#Shrek Fans Celebrate the Iconic DreamWorks Animated Movie on Its 20th Anniversary

The beloved animated movie Shrek held its world premiere 20 years ago today, and fans everywhere are celebrating the anniversary. Starring Mike Myers as the voice of the titular ogre, the classic movie also featured the voices of Eddie Murphy as Donkey, Cameron Diaz as Fiona, and John Lithgow as Lord Farquaad. When it was released by DreamWorks in 2001, it became an instant hit, and two decades later, Shrek remains just as popular as ever.

“Shrek premiered 20 YEARS AGO TODAY, and the world has been a greener place ever since,” Netflix UK & Ireland tweeted. “20 years ago today the most iconic film ever was released,” a Shrek fan account also tweeted. “Shrek‘s 20th anniversary, go celebrate!”
RELATED: Shrek Returns to Theaters for 20th Anniversary This Spring

Shrek premiered 20 YEARS AGO TODAY, and the world has been a greener place ever since. 💚💚💚 pic.twitter.com/EqlIdcyezA

— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) April 22, 2021

Posting an animated GIF of the green ogre, another fan writes: “Happy 20 years since this beautiful man graced movie theaters, Love you #Shrek.”

Happy 20 years since this beautiful man graced movie theaters, Love you #Shrekpic.twitter.com/FIvcZ7XKGc

— fullautoocto_ (@Fullautoocto_) April 22, 2021

“On this day in 2001, Shrek premiered at the Mann Village Theater in Westwood, Los Angeles, forever changing the course of Internet culture and feature animation,” says someone else, adding four great shots from the movie to the post. “Here’s to another 20 years of Shrek!”

On this day in 2001, Shrek premiered at the Mann Village Theater in Westwood, Los Angeles, forever changing the course of Internet culture and feature animation. Here’s to another 20 years of Shrek! pic.twitter.com/WCbmvMQ8m0

— The Golden Witch Miniontrice (@thetimepast) April 22, 2021

Unwilling to accept that two full decades have passed since Shrek arrived, another fan writes in all caps: “SHREK BEING 20 YEARS OLD DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT WHAT 15 I CAN UNDERSTAND BUT 20 YEARS AGO BEING SHREK’S RELEASE WTF!”

SHREK BEING 20 YEARS OLD DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT WHAT 15 I CAN UNDERSTAND BUT 20 YEARS AGO BEING SHREK’S RELEASE WTF! https://t.co/OHx5heV5WG

— Rebs (@sodarebs) April 22, 2021

This Day In Entertainment History also sums it up by writing, “This day, on April 22nd, 20 years ago, popular DreamWorks movie and internet-wide meme #shrek was released into theaters, gaining 484.4 million dollars at the box office on a 60 million dollar budget.”

Written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman, Shrek was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson. Based on the 1990 fairy tale of the same name by William Steig, the story serves as a satirization of other fairy tales with special appearances from established characters. It follows the story of a territorial ogre who falls in love with a princess and forms a plan to save her from a sinister wannabe king with the help of his best friend, a talking donkey.

Shrek was met with tremendous success after its premiere in theaters. Not only did the movie bank more than $484 million against a $60 million budget, it impressed the critics as well. The animated movie won the first ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and was also nominated for another Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Last year, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, further cementing its legacy.

In celebration of Shrek turning 20, Fathom Events will be bringing the movie back to theaters next month. On Sun, April 25; Wed, April 28; and Thu, April 29, Shrek will be screening in limited theaters, giving longtime fans a chance to revisit the movie on the big screen while newer fans can see Shrek in theaters for the first time. You can purchase tickets at Fathom Events.

Happy 20th anniversary, Shrek!

20 years ago today the most iconic film ever was released…

Shrek’s 20th anniversary, go celebrate! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/tsY7RQoDfo

— Shrek. (@TheShrekPage) April 22, 2021

Damn just found out Shrek was premiered 20 YEARS ago!!!😳

— Kayley P🤍 xx (@kayley_paterson) April 22, 2021

20 years ago today, the animated masterpiece SHREK was released. I still worship this series and there isn’t one thing wrong with it.#shrekpic.twitter.com/9nT3XgAbls

— Taylor Rhoades (@trhoades93) April 22, 2021

SHREK IS 20 YEARS OLD TODAY???? time does not exist.

— ͏faith | TOMORROW (@alinasmorrigan) April 22, 2021

SHREK TURNS 20 TODAY 🚨🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/yRYOMarrT9

— Bretatouille (@Schmoofy) April 22, 2021

Topics: Shrek