Shrek's test animation from 1995 has been shared online, and fans of the DreamWorks classic are already wishing that it hadn't been. The video, which landed on Twitter over Thanksgiving, has been called "ugly" and "terrifying" by viewers, as it sees the titular ogre encounter a gnome-looking creature.
The short clip opens with Shrek dancing around the streets of a dimly lit village, to James Brown's 'I Got You' no less, as the big-nosed bandit swings down from an archway and threatens Shrek with a dagger. "Give me your loot, fat boy," he shouts.
Shrek grabs the thief by the throat, which causes his eyes to bug out, and says, "Bite me" as he grins a toothy grimace. Shrek then releases the gnome, which causes the roped fiend to ping up into the night sky.
The original test animation for ‘SHREK’ from 1995 has been found and uploaded online. pic.twitter.com/jshRNH1yHVNovember 24, 2023
"I could have went my whole life not seeing this," a reluctant onlooker replied to the video. Another adds: "This is TERRIFYING WTF."
"This made me feel uncomfortable," joked one more. A fourth confessed: "Nah that shit would've given me nightmares."
Released back in 2001, Shrek sees the eponymous character (voiced by Mike Myers) strike up an unlikely friendship with a chatty donkey (Eddie Murphy), before half-heartedly embarking on a mission to save Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from the sleazy Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) in the hopes of regaining his swamp. It spawned a whole bunch of sequels and spin-offs including Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007), Shrek Forever After (2019), Puss in Boots (2011), and a few short films, too. It's believed that, cumulatively, the feature-length movies have made around $3.5 billion worldwide.
Myers reprised the role, kind of, in comedy series The Pentaverate in 2022. If you're already binge-watched the whole show, check out our roundup of the best Netflix shows for some viewing inspiration.
