Fun fact: The song “All Star” was only a placeholder for test screenings until a new song could be found. But test audiences loved it, and the producers kept it in.
Despite the song’s strong association with Shrek, it was actually written as a tie-in with Mystery Men (1999). Which was, to put it gently, a monumental failure.
I helped build the Harry Potter ride at Universal Studios Hollywood. It was located right next to the Shrek attraction. I had to listen to that crappy song for 8 to 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, for a year str8. On repeat. Fuk that song.
Fun Fact: Mike Myers got a letter from Steven Spielberg thanking him for caring so much about Shrek and saving the project also William Seig was concerned that Sherk was gonna be Disneyfied even regretting selling the rights but when he saw the movie he was relieved and loved the adaption of his book
While it's good that Steig enjoyed the film before his death, I wonder how he would've felt if Farley actyally got help and actually voice play Shrek in the final cut.
If I were hired by him and I did what he told me to do only for him to say 'I don't like it', I'd tell him to stick up up his ass and quit. Seriously, the guy's a prick.
To be fair, sometimes you have to execute an idea before you get why it's bad, that's kind of the point of doing test animation in the first place. Perhaps his vision was more kid friendly than even he himself realised and it took seeing what other people made of it to recognize why it wouldn't work. Also it may seem harsh to fire them, but I doubt it was malicious, he likely just wanted a team that would be specialized in making a kid friendly version rather than getting people he hired to do a dark and edgy version and instead force them to make it kid friendly.
Wow, this story should have its own documentary/mini series complete with the cast and production interviews. To go from development hell to nearly finished then your lead actor dieing right at the end to then save it and not only ends up a good movie but a cultural phenomenon and classic is amazing. Great job, as always.
My favourite thing about Shrek is how it just absolutely refuses to die. When the original series began slipping into oblivion, suddenly it became a huge meme on the Internet, giving it a new lease on life, and when the meme was forgotten, Puss in Boots II came out, possibly the best film in the franchise.
Man, it's driving me nuts trying to remember where the hell I saw it, but there is one. I remember watching it, and it was really good, and now I don't remember where I saw it. Mightve just been youtube, or some streaming platform like Netflix or hulu or something, or just on cable somewhere. Can't remember now 🫤. If it pops in my head I'll try and come back and let you know where I saw it and what it was called
So apparently, youtube removed my other comment because I used the "H" word (rhymes with bell lol). So I'll try saying it again. It's driving me nuts trying to remember where I saw it, but there is a really good one I watched a while back. Can't remember where, though. Could've been just a youtuber who did a good one or on some streaming site like Netflix or hulu or something, or maybe on cable somewhere. Seriously, I wish I could remember, but I can't. Was a little bit tipsy when I saw it, iirc lol. If I remember, I'll try and remember to let you know where I saw it. But after commenting I spent some time trying to Google it and find it and had no luck, but did find this other one that you might enjoy. I'll post the link in another comment below in case YT decides to take it down (even though I found it on here 🫤)
I think they did remove it as soon as I posted it. Figures. Just google "Creating a Fairy Tale World: The Making of 'Shrek." Should find a copy of it posted on here in the results.
I prefer the version we got but wish I could see the Farley version. I like how Shrek turned in to almost an anti Disney movie with how it handled fairy tales and expectations for it.
Not really it more turned into a disney movie with anti disney jokes in it as part of the fun but i think i would have like the artstyle and story of farley version better. A bit dark. I dont like the scottish voice as well
@@Number4leadwe needed competitors for Disney since the 80’s, but Disney being Disney has always tried to silence or stop potential competitors from coming to fruition, one example being: Filmation.
The fact this movie came out of nowhere and became the cultural phenomen it did was amazing, I must of watched this movie about a million times due to my oldest child always having it when he was little
@@bannana4058 You probobly didn't watch the end credits or something. It says so. Steig sadly died in 2003, the year before Shrek 2 came out. So it was dedicated in his memory.
Shrek is a film near and dear my heart so I wouldn’t want to lose it, but the tragedy behind its productions makes me wish I could step into an alternate universe and see what would’ve happened if Chris Farley’s version was made. I truly hope in that world, he got the recognition he deserved
Speaking of What Could Have Been, there’s a really interesting original version of Shrek 2 where he abdicates the throne and campaigns are made by Gingy and Pinocchio. I don’t think there’s enough info on it to make a video, but it would have been interesting to see
Great job. They should put together the original film and get his brother back now. He said he would do it now if asked. Missing media is so mysterious.
I’m glad Bob Odenkirk and others have been vocal about that Chippendale’s sketch. I know the sketch writer Jim Downey ardently defends the sketch but I genuinely think it’s a mean spirited piece that no doubt contributed to harming Farley’s mental health. I would really love to see Farley’s lines all released one day. Thanks for the video, great stuff as always
I wonder if they could release a "Chris Farley" cut with a disclaimer that what you are watching is an unfinished film of what could have been with visuals as a bonus disc or would it cost too much to do that?
The point of the joke is to subvert expectations. It did that with swayze getting smoked. The writer wanted to be an a-hole and made it end like it did to subvert expectations. Sketch was broken.
RIP 🙏 CHRIS FARLEY... he was such a huge influence for me growing up i loved how he could make everyone laugh but was able to be vulnerable too...i was devastated when he died i was in middle school then and i still wonder now what it would be like if he was still here in movies like grown ups and so many others that he couldve been the lead in and wouldve been original...on hard days i still rely on his movies to cheer me up, Tommy Boy is my ho to ❤ Black sheep is great too & i love him in Billy Madison & Dirty Work he was so great in that small role " a siagon whore bite my nose off" 😂😂😊 classic
I always envisioned him being in a proper Jingle All The Way sequel. Portraying perhaps a security guard doing his signature scream right before being dogpiled by a bunch of kids , as the protagonist is desperate to find a gift for a child.
Wow! This was fantastic man!! You do such a great job on these. I would've never known all this stuff about the movie. My daughter was a toddler at the time this came out and she loved Shrek. So, naturally I took her to see all the films and sat with her to watch them all again when they came out on video. I can't see this franchise being as successful with Bill Murray, Nick Cage or even Farley. This to me, couldn't have worked without the vocal talents of Mike, Eddie and Cameron. Not to mention Lithgow as the villain. Who'd have thought this potential disaster would become the cash cow and household name it is today? Now that I know this backstory, I'm amazed that it ever saw the light of day, being that it languished in development hell as long as it did. Thanks again for this background on this beloved movie.
Thank you for the kind words and for sharing how you came to see all of the movies. It reminded me of my mom taking me to see so many films as a kid. Trust me, your daughter will remember it when she’s older.
Wow, the character Shrek probably wouldve been alot different had Chris Farley lived long enough for his original lines to be completed. RIP Granted the Shrek we ended up getting with Mike Myers is truly a classic.
While the original version would’ve been interesting to see, the original as a childhood favorite so I’m happy with what we got. Sad about Chris Farley, I heard he was gonna play Fatty Arbuckle in a bio film written by David Mamet, that would’ve been really interesting to see.
Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow… that lineup was still amazing! Hard to believe no one wanted to work on it and that it was considered a punishment project. And although prince of Egypt and el dorado were financial failures they are both great and underrated!
I feel like having Mike Myers play in place of Chris Farley was a really good move. Not only did they work on SNL together but they were both amazing, Chris Farley was hilarious, truly an amazing soul, i’m sure Mike had wanted to do this well for Chris.❤️ both amazing actors and comedians.
Other unrealized projects of Chris Farley (due to his passing) included his role as Atuk in a film version of Mordecai Richler's *"The Incomparable Atuk"* (which would've also had Phil Hartman as the antagonist); Ignatius J. Reilly in a film adaptation of John K. Toole's *"A Confederacy of Dunces";* a young male "height-fearing" Brachiosaurus named Sorbus in Disney's *"DINOSAUR"* (his character was changed in the final version as an elderly female named Baylene); and his first serious acting role as the tragic silent-film comedian Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle in a biopic that was written by David Mamet.
Atuk is a video in itself. Some say the role is cursed as so many comedians have been cast for the role and then died. It's worth looking into. A film of Confederacy has also been called cursed as its been attempted and never started many times.
It's sad that Chris Farley passed away so young. He was really talented and really funny, but ultimately Mike Myers did an amazing job with a Scottish accent for Shrek
hmmm, the Fiona alternate origin is a new thing I've learned from this video. I see part of the whole locked in a tower thing and suppressing the info that their daughter is an ogre I feel like little detail kind of got spread into Shrek 2 and 4 as far as the King and Queen's reasons and what they did. The Witch potion thing was a different angle that i thought was kind of interesting as far as giving her day and night human forms. I think i prefer what we got with Meyers and Diaz with the Shrek movies that were released in our timeline. But I think I have some morbid curiosity to maybe see what a completed Farley and Garaffalo Shrek would've been like as far as style and tone. Seeing that test footage version that got leaked a while back was really creepy and a little nightmare inducing 😅. But I really wish there's some alternate timeline out there in the cosmos where Chris Farley's support network were able to help him with his addiction demons that were plaguing him back then to get the help he needed as well as fighting his body dysphoria (i think that might've been part of it, i might be labeling it wrong) and healing his pyche. And maybe see the movie as they were originally trying to make. like you mentioned with Garaffalo being a little more sarcastic and cynical with her performances and comedy, I'm kind of curious what her Fiona would act and look like in both human and Ogre forms. I wonder if they had any character designs for that or some test footage that's around somewhere. Also thank you for including the other works of the author who wrote the book version of Shrek. I saw the cover of the book, but have yet to have a chance to read the whole thing and see everything in it. The B-roll made me remember something. I have seen this author's stuff before. I think I read one of The Dr.DeSoto books as a kid. Thanks for the memory-blast.
Chris Farley's voice seems like a perfect fit for Shrek! Im glad janeane garofalo was replaced, the idea of a sarcastic above-it-all princess for 90 minutes would be exhausting. great stuff as always, guys!
Its honestly a once in a lifetime typa movie, something like roger rabbit. We will never get another just bc of all the time effort and work put into it, shrek imo is the greatest animated movie ever
It really is incredible that we got the classic that we did. I, like lots of people, was honestly blown away and charmed by the final film. The gentle boisterousness and sharp wit that Meyers brought to the character gave Shrek a little more confidence, which the character needed. He's a rebel with a cause, himself. It sounds like they really streamlined the whole story and better sold the "being accepted for who you are" theme. It's too bad we lost Chris Farley, but this film was an indictment on what eventually took him out of this existence. He was a brilliant comedian, which was sadly always overshadowed by his physical presence and push into child-like characters.
I'd love to see this version of Shrek, for the sake of film history and what we could've gotten. With most of those Farley lines, I'd be fine if it's mostly drawings.
Shrek almost certainly wouldn't have been the cultural giant that it is now, but i'd love to peek into that alternate timeline, where they made Shrek with Farley and it became a turning point in his career. Just for his sake, if nothing else.
@@maszkalman3676 having one, fairly liked actor in your movie won't make it instantly good/popular/ a box office hit. Lots of things need to align to ensure success. I'm not saying Farley's version would've been bad, far from it. Like i said, i would've loved to have seen it. If i had to guess, it probably would've been a modest hit, maybe even a cult classic in some circles, but given how different the Farley version seems judging by this video, it wouldn't have had the same level of "pop appeal" as the one we got. Not because of Farley specifically, but the movie itself would've been vastly different.
Shrek is honestly one of the greatest underdog stories in all of cinema history. No-one had faith in this movie and yet it became not only a box office hit, but a cultural sensation still relevant to this day.
Shrek 1 was the first movie I ever watched on a VHS tape. I sat there 2 years old just watching the hell out of that box TV on the floor. Bright and sunny outside. I remember it all, easily my fav animated movie. Mike Myers is a legend and I believe Chris Farley would have had an awesome Shrek too. Rest in peace to him
Another awesome Vid! Very interesting, I had no idea about the production of Shrek! As we said we love Chris Farley, especially his performance in 1997's 'Beverly Hills Ninja'. Also really like Janeane Garofalo, she's fantastic in anything she's in!
@@brandonspain12345 same…. I think best case is it may have become a cult classic but I definitely do see Chris’s version of Shrek becoming a franchise
Yeah, when he mentioned Prince of Egypt my immediate response was this guy doesn't know what he's talking about. It was quite massive when it came out, I remember.
I know this isn't a huge channel, but it's one of my favorites. Every time I see an upload notification, I genuinely get excited. Thank you and keep up the good work!
It's a damn shame that people only saw Chris Farley as the "funny fat guy" and not for what or who he really was. Really depressing when I see more things about him. Rest in peace.
I don't know if he would. People would've seen the finished film as another Chris Farley flick if he was still alive despite being an early legend to people. 🤷♀️
I've heard the recordings and no the Chris Farley version would've been inferior. What brought it together was the Scottish accent Mike Myers provided along with his energy. Let's face it, Chris Farley was a great comedian, but Mike and Chris are comedians of different styles and they exude a different energy. Mike Meyers was perfect for the role.
Myers’ version of Shrek is definitely what was better for business. I have a feeling that Farley’s version would have only fed into the image people had of him . The Chippendales sketch from SNL is really hard to watch now as it created his career but destroyed him as a person.
It's sad as it looks like he's owning any insults anyone could throw at him by making it his material and having a successful career out of it. But it isn't as simple as that, and it's still a real person and their body. He may have made lemonade but at what cost.
@@BulletsandblockbustersAntz had a marketing cost of $125M which is one of the highest I can find in that era of DreamWorks. Even if Prince of Egypt matched that, which seems highly doubtful, it was still a financial success by several million. The "Prince of Egypt was a financial disappointment" line stems from its opening weekend. When the dust settled it proved to be both a financial and cultural hit.
@logangodofcandy Prince of Egypt literally won 12 awards and 27 nominations. El Dorado was too ahead of it's time and is underappreciated, but it's still a great film.
@@Bulletsandblockbusters man that was a good 1. i been watching stuff on this and how they just found the test footage and it might be even more stuff still out there. you should do a extra for this episode with that, it would be sick and pin them together like a dvd extra lol you could even call it that lol
@@Bulletsandblockbusters right was just thinking about that watching this episode heck came back to watch again. guys have links to other vids but not making it or using it like a dvd extra and your content would fit this perfect for 1. you get so much in such a short run time which is crazy but great for hardcore yotube watchers who lose interest fast with longer form vids and this would be perfect with your style and 2. for us super-fans of show like you could pop them midweek to hold us down till Saturday morning.
So it was reworked 3 times the 2d version the cgi mocap hybrid one that was in the test footage than the almost fully complete Chris Farley version than that got reworked into the final one
I really wish we could have seen the Chris Farley version and I wish Farley would have lived. He's a hero of mine. A deeply flawed hero, but a hero. There's also a reading on TH-cam of Farley doing the "people judge me before they know me" scene with donkey. I would have loved to see his version of Shrek. I love his more sensitive realistic take.
Sigh. Makes me wish I could get a glimpse of a reality in which Farley did not tragically overdose in '97 just to see his version of Shrek. Who knows, maybe it wouldn't have done as well, or maybe it would have done just as well or even better... it's a shame we will never know. Thanks for all you gave us, Farley. Miss you, man.
I wouldn't call the failed animation test a huge waste of money. It did exactly what it was intended to do: show Jeff Katzenberg what his initial vision would look like and how horrifying it would be. In fact given how much money the Shrek franchise has generated I would call it money well spent. It's part of the creative process, creators of all sorts have way more "failures" on the path to success than consumers ever get to see.
100% and well said but it’s worth pointing out at the time that shrek was seen as a low budget movie so to put all that time and money into it only to basically be back to ones must’ve felt like a giant waste
I wonder if Propellorhead got the gig because of Spielberg's previous connection to J J Abrams who he hired as a teen to restore Steven's childhood Super8 movies, after he read an article about him winning a short film competition. Funny firing him though since he later asked him to write the screenplay to his movie War Of The Worlds, and then produced Abrams movie Super 8. In the meantime Abrams got some revenge by contributing to the screenplay of Armageddon, the rival Asteroid Movie to Dreamworks' Deep Impact. With Geddon making a hellva lot more at the box office.
Echoing other comments I’ve seen on vids covering this, I think the Shrek I’m seeing just through the lens of the limited lost media would have been something closer to Igor (2008), ultimately ugly and quickly forgotten about rather than cultural icon we got instead. I don’t think this would have likely saved Farley’s career. The re-design of Shrek being on the right side of the uncanny valley where his CGI looks clean, like he could be a living person with green skin instead of Mucinex’s cousin does wonders for the relatability and staying power of the series.
I maintain that it would have been AMAZING....but dark and deeply sad. Chris' voiceover was effective because he was projecting his own insecurities and hurt through his performance, I would have loved to have seen it, but it would have broken my heart. Especially if you know what his last words were, and how he was abandoned while dying.
At least we have a tiny bit of Farley shreak voice and animation but I hope the original version gets released In some form eirther the mocap hybrid one or the one Farley recorded
My girlfriend at the time talked me into going to see Shrek and I was like “why the fk would I go watch a cartoon at the theater” and wound up laughing my butt off the entire movie. It really was fantastic and a breath of fresh air. Had no idea the humor was gonna be up my alley by the movie posters. Also, as much as I love Chris Farley, Shrek wouldn’t have had the staying power. Acting just wasn’t his forte. He was physical comedy. It takes a *very* different set of skills to be a voice actor. And Janeane Garoffalo (sp?) as Fiona would have been annoying. That would have been a LOT of heavy lifting for Eddie Murphy to carry the movie, which he might have been able to pull off *because* Donkey is so perfect, but I still don’t see the original having the staying power as it is now.
Both actors are a great fit for Shrek (although Chris Farley's version could have been totally different, not bad but different, Nicholas Cage would never work, he's IMO not a good choice for VO work) but Steve Martin as donkey? Nah never Steve Martin is a great and hilarious actor but Eddie Murphy was the PERFECT fit for donkey.
Fun fact: The song “All Star” was only a placeholder for test screenings until a new song could be found. But test audiences loved it, and the producers kept it in.
The ""All Star" song at first made me perceive Shrek as some sort of basketball player, just green.
@@digimaksWere you high on something? I am pooping right now
Despite the song’s strong association with Shrek, it was actually written as a tie-in with Mystery Men (1999). Which was, to put it gently, a monumental failure.
I helped build the Harry Potter ride at Universal Studios Hollywood. It was located right next to the Shrek attraction. I had to listen to that crappy song for 8 to 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, for a year str8. On repeat. Fuk that song.
@@MeowNSheeit Well you know, we could all use a little change
Fun Fact: Mike Myers got a letter from Steven Spielberg thanking him for caring so much about Shrek and saving the project also William Seig was concerned that Sherk was gonna be Disneyfied even regretting selling the rights but when he saw the movie he was relieved and loved the adaption of his book
Sherk
While it's good that Steig enjoyed the film before his death, I wonder how he would've felt if Farley actyally got help and actually voice play Shrek in the final cut.
"yeah baby"
-austin powers
Sherk
Katzenberg: I want this dark and edgy.
Also Katzenberg: This is dark and edgy. You're all fired.
Great point
😅
If I were hired by him and I did what he told me to do only for him to say 'I don't like it', I'd tell him to stick up up his ass and quit.
Seriously, the guy's a prick.
To be fair, sometimes you have to execute an idea before you get why it's bad, that's kind of the point of doing test animation in the first place. Perhaps his vision was more kid friendly than even he himself realised and it took seeing what other people made of it to recognize why it wouldn't work. Also it may seem harsh to fire them, but I doubt it was malicious, he likely just wanted a team that would be specialized in making a kid friendly version rather than getting people he hired to do a dark and edgy version and instead force them to make it kid friendly.
Apparently he wanted the film to be more R Rated
Wow, this story should have its own documentary/mini series complete with the cast and production interviews.
To go from development hell to nearly finished then your lead actor dieing right at the end to then save it and not only ends up a good movie but a cultural phenomenon and classic is amazing.
Great job, as always.
My favourite thing about Shrek is how it just absolutely refuses to die. When the original series began slipping into oblivion, suddenly it became a huge meme on the Internet, giving it a new lease on life, and when the meme was forgotten, Puss in Boots II came out, possibly the best film in the franchise.
Man, it's driving me nuts trying to remember where the hell I saw it, but there is one. I remember watching it, and it was really good, and now I don't remember where I saw it. Mightve just been youtube, or some streaming platform like Netflix or hulu or something, or just on cable somewhere. Can't remember now 🫤. If it pops in my head I'll try and come back and let you know where I saw it and what it was called
So apparently, youtube removed my other comment because I used the "H" word (rhymes with bell lol). So I'll try saying it again. It's driving me nuts trying to remember where I saw it, but there is a really good one I watched a while back. Can't remember where, though. Could've been just a youtuber who did a good one or on some streaming site like Netflix or hulu or something, or maybe on cable somewhere. Seriously, I wish I could remember, but I can't. Was a little bit tipsy when I saw it, iirc lol. If I remember, I'll try and remember to let you know where I saw it. But after commenting I spent some time trying to Google it and find it and had no luck, but did find this other one that you might enjoy. I'll post the link in another comment below in case YT decides to take it down (even though I found it on here 🫤)
th-cam.com/video/TPpgosXR9NA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=VEtu7qbtjvF-GRMv
I think they did remove it as soon as I posted it. Figures. Just google "Creating a Fairy Tale World: The Making of 'Shrek." Should find a copy of it posted on here in the results.
I prefer the version we got but wish I could see the Farley version. I like how Shrek turned in to almost an anti Disney movie with how it handled fairy tales and expectations for it.
Not really it more turned into a disney movie with anti disney jokes in it as part of the fun but i think i would have like the artstyle and story of farley version better. A bit dark. I dont like the scottish voice as well
@@BroodjeBal-tc3cjDisney is terrible now. We need all the competitors against Disney as possible.
@@Number4leadwe needed competitors for Disney since the 80’s, but Disney being Disney has always tried to silence or stop potential competitors from coming to fruition, one example being: Filmation.
@@BroodjeBal-tc3cj Scottish voice is the best part
@@lilcherio8947 its just fat bastard from austin powers
The fact this movie came out of nowhere and became the cultural phenomen it did was amazing, I must of watched this movie about a million times due to my oldest child always having it when he was little
There's even an original film copy in the national archives
a prime example of why not having a faithful adaption of the source material is sometimes for the best
Yeah sometimes
@@nordtwentysix And William Steig loved the film, especially since it increased the selling of his book.
@@theintrovertedaspie9095 how did i not know it was based on a book
@@bannana4058 You probobly didn't watch the end credits or something. It says so. Steig sadly died in 2003, the year before Shrek 2 came out. So it was dedicated in his memory.
Shrek is a film near and dear my heart so I wouldn’t want to lose it, but the tragedy behind its productions makes me wish I could step into an alternate universe and see what would’ve happened if Chris Farley’s version was made. I truly hope in that world, he got the recognition he deserved
He is getting his recognition when TH-camrs post vids like this. 👍
It's probably in the vault somewhere.
Speaking of What Could Have Been, there’s a really interesting original version of Shrek 2 where he abdicates the throne and campaigns are made by Gingy and Pinocchio. I don’t think there’s enough info on it to make a video, but it would have been interesting to see
Lol that sounds insane
Great job. They should put together the original film and get his brother back now. He said he would do it now if asked. Missing media is so mysterious.
That would be awesome to see
I mean yeah. We are in the era of remakes and reboots. This could work as such. I'm so down for Farley's version.
I’m pretty sure he is now, look at the success of the film. Not saying he’s like that but you never know since we can’t read peoples minds
I love what the original author had to say about the finished film, "it's vulgar, it's digusting, and I love it!"
I miss Chris Farley. He was such a a great actor.
He was also so likeable. I miss him too.
Too bad he was a drug abused loser. Speedball killed him. Ruined any good cause to mention him ever to anyone
I have nothing against Chris Farley, but the Shrek we got with Mike Myers was absolutely perfect
An I have nothing against Mike Myers, but the Shriek we got with Mike Myers was absolute trash.
@@elskeletor3566 ...said about 4 people world wide.
Troll.....
@@DrNothing23 More like Ogre not Troll.
@@elskeletor3566 what we got was an indelible classic and a billion dollar franchise.
Read between the lines: you hate Chris Farley and his perceived “talent”.
Too soon dude. Too soon.
I’m glad Bob Odenkirk and others have been vocal about that Chippendale’s sketch. I know the sketch writer Jim Downey ardently defends the sketch but I genuinely think it’s a mean spirited piece that no doubt contributed to harming Farley’s mental health. I would really love to see Farley’s lines all released one day. Thanks for the video, great stuff as always
I wonder if they could release a "Chris Farley" cut with a disclaimer that what you are watching is an unfinished film of what could have been with visuals as a bonus disc or would it cost too much to do that?
@@walker1984 They could always release the recordings as audio only.
@bl3343 Well, the Richard Donner cut of Super Man II was eventually released so it is possible. Not sure if there's enough outcry for it though
The point of the joke is to subvert expectations. It did that with swayze getting smoked. The writer wanted to be an a-hole and made it end like it did to subvert expectations. Sketch was broken.
RIP 🙏 CHRIS FARLEY...
he was such a huge influence for me growing up i loved how he could make everyone laugh but was able to be vulnerable too...i was devastated when he died i was in middle school then and i still wonder now what it would be like if he was still here in movies like grown ups and so many others that he couldve been the lead in and wouldve been original...on hard days i still rely on his movies to cheer me up, Tommy Boy is my ho to ❤ Black sheep is great too & i love him in Billy Madison & Dirty Work he was so great in that small role " a siagon whore bite my nose off" 😂😂😊 classic
Same here! I was devastated when he passed. I was a huge fan.
@@Bulletsandblockbusters he was gone way too soon!
I always envisioned him being in a proper Jingle All The Way sequel. Portraying perhaps a security guard doing his signature scream right before being dogpiled by a bunch of kids , as the protagonist is desperate to find a gift for a child.
There is a timeline where Nicholas Cage literally accepted every role offered to him and we got NICHOLAS CAGE SHREK.
Wow! This was fantastic man!! You do such a great job on these. I would've never known all this stuff about the movie. My daughter was a toddler at the time this came out and she loved Shrek. So, naturally I took her to see all the films and sat with her to watch them all again when they came out on video. I can't see this franchise being as successful with Bill Murray, Nick Cage or even Farley. This to me, couldn't have worked without the vocal talents of Mike, Eddie and Cameron. Not to mention Lithgow as the villain.
Who'd have thought this potential disaster would become the cash cow and household name it is today? Now that I know this backstory, I'm amazed that it ever saw the light of day, being that it languished in development hell as long as it did. Thanks again for this background on this beloved movie.
Thank you for the kind words and for sharing how you came to see all of the movies. It reminded me of my mom taking me to see so many films as a kid. Trust me, your daughter will remember it when she’s older.
This is crazy just watching Shrek with friends last Friday and someone mentioned this about Chris Farley- now I've got the story!
Wow, the character Shrek probably wouldve been alot different had Chris Farley lived long enough for his original lines to be completed. RIP
Granted the Shrek we ended up getting with Mike Myers is truly a classic.
While the original version would’ve been interesting to see, the original as a childhood favorite so I’m happy with what we got. Sad about Chris Farley, I heard he was gonna play Fatty Arbuckle in a bio film written by David Mamet, that would’ve been really interesting to see.
It would have been great to see a good Arbuckle bio film, I think Chris could have payed the part well.
Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow… that lineup was still amazing! Hard to believe no one wanted to work on it and that it was considered a punishment project.
And although prince of Egypt and el dorado were financial failures they are both great and underrated!
I feel like having Mike Myers play in place of Chris Farley was a really good move. Not only did they work on SNL together but they were both amazing, Chris Farley was hilarious, truly an amazing soul, i’m sure Mike had wanted to do this well for Chris.❤️ both amazing actors and comedians.
Other unrealized projects of Chris Farley
(due to his passing) included his role
as Atuk in a film version of Mordecai Richler's *"The Incomparable Atuk"*
(which would've also had Phil Hartman as the antagonist); Ignatius J. Reilly
in a film adaptation of John K. Toole's *"A Confederacy of Dunces";* a young male "height-fearing" Brachiosaurus named Sorbus in Disney's *"DINOSAUR"*
(his character was changed in the
final version as an elderly female
named Baylene); and his first serious acting role as the tragic silent-film comedian Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle in a biopic that was written by David Mamet.
Atuk is a video in itself. Some say the role is cursed as so many comedians have been cast for the role and then died. It's worth looking into. A film of Confederacy has also been called cursed as its been attempted and never started many times.
That would have been interesting to see.
HE WAS GONNA BE IN DINOSAUR??!
@@SaturationZ
Yes.
Chris Farley will always be a national treasure of comedy gold. But Shrek would not be the same without Mike Myers it’s perfection with Mike.
It's sad that Chris Farley passed away so young. He was really talented and really funny, but ultimately Mike Myers did an amazing job with a Scottish accent for Shrek
hmmm, the Fiona alternate origin is a new thing I've learned from this video.
I see part of the whole locked in a tower thing and suppressing the info that their daughter is an ogre I feel like little detail kind of got spread into Shrek 2 and 4 as far as the King and Queen's reasons and what they did. The Witch potion thing was a different angle that i thought was kind of interesting as far as giving her day and night human forms.
I think i prefer what we got with Meyers and Diaz with the Shrek movies that were released in our timeline.
But I think I have some morbid curiosity to maybe see what a completed Farley and Garaffalo Shrek would've been like as far as style and tone. Seeing that test footage version that got leaked a while back was really creepy and a little nightmare inducing 😅. But I really wish there's some alternate timeline out there in the cosmos where Chris Farley's support network were able to help him with his addiction demons that were plaguing him back then to get the help he needed as well as fighting his body dysphoria (i think that might've been part of it, i might be labeling it wrong) and healing his pyche. And maybe see the movie as they were originally trying to make.
like you mentioned with Garaffalo being a little more sarcastic and cynical with her performances and comedy, I'm kind of curious what her Fiona would act and look like in both human and Ogre forms. I wonder if they had any character designs for that or some test footage that's around somewhere.
Also thank you for including the other works of the author who wrote the book version of Shrek. I saw the cover of the book, but have yet to have a chance to read the whole thing and see everything in it. The B-roll made me remember something. I have seen this author's stuff before. I think I read one of The Dr.DeSoto books as a kid. Thanks for the memory-blast.
I have been binging your channel lately and waiting for this video,thanks for a good start to the morning 🔥
Hope you enjoy!
Chris Farley's voice seems like a perfect fit for Shrek!
Im glad janeane garofalo was replaced, the idea of a sarcastic above-it-all princess for 90 minutes would be exhausting.
great stuff as always, guys!
Not nearly as exhausting is someone screaming for 90 minutes because they can’t act.
Thanks I’ve always wanted to know the inside details on this
The fact that Shrek saved Dreamworks proves that Shrek is love, Shrek is life.
Its honestly a once in a lifetime typa movie, something like roger rabbit. We will never get another just bc of all the time effort and work put into it, shrek imo is the greatest animated movie ever
It really is incredible that we got the classic that we did. I, like lots of people, was honestly blown away and charmed by the final film. The gentle boisterousness and sharp wit that Meyers brought to the character gave Shrek a little more confidence, which the character needed. He's a rebel with a cause, himself. It sounds like they really streamlined the whole story and better sold the "being accepted for who you are" theme. It's too bad we lost Chris Farley, but this film was an indictment on what eventually took him out of this existence. He was a brilliant comedian, which was sadly always overshadowed by his physical presence and push into child-like characters.
Honestly I think alot of kids and maybe myself would have had nightmares of Farley Shrek
2:50 The new animators used the firing of the old team in the story… HILARIOUS.
I'd love to see this version of Shrek, for the sake of film history and what we could've gotten. With most of those Farley lines, I'd be fine if it's mostly drawings.
Shrek almost certainly wouldn't have been the cultural giant that it is now, but i'd love to peek into that alternate timeline, where they made Shrek with Farley and it became a turning point in his career. Just for his sake, if nothing else.
How do you know??? probably would be..... Chris farley was loved by many so if he is in it would be a hit ...
@@maszkalman3676 having one, fairly liked actor in your movie won't make it instantly good/popular/ a box office hit. Lots of things need to align to ensure success.
I'm not saying Farley's version would've been bad, far from it. Like i said, i would've loved to have seen it. If i had to guess, it probably would've been a modest hit, maybe even a cult classic in some circles, but given how different the Farley version seems judging by this video, it wouldn't have had the same level of "pop appeal" as the one we got. Not because of Farley specifically, but the movie itself would've been vastly different.
@@peterstangl8295 But you stated it wouldn't be a hit you based this on what exactly???? Pulled out from your backside????
Shrek is honestly one of the greatest underdog stories in all of cinema history. No-one had faith in this movie and yet it became not only a box office hit, but a cultural sensation still relevant to this day.
I look forward to every Saturday for your videos. My new favorite channel! Keep it up brotha!
I love this content! I think a Darren Aronofsky Batman Year One would be a dope video
Thnx! It’s on the to do list
This is the best TH-cam channel out rn
Thanks!
Hear! Hear! I agree wholeheartedly!!
Great video as always ❤
Rip Chris Farley 😢
This is such an in depth video about this. I love it!
Who would’ve thought a famous immortal serial killer voiced such a lovable, iconic ogre?
using the teenage plot for Sharktale was a top tier move
My day always gets better when I see a new vid from you, keep up the great work, can't wait to see what's next.
Thanks! Much appreciated :)
Wow, hearing Chris Farley as Shrek makes me tear up. May he rest in peace
Shrek 1 was the first movie I ever watched on a VHS tape. I sat there 2 years old just watching the hell out of that box TV on the floor. Bright and sunny outside. I remember it all, easily my fav animated movie. Mike Myers is a legend and I believe Chris Farley would have had an awesome Shrek too. Rest in peace to him
It's incredible that you have so much info on What Could Have Been movies! I love it! I'm addicted to your channel! ❤️
Glad you like them!
and in the end shrek was life, shrek was love, shrek was moneeeeyyyy.
its always the underdog productions that make gold.
Another awesome Vid! Very interesting, I had no idea about the production of Shrek! As we said we love Chris Farley, especially his performance in 1997's 'Beverly Hills Ninja'. Also really like Janeane Garofalo, she's fantastic in anything she's in!
Despite the horrific test photographs, all the Shrek movies have been a few years ahead of their time in terms of the animation quality.
I was scared of Mike's Shrek when I was a kid, Imagine Chris Farley's shrek if it was done 😂
If Chris hadn’t died I don’t think his version of Shrek would have been as popular.
I see it similarly to Antz where it's good, but I don't think modern audiences would be too keen on the darker look and nightmarish designs.
@@brandonspain12345 same…. I think best case is it may have become a cult classic but I definitely do see Chris’s version of Shrek becoming a franchise
5:56-5:59 Actually, the Prince of Egypt was a box office hit.
Yeah, when he mentioned Prince of Egypt my immediate response was this guy doesn't know what he's talking about. It was quite massive when it came out, I remember.
The film was not a massive hit. It did well but well below dreamwork’s expectations.
Rip Farley his ahrek didn't look as great but man I would love to see where his film catalog would be today
Don’t think the film whould be as successful without the drastic changes but yea Chris Farley had a great career going
I know this isn't a huge channel, but it's one of my favorites. Every time I see an upload notification, I genuinely get excited.
Thank you and keep up the good work!
Wow, thank you! Really appreciate that and glad you enjoy the content
One thing I remember about the books is that at one point Shrek has a nightmare about being in a beautiful garden with children running up to hug him.
OG Shrek concepts remind me of MediEvil
YES!
Ngl seeing chris farley do a cartwheel was impressive
It's a damn shame that people only saw Chris Farley as the "funny fat guy" and not for what or who he really was. Really depressing when I see more things about him. Rest in peace.
I woulda loved to see Chris Farley voice Shrek Chris was the man you couldn't help but love the dude.
If they decided to get someone to finish off Fareley’s script and release an “alternate” Shrek, I’d pay to watch it.
RIP, Chris Farley, he would have been perfect as Shrek.
I don't know if he would. People would've seen the finished film as another Chris Farley flick if he was still alive despite being an early legend to people. 🤷♀️
It would have flopped
I've heard the recordings and no the Chris Farley version would've been inferior. What brought it together was the Scottish accent Mike Myers provided along with his energy. Let's face it, Chris Farley was a great comedian, but Mike and Chris are comedians of different styles and they exude a different energy. Mike Meyers was perfect for the role.
Dreamworks trying to get Farley’s brother to imitate his voice for the rest of the movie is absolutely wild.
Myers’ version of Shrek is definitely what was better for business. I have a feeling that Farley’s version would have only fed into the image people had of him . The Chippendales sketch from SNL is really hard to watch now as it created his career but destroyed him as a person.
It's sad as it looks like he's owning any insults anyone could throw at him by making it his material and having a successful career out of it. But it isn't as simple as that, and it's still a real person and their body. He may have made lemonade but at what cost.
Prince of Egypt a "financial disappointment"? Since when is $218M box office on a $60M budget a financial disappointment?
Their expectations were way higher and the 60m doesn’t account for marketing costs
@@BulletsandblockbustersAntz had a marketing cost of $125M which is one of the highest I can find in that era of DreamWorks. Even if Prince of Egypt matched that, which seems highly doubtful, it was still a financial success by several million. The "Prince of Egypt was a financial disappointment" line stems from its opening weekend. When the dust settled it proved to be both a financial and cultural hit.
Dreamworks should release the Chris Farley cut of Shrek in its entirety.
Hell no 😂
How the hell did El Dorado and Prince of Egypt flop??? Those were some of my favorite films of all time 😭
Because they aren't very good.
@logangodofcandy Prince of Egypt literally won 12 awards and 27 nominations. El Dorado was too ahead of it's time and is underappreciated, but it's still a great film.
Honestly if they did a movie with an alternate universe shriek it’d be this imo, the only issue is that they already did it.
kinda weird how The Shrek closing credits dont even acknowledge Chris Farley.
Who would have thought that the movie that was seen as punishment was the movie that made DreamWorks what it is today
Who knows what Chris’s Shrek would have been like. That’s just one of the things we will never know.
We got Snyder's Justice League. Will we eventually get to see Farley's Shrek?
Great video-essay!
finally made it early. LETS GO BOSS GOT THE COFFEE ITS SATURDAY TIME FOR A BANGER. good morning my guy
Morning!
@@Bulletsandblockbusters man that was a good 1. i been watching stuff on this and how they just found the test footage and it might be even more stuff still out there. you should do a extra for this episode with that, it would be sick and pin them together like a dvd extra lol you could even call it that lol
Great idea
@@Bulletsandblockbusters right was just thinking about that watching this episode heck came back to watch again. guys have links to other vids but not making it or using it like a dvd extra and your content would fit this perfect for 1. you get so much in such a short run time which is crazy but great for hardcore yotube watchers who lose interest fast with longer form vids and this would be perfect with your style and 2. for us super-fans of show like you could pop them midweek to hold us down till Saturday morning.
then you can do a big compilation once your all done with a movie lol im just begging for more content lol im a crack fiend for your vids lol
So it was reworked 3 times the 2d version the cgi mocap hybrid one that was in the test footage than the almost fully complete Chris Farley version than that got reworked into the final one
0:53 makes you wonder if we got the Chris Farley Shrek then we would’ve been wondering what would happen with Steven Spielberg’s Shrek
I really wish we could have seen the Chris Farley version and I wish Farley would have lived. He's a hero of mine. A deeply flawed hero, but a hero. There's also a reading on TH-cam of Farley doing the "people judge me before they know me" scene with donkey. I would have loved to see his version of Shrek. I love his more sensitive realistic take.
The test footage of Chris Farley’s Shrek was leak back in 2022 and to be honest I prefer Mike Myers Shrek
That original shrek was gonna be too disturbing it would’ve been a obscure forgotten flick
2:50 "Hey, wanna come over to my house and eat what my mom made?" ~Shrek
I would had loved to see a 2d Shrek! It would have fit them mocking Disney so much better!
3:21 Hold on. You’re telling me Nicolas Cage actually TURNED DOWN a movie role?
dude the still shots look amazing.
This Shrek Movie Sounded So Cool R.I.P To Chris Farley 🙏🙏 Prayers To His Family 🙏🙏
Wouldve been really neat to see Bill Murray Shrek
That test footage looks like the Mucinex booger
Reminds me of Mary and Max (2009) especially Shrek's design.
I can see it@@brandonspain12345
Sigh. Makes me wish I could get a glimpse of a reality in which Farley did not tragically overdose in '97 just to see his version of Shrek. Who knows, maybe it wouldn't have done as well, or maybe it would have done just as well or even better... it's a shame we will never know. Thanks for all you gave us, Farley. Miss you, man.
I wouldn't call the failed animation test a huge waste of money. It did exactly what it was intended to do: show Jeff Katzenberg what his initial vision would look like and how horrifying it would be. In fact given how much money the Shrek franchise has generated I would call it money well spent. It's part of the creative process, creators of all sorts have way more "failures" on the path to success than consumers ever get to see.
100% and well said but it’s worth pointing out at the time that shrek was seen as a low budget movie so to put all that time and money into it only to basically be back to ones must’ve felt like a giant waste
I wonder if Propellorhead got the gig because of Spielberg's previous connection to J J Abrams who he hired as a teen to restore Steven's childhood Super8 movies, after he read an article about him winning a short film competition. Funny firing him though since he later asked him to write the screenplay to his movie War Of The Worlds, and then produced Abrams movie Super 8. In the meantime Abrams got some revenge by contributing to the screenplay of Armageddon, the rival Asteroid Movie to Dreamworks' Deep Impact. With Geddon making a hellva lot more at the box office.
If chris farleys shrek was the shrek we had today, it wouldve been a movie I would not have watched
Echoing other comments I’ve seen on vids covering this, I think the Shrek I’m seeing just through the lens of the limited lost media would have been something closer to Igor (2008), ultimately ugly and quickly forgotten about rather than cultural icon we got instead. I don’t think this would have likely saved Farley’s career. The re-design of Shrek being on the right side of the uncanny valley where his CGI looks clean, like he could be a living person with green skin instead of Mucinex’s cousin does wonders for the relatability and staying power of the series.
Can you do the what could have been live action simpsons movie please?
Jon Lovitz as Homer surely? Macauley Culkin as Bart? Paul Giamatti as Krusty?
I maintain that it would have been AMAZING....but dark and deeply sad. Chris' voiceover was effective because he was projecting his own insecurities and hurt through his performance, I would have loved to have seen it, but it would have broken my heart.
Especially if you know what his last words were, and how he was abandoned while dying.
I want SO much to see a version of Shrek where we hear Chris' recordings.
At least we have a tiny bit of Farley shreak voice and animation but I hope the original version gets released In some form eirther the mocap hybrid one or the one Farley recorded
My girlfriend at the time talked me into going to see Shrek and I was like “why the fk would I go watch a cartoon at the theater” and wound up laughing my butt off the entire movie. It really was fantastic and a breath of fresh air. Had no idea the humor was gonna be up my alley by the movie posters.
Also, as much as I love Chris Farley, Shrek wouldn’t have had the staying power. Acting just wasn’t his forte. He was physical comedy. It takes a *very* different set of skills to be a voice actor.
And Janeane Garoffalo (sp?) as Fiona would have been annoying.
That would have been a LOT of heavy lifting for Eddie Murphy to carry the movie, which he might have been able to pull off *because* Donkey is so perfect, but I still don’t see the original having the staying power as it is now.
So you're saying that Garofollo could've been annoying for being too cynical and sarcastic?
To be honest didn’t think I’d like this video, but really interesting! Another great video!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
😢 I miss Chris he was great
Did you know him personally
Both actors are a great fit for Shrek (although Chris Farley's version could have been totally different, not bad but different, Nicholas Cage would never work, he's IMO not a good choice for VO work) but Steve Martin as donkey? Nah never Steve Martin is a great and hilarious actor but Eddie Murphy was the PERFECT fit for donkey.