Shrek proved to be a hit when it was released in 2001, grossing a whopping $491.8 million at the worldwide box office off a $60 million budget. The quirky fairytale boasted an impressive cast and went on to spawn multiple sequels and spin-offs for DreamWorks Animation.
Shrek is an undeniably unique character and one it's easy to imagine falling flat without the right balance of character design, performance, and tone. However, in some hauntingly weird test footage, we see just how strange the movie - and lead protagonist - could have been.
Set to "James Brown’s I Got You (I Feel Good)," the brief video shows a monstrous Shrek enjoying a stroll before brutally dispatching a would-be mugger.
The whole thing feels oddly dark, while the visuals are more creepy than endearing. We're guessing this was from a very early stage in the development process, anyway, and it's not at all surprising that DreamWorks later headed down a different route.
Original plans called for Shrek to be a motion-capture project, though the technology wasn't really there yet and the end result didn't work. The lead character also underwent some major changes as Chris Farley recorded nearly all of Shrek's dialogue before he passed away. Mike Myers was then enlisted to replace him, though he ended up re-recording all of Shrek's lines after realising he'd sound better with a Scottish accent.
Following four Shrek movies, two Puss in Boots spin-offs, various specials and TV shows, and even a stage musical adaptation, a fifth Shrek movie is finally on the way.
Illumination's Chris Meledandri is helping DreamWorks develop the next instalment and recently revealed his intentions to recruit the original voice cast (including Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy).
"It’s not that dissimilar to the process that we went through with 'Mario,' where you look at what the core elements are that audiences have loved, and you do your very best to honor those core elements," he said. "And then you’re hard at work to build story elements and new characters that take you to brand new places. The original cast is a huge part of that."
"We anticipate the cast coming back. Talks are starting now, and every indication that we’ve gotten is there’s tremendous enthusiasm on behalf of the actors to return."
While we wait for news on Shrek 5, you can watch this weird test footage below.