The original concept art for Shrek shows how different the lovable ogre could've worked when compared to his final design. DreamWorks Animation made a big splash in 2001 with their animated adaption of William Steig's fairy tale book of the same name. It followed an angry and lonely ogre named Shrek (Mike Myers) who goes on an adventure with Donkey (Eddie Murphy) to rid the ogre's swamp of other people. However, Lord Farquaand (John Lithgow) will only grant Shrek's request if he rescues Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from a dangerous dragon.
Shrek proved to be a massive hit for DreamWorks as the animated family comedy adventure received a terrific response. It competed for the Cannes Film Festival's top prize and won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Critics and general audiences alike gave Shrek very positive reviews, propelling the movie to make $484 million at the worldwide box office. The film is estimated to have earned more than $400M additionally through home video sales. Shrek's performance launched multiple sequels and spinoffs, but what some viewers might not know is that the titular ogre almost had a completely different look.
The character of Shrek was always intended to be a big, green ogre with a large nose and the now very recognizable set of ears. However, some of the original concept art for Shrek shows major differences to his body type and general design. One of the most notable differences between Shrek's original concept art and his final design is the shape of his head. Early Shrek concept art gave him a pointed head instead of the round temple the ogre eventually received. There are also other noticeable changes, such as Shrek missing several front teeth, sporting a more pronounced belly, and overall looking a bit goofier. Although that look is closer to how Shrek was portrayed in Steig's books, DreamWorks understandably went in a different direction.
The alternate look for Shrek is just one of many ways how DreamWorks' animated movie and its lead character could've turned out very differently. Originally, Shrek was supposed to have Chris Farley voice the green ogre. He recorded most of his dialogue prior to his tragic passing in 1997. Rough drawings from the movie's development at that time featured another different look for Shrek too. But, Mike Myers requested a complete script rewrite upon joining the movie to ensure he wasn't replicating what Farley was supposed to do.
Given how many iterations of Shrek the movie could've featured, it is somewhat of a miracle that DreamWorks managed to find the right look for him. Deviating from Steig's depiction of the character could've hurt Shrek as it was a very popular children's book at the time. Instead, audiences fully embraced the new-look Shrek and helped solidify DreamWorks' place as an animation studio Hollywood needed to take seriously.