Shrek The Third followed in 2007, and despite negative reviews it still raked in the cash like a money-hungry villainess. Then came Shrek 2, which surpassed its predecessor in both style and storytelling, breaking the then box office record for biggest animated opening ever. Bowing in Cannes in 2001, the film then nabbed the first ever Oscar for Best Animated Feature. In the end, Shrek became the not-little ogre that could, wowing audiences.

Or because you're not that weird ideal body image that's out there right now.” “I loved the whole idea behind the story, which is that you're beautiful, so don't let other people tell you that you're not just because you don't look like the people in magazines. “When they told me about the movie and said that Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow were in it, I told them right away, 'I'm in,'” Myers said at the time. ’ I said, ‘That’s the worst title I’ve ever heard in my life.’”īy all accounts, though, the funnyman was glad to get the role after first choice Chris Farley passed away: Remembers Myers, “When Jeffrey said ‘Would you like to be in an animated movie?’, I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘It’s a movie called Shrek. On the way, there were hiccups: they struggled to move away from CGI being cold by attempting to make their characters as lifelike and heartfelt as possible, while star Mike Myers decided he wanted to re-record his original voice track and make Shrek Scottish – at a cost of $5m in lost man hours. Deciding that they wanted to take William Steig’s children’s book Shrek! and turn it into a movie, they toiled for several years, utilising 275 artists and 2.5m computer hours to finally bring it to the big screen. In the face of some other animated studio known as Pixar, DreamWorks were struggling. See, his adventure was the animated creation that saved DreamWorks Animation from an early grave. Yet despite being an ugly green ogre with no obvious redeeming qualities, Shrek was actually a hero. Not only that, but Shrek – for that was his name – was voiced by comedian Mike Myers (in a dodgy faux-Scottish burr), and took great pleasure in tormenting his fellow fairytale creatures in the lands of Far Far Away.

He liked no-one and revelled in his filthy way of life. And he was a mean, foul-tempered old thing with skin the colour of slime.

Shrek 4