alone. Lord Farquaad takes away all of his peaceful moments when he sends all the fairytale creatures to his swamp. But truth be told, every person finds him scary. But did you know that this did not only happen in the movie? When the casting process was happening, some actors felt the same way.
They first wanted Shrek to be played by Tom Cruise or Leonardo Dicaprio. But then they decided that the role should go to Nicolas Cage. But he did not accept it, saying that “I just didn’t want to look like an ogre.” He then said: “Maybe I should have done it looking back.” Your loss, Cage.
About the original Shrek and Donkey
Did you know that Steven Spielberg was in charge of Shrek back in 1991? He had a plan in mind at that time, and he also knew who was going to play Shrek and Donkey. He wanted Donkey to be played by Steve Martin and Shrek by Bill Murray. These two are a fantastic duo, and they have been playing together in some of the best comedies out there. Of course, their approach would have been different, but definitely not a bad thing.
It was supposed to be a live-action movie
In the beginning, there were many versions of what the movie would be like and what would happen before the final cut. And the action is changed almost every day. Sometimes the actors they wanted did not fit the role, or the script needs improvements. It’s not an easy job to do this.
Shrek was supposed to be a “live-action/CGI animation hybrid.” They tried that in 1997, but the audience was not pleased with the final result. Then they needed to start from scratch. They had to do 31 sequences, with 1,288 shots in each sequence, and 36 different locations, and they made it happen thanks to Pacific Data Images. It took years, but the final result? AMAZING.
