Shrek’s Early Test Animation, Thought Lost For 20+ Years, Has Been Found: Watch Cinema History Here

Early test animation for Shrek has surfaced online after being thought lost for over 20 years. While the full movie was produced and released by DreamWorks Animation in 2001, a different version of the film was originally in development in 1995. This original version of the film starred Chris Farley as the titular character, who portrayed him using early motion capture technology.

Now, The Zoom Art Studio has released test footage from the original Shrek movie on YouTube.

The uploader explains they were involved in the original movie’s production design, explaining how they managed to post the footage. In the clip, Shrek can be seen dancing to “I Got You” by James Brown as he flings a knight into the air.

The Original Shrek Would Have Been A Very Different Film

The description of the video reveals the original idea for Shrek was a “dark edgy low budget film,” a far cry from the spoof of fairy tale stories the final product became. Farley’s original voice work also didn’t have the titular character use a Scottish accent, something Mike Myers would add in his performance. As evidenced by the new footage, Shrek’s design was also thinner, with an emphasis on his exaggerated facial expressions.

If the original version of the movie had been completed and released, it’s unclear if the franchise it spawned would even exist. Shrek 5 is currently in development, while the spinoff film Puss in Boots: The Last Wish became a box office success in 2022. With the franchise still pulling from classic fairy tales to craft comedic, heartfelt stories, it seems like the darker original version wouldn’t have made the same impact.

Despite how different the original vision for Shrek was, it would be interesting to learn more about what the original plan for the movie would have been. Since Farley recorded many of his lines for the film before his death in 1997, those too may resurface at some point. This would give more context to the film and its story, underscoring how different it would have been from the original. Either way, the new test footage is a major lost media find that adds new context to the first vision for the movie.