Animators who failed on other projects were forced to work on Shrek, which was considered doomed. Despite early problems, the film was a success and had three sequels. Chris Farley was originally cast as Shrek, but was replaced by Mike Myers who insisted on a Scottish accent. Nicolas Cage turned down the role due to concerns about how it would affect his image.
Before Shrek gained widespread popularity after the 2001 film’s release, the lovable green ogre was considered something of an underdog, and working as an animator on the project was a punishment. According to the book The Men Who Would Be King: An Almost Epic Tale of Moguls, Movies and a Company Called DreamWorks, animators who failed on other features were forced to work on Shrek, which many assumed was doomed before it was made. In the book, author Nicole Laporte writes that an animator told her it “was known as the Gulag. If you failed with Prince of Egypt, you were sent to the dungeons to work on Shrek.” Yet despite all the problems, like the loss of voice actors and early reports of poor animation, the film was a smashing success. As of 2020, there have been three sequels. So for those Shrek animators, the fairy tale had a happy ending.
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Before his untimely death in 1997, Chris Farley had completed most of the dialogue as the protagonist of Shrek.
Mike Myers, who eventually replaced Farley as Shrek, recorded his dialogue in his natural Canadian accent, but then insisted on re-recording it in a Scottish accent.
Nicolas Cage turned down the lead role of Shrek because he was concerned about how voicing an ogre would make children see him.
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