30 Things Everyone Completely Missed In The DreamWorks Movie

One of the things that makes the Shrek franchise so great is its modern humor and pop culture references. Shrek takes on the ideas of classic fairy tales and crafts a whole new story with them. While there are classic characters like the grandmother from Little Red Riding Hood, the Gingerbread Man from his self-titled story, and even the Three Little Pigs, there is also Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey. Shrek is an ogre who isn’t a villain, Fiona isn’t the typical princess, and Donkey is a talking animal, but he’s not helping Cinderella get ready for the ball.

The first movie hit theaters in 2001 and, thanks to its unique brand of humor for both an animated and a fantasy film, quickly proved to be a hit. Its popularity has since spawned three sequels, multiple spinoff movies, two holiday specials, a TV series, and several short films – not to mention a whole slew of toys, books, apparel, etc. As funny as Shrek is on the surface, there’s also a surprising amount of hidden references and humor that’s easy to miss.

Shrek’s Voice Is A Familiar One

A Scottish Twist on Shrek’s Voice

Most people knew going into the movie that Shrek was voiced by comedic actor Mike Myers. As voice actors often do, Myers gave Shrek a unique voice that fans could easily associate with the character and the movie. What fans may not have picked up on, however, was that Myers was actually recycling a voice with a Scottish accent that he’s used in several other projects, including Saturday Night Live, Wayne’s World 2, So I Married an Axe Murderer, and the last two Austin Powers movies.

The stereotype, at least in American cinema, is that fairy tale characters often have proper English accents, like Julie Andrews when she’s narrating a project. Myers, however, opted not to go that route. Initially, he recorded his lines with his natural voice (via Scottish Voiceovers) when he took over the role for the late Chris Farley. During production, however, he made the choice that a working-class Scottish accent would contrast with John Lithgow’s upper-class English one as Farquaad.

The Name ‘Shrek’ Is Very Fitting

The Meaning Behind “Shrek”

Behind every name, there’s a meaning. While some writers will simply choose names they like, or even the names of people they know for their fictional characters, sometimes, they choose the names for their creations based on what the names actually mean. In this case, “Shrek” is actually a Yiddish word that has German origins. It translates directly to “monster” in Yiddish, but it sounds very similar to the German word, “Shreck”, which means “fright” or “terror”.

Of course, this one didn’t come from the filmmakers themselves, but rather William Steig, the author of the book on which the movie is based. Though American, Steig was born to Jewish parents who came from Austria, which means he likely knew exactly what the word meant in both languages. It’s a fitting Easter egg for fans who might know either language.

The Movie Is Nothing Like The Book

Shrek’s Unconventional Heroism

If long-time fans of the movie franchise haven’t heard of or read the children’s book that inspired Shrek, they’re likely not alone. While the bare bones of the plot definitely inspired the movie, the details are quite different (and the tone is just not as fun as the movie). Many people didn’t even realize that the story was inspired by a book at all.

Originally published in 1990, Shrek! follows the tale of an orange-haired ogre who firmly rejects any sort of affection despite getting a purple, beaked-nosed princess in the end by telling her how ugly she is. There are also some elements of science fiction in this fantasy as well, since this Shrek can actually shoot lasers from his eyes, something that doesn’t happen in the movie.

Farquaad Sounds Like…

Decoding Lord Farquaad’s Name

Even the other names used in Shrek have hidden meanings, and this particular one was definitely meant to go over the kids’ heads. But for adults who still don’t get what exactly “Farquaad” sounds like, try separating the name into two words, “Farq” and “uaad.” They can also change the “ar” to a “u” to further illustrate the point. It’s an insult that most kids aren’t going to associate with the name of the fictional villain.

There has been some speculation that Lord Farquaad is actually based on Michael Eisner, former chairman and chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 to 2005, because of Shrek producer Jeffrey Katzenberg’s dislike of him. However, this has never been confirmed, and it’s unlikely that anyone would ever do so at this point after the movie’s legacy has been cemented.

There’s A Nod To Chris Farley

The Original Voice of Shrek and His Legacy

Mike Myers was not the first actor cast to do the voice of Shrek. That honor instead went to Chris Farley, who even recorded the film’s dialogue before his untimely passing in 1997. He actually died while the film was still in production and with some of his lines still left to record. The filmmakers felt that trying to finish the project as it was without Farley would not have been appropriate, so they opted to delay its release and instead have the role entirely redone with a new actor.

Because Farley was such a beloved comedic actor, however, they didn’t want to ignore that he had been attached to the project completely, and found a way to honor him in some of the animation. They added in a shot of Shrek doing air quotes, as a nod to one of Farley’s popular Saturday Night Live characters.

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Shrek’s 35 Funniest Quotes

Shrek is the kind of ogre who is less scary and more silly. Throughout all of his films, he has delivered some really hilarious lines.

Peter Pan Tried To Sell Tinkerbell

His Dubious Dealing is a Subtle Nod to Disney

There is a scene in the movie in which Donkey is hit with pixie dust and flies momentarily away from the Duloc knights who are rounding up all of the fairytale creatures. Fans will notice that the pixie dust came from a small fairy trapped in a cage who looks remarkably like Peter Pan’s Tinkerbell. Holding that cage is a young boy dressed like Peter Pan. When Donkey starts flying, the same boy shouts “He can fly!”

This is a delightful joke for Disney fans who have seen different versions of these characters. However, if fans look closely early on in the scene, it’s clear that Peter Pan was actually trying to sell his fairy friend to the knights before her cage got knocked over. That doesn’t exactly paint him in the best light.

Geppetto Tried Selling Pinocchio

And The Dark Side of Disney Characters Continues

In the same scene where Peter Pan is shown trying to sell off Tinkerbell, the audience can also see what looks like Geppetto trying to sell Pinocchio. Clearly, in this universe, he’s very disappointed with his creation for some reason. It’s also interesting to note that it seems to be perfectly reasonable to sell magical beings or creations since both Peter and Gepetto are trying to rid themselves of Tinkerbell and Pinocchio.

As fans are already aware, Pinocchio becomes a more prominent character later on in the franchise. Still, it seems the puppet might still be mad at Geppetto for the attempted sale because the audience doesn’t see much of his creator after this first scene even though Pinocchio reappears. Of course, other parts of the franchise demonstrate that Gepetto used Pinocchio to put on shows and earn him money, so for this version of Gepetto, making money might have been more important than his puppet becoming his son.

Farquaad Turned Mama Bear Into A Rug

The Dark Fate of Mama Bear in Shrek

This extremely dark joke is very easy to miss the first time (or first few times) fans watch the movie. In the scene where all of the fairytale creatures are rounded up, the audience can see that Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and Baby Bear (of Goldilocks and the Three Bears) have all been captured. They are together in cages. Later, in Shrek’s swamp, the audience sees some of those bears again, but not the entire family. They only see Papa Bear and Baby Bear sitting together by the fire, crying.

Just what happened to Mama Bear is revealed further down in the movie’s timeline. A bear-skin rug with a pink bow still on the head can be seen in Lord Farquaad’s chambers. It’s clear that the character meets a horrible end thanks to Lord Farquaad and his knights once the rug is spotted.

The Big, Bad Wolf Has A Special Relationship With A Knight

Redefining Little Red Riding Hood’s Big Bad Wolf in Shrek

Shrek offers a unique take on Little Red Riding Hood’s Big, Bad Wolf. For one thing, the wolf is never seen out of his clothing that he used to disguise himself as Red’s grandma. If the wolf is there, so is his nightgown and bonnet. The Big, Bad Wolf also seems to have found happiness with one of the knights that might have worked for Lord Farquadd.

It’s never made completely clear if the two characters are in a full-blown romantic relationship or are just really good friends, but the audience can interpret the ending of the movie as they like. At the end of the movie, during Shrek and Fiona’s wedding, the Wolf can be seen embracing and smiling at the knight, who apparently gets very emotional at weddings. Soon after, they are seen on the dance floor with each other.

Farquaad’s Plan Didn’t Really Make Sense

The Flawed Logic of Lord Farquaad’s Rule in Shrek

The entire setup of the movie is that Lord Farquadd wants to remove all fairytale creatures from his realm. The entire world, however, seems to be built on those very fairytale creatures. Lord Farquaad even lives in a castle surrounded by knights and likes to gaze into a magic mirror, which would seem to imply he’s part of the fairytales himself.

There seems to be a big gray area as to what constitutes a “fairytale creature”, and Farquaad’s reasoning behind banishing them (to make the area more perfect) is weak. He also decides he needs to marry a princess in order to make himself King of the same land he already rules over anyway. There doesn’t seem to be a point to his decisions other than to give him an excuse to be the movie’s villain.

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Why Did Lord Farquaad Hate Fairy Tale Creatures In Shrek?

Shrek’s main villain was Duloc’s Lord Farquaad, who exiled all fairy tale creatures, but his hate for these characters wasn’t explored.

Gingy is ‘Milkboarded’

The Gingerbread Man’s Interrogation is A Darker Twist in Shrek’s Marketing

The Gingerbread Man under an interrogation light and lying on a cookie sheet with a leg missing was used very effectively in the marketing campaign for Shrek. The quick clip of the scene let the audience know the fairytales in this movie were going to be very different. It also was a hint at the more mature things that would be hidden in the movie, going over the heads of the kids in the audience.

When Farquaad enters where Gingerbread Man, better known as “Gingy”, is being harmed, the shadows on the wall behind him reveal that the poor cookie man is being doused repeatedly with what is quickly revealed to be milk. It’s obviously a nod to the controversial real-life practice of waterboarding that goes on in military prisons, but of course, they could never say that in the movie itself.

Lord Farquaad In Bed

Lord Farquaad’s Racy Request Is A Subtle Adult Joke in Shrek

There are a large number of grown-up jokes throughout Shrek, and, in fact, the movie has become known for being even better for adults than kids. Many of those more adult jokes are obvious if audience members are above a certain age. However, there’s one scene that’s a little subtler, but once the audience understands what’s happening, it’s hard to believe Dreamworks got away with it in an animated PG-rated movie.

In this scene, Lord Farquaad appears to be sans clothing and in his zebra-print bed, sipping from a drink and asking the magic mirror to show him an image of Princess Fiona. The mirror looks uncomfortable, but obliges. Lord Farquaad then pulls the blankets closer to himself and looks very happy indeed. It’s likely not the kind of scene a movie marketed at families could get away with including today.

The Painting Behind Farquaad’s Bed Is Him Looking Down On Himself

A Subtle Classical Nod in Shrek

The same scene that features Lord Faarquad requesting an image of Princess Fiona while in bed features another subtle joke. The joke involves the painting that can be seen up on the wall directly behind his bed. It’s a depiction of himself, posed a la Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus”, looking down directly at where he sleeps (and drinks while watching images of his princess crushes).

Animated projects are no strangers to including nods to classical artwork. This particular one is a strange choice to give a nod to a classic painting, but it’s likely done more for laughs than anything else. It’s also a good way to depict just how self-absorbed Lord Farquaad is that this particular painting would be in his bedchamber instead of on display in another part of the castle.

The Duloc Cathedral Worships Farquaad

Lord Farquaad’s Narcissistic Cathedral

His bedroom art isn’t the only thing Lord Farquaad has done in his image. If fans take a closer look at the cathedral during the wedding scene, both a statue and multiple stained-glass windows of Lord Farquaad himself can be seen in the Duloc cathedral. To catch it, there’s only one shot during the scene where the focus zooms out and shows all of it for a brief moment.

This is the only kind of seemingly religious imagery in that place, so it seems that it must be entirely focused on him. So, not only is Lord Farquaad in charge of the kingdom and self-absorbed, but he also managed to make himself the focal point of whatever religious practices are going on in his kingdom. That’s beyond him being a king or even a dictator.

The Subtle Indiana Jones Reference

The Hunting for Easter Eggs

There are a ton of pop culture references throughout the Shrek movies, and while some of them are made overt for the audience to catch easily, others are a bit harder to recognize than others. Those are the references for the fans who like to search for the Easter eggs in media. It can be more fun when they’re on the subtle side.

In the first movie, for example, there is a nice reference to the Indiana Jones franchise that might not be noticed at first glance. The bridge from Dragon / Fiona’s castle collapses over the lava moat in exactly the same manner as the bridge at the end of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. It’s entirely possible animators used the live-action movie as a reference for their own work. Fortunately, it was Dragon chasing Shrek and the gang, not members of a human sacrifice-happy cult.

Princess Fiona Gets Her Fighting Moves From Pop Culture

Fiona’s Action-Packed Skills

Princess Fiona must have learned all of her fighting skills from movies and video games, because not only did she use a move from The Matrix when she fought Robin Hood and his men, but later in Shrek 2, she is seen using Chun Li’s spinning bird kick from Street Fighter II. She might just have spent all her time in that tower watching action movies and playing video games.

Of course, the martial arts moves are also a nice nod to a movie Cameron Diaz completed before the release of Shrek. She appeared as one of the angels in 2000’s Charlie’s Angels alongside Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu. The movie utilized very stylized fight scenes, complete with floating and slow motion completed via wire work like movies like The Matrix. Fiona’s moves act as a nice nod to Diaz’s role, whether intentional or not.

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Shrek Has 1 Princess Plot Hole That Would Have Completely Changed Farquaad’s Plan

Although Fiona is the main princess in Shrek, others are mentioned briefly, and one of them created a plot hole that would have affected Farquaad.

The Movie’s Never Give Donkey’s Backstory

Unraveling Donkey’s Mysterious Past

Was he once a human who was transformed into a donkey? Or was he a donkey who magically learned to talk? The movies never divulge just how Donkey came to be, despite it being obvious that talking donkeys seem to be a rarity in this universe. Several characters are initially surprised that he talks. Also, it’s suggested that the old woman who turned him into authorities knew him for a while by that point and simply had grown too annoyed with him to bother anymore.

There are some fan theories that offer up an explanation for Donkey’s ability to speak. One of those Shrek fan theories is that Donkey is actually one of the unfortunate boys who ended up on Pinnochio’s cursed Pleasure Island. In the 1940 Disney movie, Pleasure Island is a place where boys can escape the rules of society and essentially do whatever they want, however, there is a cost. They are turned into donkeys and sold into slavery. That would provide a dark origin story for the fun-loving Donkey.

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Donkey’s 25 Funniest Quotes In Shrek

Shrek may be the title character, but Dreamworks’ Donkey played by Eddie Murphy has some of the best, most hilarious quotes in the movies.

What’s The Deal With Dragon?

The Mystery of Dragon’s Role in Shrek

The first Shrek movie doesn’t seem to care much for backstory in general. There isn’t a huge focus on how the different fairy tale characters end up where they are or with the magic they have. While many of the origin stories can be inferred thanks to well-known fairy tales, that’s not true for every character. For example, it’s never made clear why Dragon is in the castle holding Princess Fiona captive in the first place.

In Shrek 2, the audience does learn that it was her parents who sent her there, supposedly to keep her sage, but Dragon’s presence is just never explained. Did Fiona’s parents willingly sign guardianship of their daughter over to Dragon? Did Dragon show up later? If she’s “good,” then why did Fiona expect her captor to be slain? There are a lot of questions here that, unfortunately, just aren’t likely to be answered.

Shrek’s Appearance Is Supposedly Based On A Real Person

The French Angel Connection

Shrek is a bright green ogre, but Shrek’s unusual build is strongly rumored to be based on a real-life person who was a boxer in the 1940s. Known as “the French Angel,” Maurice Tillet had a hormonal disorder called Acromegaly that caused increased bone growth in his hands, feet, and face. The condition is caused by a benign tumor that grows on the pituitary gland, accelerating growth. He had a law degree and served in the French Navy before becoming a professional wrestler.

Tillet became the World Heavyweight Champion twice and was posthumously inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012. While the film’s producers and animators have never confirmed nor denied Tillet as the source of inspiration (likely due to legal reasons), Shrek’s resemblance to the boxer is pretty uncanny when photos are examined.

There’s A Reason Why Robin Hood Is French

Monsieur Hood

There have been a lot of adaptations of Robin Hood, and his name has become synonymous with stealing from the rich and providing for the poor. His characterization in Shrek is a little different from past adaptations. Robin Hood is most notable in Shrek for his boorish behavior while trying to “save” Fiona from the ogre.

While it seems like just an interesting creative choice that he appears to be French, the truth is that there’s some historical reason behind it. Yes, the legend of Robin Hood is set in England. However, it also took place during the Anglo-Norman period of England, and during this period French was a common language. French was most commonly spoken among England’s nobility and those who associated with them, such as Sir Robert Locksley, a.k.a. Robin Hood or “Monsieur Hood.”