I Need to See the Original Version of Shrek Before Mike Myers’ Big Change

When you think of Shrek, Mike Myers’ Scottish accent probably pops into your head automatically. The voice and character are completely inseparable, to the point where it’s hard to imagine Shrek any other way. However, in an earlier version of the movie, before Myers landed on the accent, DreamWorks was developing an entirely different take. 

It turns out the voice acting for Shrek was recorded three times over. Chris Farley was initially cast as the ogre and had recorded nearly all of his lines before his passing in 1997. When Myers stepped in to replace him, he demanded a complete rewrite of the screenplay to make Shrek his own and recorded the entire thing; however, it still sounded nothing like the Shrek we know and love today. It wasn’t until seeing a rough cut of the film that he requested to redo it yet again, this time with the signature Scottish brogue. 

What We Know About the Lost Versions of Shrek

On the podcast Bad Friends, David Spade said that Farley had only five days left of recording for Shrek when he passed away. That meant a nearly complete performance was shelved. However, a storyboard sample of Farley’s dialogue eventually leaked online, a peek into his more earnest and vulnerable take on the role. Many fans even drew comparisons between Shrek’s arc and Farley’s own attempt to transcend his casting pigeonhole in Hollywood, but it wasn’t meant to be.

After agreeing to take on the role, Myers himself went through multiple experiments before striking gold. On the DVD commentary, he mentions trying a “Lothar of the Hill People” voice, inspired by an SNL sketch. Initially, though, he stuck with his North American dialect, and only a few short clips of the early recordings have surfaced. The odd collected splices all land a little flat; knowing the existing version, it feels as though something is missing. Yet, it’s also hard to look away. It would be infinitely fascinating to watch the entire early cut to see just how much the accent affected the final product. 

After Myers asked to re-record everything in the accent, which was supposedly inspired by his mother’s bedtime stories, producer Jeffrey Katzenberg listened to a trial run and decided it was worth the cost, telling The Guardian, “It was so good we took $4 million worth of animation out and did it again.” Myers later disputed the numbers, claiming it really just meant doubling his own recording sessions without a pay bump. But whatever the investment, it was worth it. According to Myers, the Scottish angle opened up the script to a whole new level. Funnier jokes and a clearer rhythm emerged. 

While they never made it to the cutting room floor, it’s strange to consider just how many other versions of Shrek almost existed. When Steven Spielberg first purchased the book rights in 1991, he reportedly envisioned Bill Murray voicing the ogre. A few years later, Nicolas Cage was officially offered the role before Farley, but turned it down because he didn’t want kids forever associating him with the image of the swamp creature. The fact that DreamWorks eventually landed on the interpretation they did is a miracle, given that Myers wasn’t even in the running early on.

Did Myers’ Accent Save The Swamp?

The lost clips really put into focus how the Scottish accent was a stroke of genius by Myers. It gave the character an idiosyncratic identity that felt hyper-specific, folksy, and distinct from Disney’s roster of heroes. Shrek with a Canadian accent might have been charming, but would he have carried the same larger-than-life presence? Myers’ final iteration is grumpy, sarcastic, cynical, and blunt, which makes it all the more endearing when the warmth finally bubbles up to the surface. 

The new voice also changed the rhythm of the comedy. Eddie Murphy’s Donkey is a fast-talking ball of energy, and the Scottish cadence gave Myers a way to bounce off of him with Scotch banter, playing the straight man in the duo. Without it, Donkey’s relentless chatter might have overwhelmed the movie. Instead, the odd-couple chemistry between Donkey’s manic positivity and Shrek’s thick-accented grumbling made for the perfect dynamic.

Perhaps above all, Myers’ choice made Shrek timeless. The voice lives outside of any particular phrasing or cadence trends of the late 90s. Instead, it feels both specific and universal, lending a folk-tale flourish that better serves to satirize the fairy tales themselves. A Scottish ogre helped distinguish Shrek as something special, setting DreamWorks on a path to challenge Disney at the box office.

DreamWorks Without Scottish Shrek

If DreamWorks had released Shrek with Myers’ original accent, it’s possible the film may still have succeeded, after all, the story, animation, and music were strong. But would it have been a phenomenon? Would we still be quoting Shrek today, doing our own terrible Scottish accents? Would it have won the first-ever Academy Award for Animated Feature? Would it have spawned three (soon to be four) sequels, a spin-off franchise (Puss in Boots), and theme park attractions? It’s hard to imagine that level of cultural obsession without iconic line deliveries like “That’ll do, Donkey, that’ll do.”

DreamWorks itself might have taken a different path as well. The studio was still establishing its identity at the time, trying to compete with Disney and Pixar, without the same level of audience enthusiasm. Shrek’s working-class irreverence, epitomized by his thick Scottish growl, and the tone of Myers’ requested rewrite became the studio’s brand for years, going places Disney wouldn’t dare. Without it, maybe DreamWorks never finds the same foothold. Beyond saving Shrek, the Scottish accent might have actually saved DreamWorks.

And that’s exactly why it would be great to see the original Myers cut. Not because it would outshine the final version, but because it would give us a glimpse into a fork in the road where one decision shaped the trajectory of an entire studio. Enough time has passed, the Shrek legacy is secure, and fans deserve a peek at the alternate universe where the beloved ogre hailed from a swamp in Toronto.

Do you think Mike Myers’ accent was the key to Shrek, or would it have been just as good without it?

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