FILM · 2001 · USA

Shrek

Directed by

Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson

Runtime

90 min

Studio

Pacific Data Images, DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks Pictures

184 archived facts · 8 topics · 1 source · Last reviewed Sep 2026

It ain't easy bein' green -- especially if you're a likable (albeit smelly) ogre named Shrek. On a mission to retrieve a gorgeous princess from the clutches of a fire-breathing dragon, Shrek teams up with an unlikely compatriot -- a wisecracking donkey.

Summary: TMDB

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11 Easter Eggs and References in Shrek

1. #027

   Because the film took so long to make, DreamWorks was also able to reference other films that had not yet been made when it was first conceived. The Matrix (1999), for example.

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2. #044

   Donkey and Fiona are the only characters in this film who refer to Shrek by name. Others would do so later in the other films.

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3. #078

   At around the 27-minute mark, Shrek compares ogres to onions and says they both have layers. This references Henrik Ibsen's play 'Peer Gynt', in which the title character declares himself an onion for similar reasons.

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4. #108

   At about 19 minutes, when the Magic Mirror introduces Fiona, one of his lines was "She likes Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain." This was a reference to The Sweetest Thing (2002), the film in which Cameron Diaz sings the song alongside Christina Applegate.

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5. #122

   While the masked executioner Thelonious sings, his appearance is a direct reference to a "Stacker 2" commercial in which the masked "WWF (World Wrestling Federation)" character Kane (Glenn Jacobs) is seen singing karaoke.

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6. #124

   (At about 42 minutes) After rescuing Fiona, Shrek sarcastically asks her whether she was waiting for Prince Charming. This foreshadows the second and third films in the series, since Charming serves as the main villain in those films.

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7. #126

   (At about 27 minutes) In the "Ogres are like onions" scene, the sunflowers in the background face the sun, which is in fact something sunflowers naturally do.

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8. #147

   Farquaad sending Shrek to rescue Fiona so he can get his swamp back may be a parody of The Wizard of Oz, since Oz would grant Dorothy and her friends' wishes only by killing the Wicked Witch of the West. Unlike the wizard, Farquaad was honest in clearing the swamp for Shrek as agreed, but threatened to change his mind.

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9. #153

   Near the beginning of the film, fairy tale creatures are captured and "the three bears" are shown in a cage. Later, the father bear and the baby bear are seen crying in the background. This is followed by a scene in which Lord Farquaad is shown resting in bed, with a bearskin rug made from the mother bear in his room.

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10. #163

    At around 52 minutes, the dance by Monsieur Hood and his band of men, particularly its dance style, is a nod to Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993).

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11. #169

    At around 57 minutes, the part where Shrek pushes Fiona into a bush references Grease (1978).

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