Shrek was one of the most defining films of the early ’00s. It pushed the boundaries of CGI storytelling and remains as much a classic today as it ever was.
The film has become a staple in my household and over the years, I’ve come to notice a few things that bug me.
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See what I’m talking about and check out these 10+ mistakes from Shrek fans completely missed.
1. Farquaad couldn’t have married Cinderella.
There’s a scene where the magic mirror begins showing Lord Farquaad all of the eligible princesses for him to marry. One of whom is Cinderella.
This is incorrect because Cinderella wasn’t born into royalty. She only became a princess after she got married.
2. How did Shrek get an arrow in his butt?
Right after Fiona puts on an impressive display of martial arts, Shrek and Donkey are frozen in shock. When Shrek finally comes to grips and runs after her, there’s no arrow in his backside.
Yet by the time he catches up with her, somehow it’s sticking out for all to see.?
3. What’s going on with that warning sign?
When the film begins and Shrek starts painting his “Beware Ogre” sign, you can see that there’s a big chunk missing from the top right corner of the wooden board.
Keep your eye on it because it’s about to change.
When we see the finished product as Shrek walks away, the chunk is still missing but it’s on the opposite side!
More than likely one of the animators had the animation cell inverted or flipped the wrong way.
It’s not glaring but still noticeable.
4. The blue shield vanishes from the wall.
After Shrek and Donkey make short work of Farquaad’s gang of knights, you can see a blue shield emblazoned with the letter “f” hanging from the stone wall just behind them.
Don’t take your eye off of it!
Whoops! It should be hanging right over Shrek’s left shoulder. This is becoming a bit of a trend.
These little breaks in continuity might seem trivial, but they’re the types of tiny anachronisms that can totally spoil the reality of the film.
An extra set of eyes goes a long way in the editing process…
5. The disappearing leaves.
After Donkey watches Princess Fiona remove the arrow from Shrek’s rear-end, he faints at the sight of the blood. The force of his body hitting the ground sends a few scattered leaves up into the air.
But when the camera zooms out, there isn’t a leaf in sight anywhere near him.
6. Where did the knight get the scroll?
When the knights first approach Shrek, not a single one has anything in their hands.
Judging from the heavy suits of armor that they’re wearing, I’m going to wager they don’t have pockets either.
So then where did the parchment scroll magically appear from?
All of a sudden he just starts reading from a Royal decree? Did it fall out of the sky or what?
There’s not even an attempt at an explanation. The camera just cuts and voila — parchment in hand!
7. Those really are some magical mice.
At the very end of the film, after Shrek and Fiona get married, the fairy godmother turns the three blind mice and onion into a whimsical horsedrawn carriage.
But in the very next scene, the mice can be seen dancing on the piano!
8. What happened to the tap on the beer keg?
If you look at the beer keg that’s still intact, you’ll notice that it has a very large tap on the front.
But after the knights begin to attack, something funny happens.
It completely disappears! What happened? It was there just a second ago!
This one is pretty glaring, and there is no excusing it.
I understand that multiple animators are working together at various intervals but shouldn’t this have been caught?
9. What way does Shrek’s door swing?
When Shrek and Donkey first meet, they trek back to Shrek’s home in the swamp.
As they enter his hut, you can clearly see that the door on the frame opens inward.
But then later on, after all of the fairy tale creatures rush their way inside, you can see that the door opens outward!
I know what you’re thinking and the answer is no, it isn’t a saloon door.
It can’t be because we saw Shrek slam it on its frame after he kicked Donkey out!
10. Wasn’t there a chain a second ago?
Toward the end of the film, Shrek and Donkey are whisked away to Farquaad’s castle on the back of a dragon. When she first appears, there is no chain dangling from her collar.
But when it comes time for Shrek and Donkey to climb aboard, all of a sudden one appears.
