DreamWorks’ early years mixed prestige with bold, crowd‑pleasing humor, but behind the scenes a hard‑nosed project culture shaped who worked on what. A long‑standing anecdote ties The Prince of Egypt to a demotion policy that sent animators to Shrek as a form of punishment and learning on the job.
Gulag on the animation floor
In the late 1990s, The Prince of Egypt stood as the studio’s flagship, a costly, music‑driven epic with a star‑studded cast. When a sequence or scene didn’t land, workers could be reassigned to Shrek, a move described by an anonymous veteran as the studio’s de facto consequence system. The account, drawn from Nicole LaPorte’s book, frames the shift as a not‑so‑gentle reminder of accountability: if you failed on the Exodus project, you could wind up on the ogre’s team.
Shrek’s meteoric rise
Shrek would go on to eclipse its prestige counterpart, becoming DreamWorks’ defining hit and laying the groundwork for a sprawling franchise, from sequels to a Broadway show and beyond. The film’s success starkly contrasted with the prestige status of The Prince of Egypt, underscoring how a different tonality could drive big returns for the studio.
Shrek’s origins and the critics’ glare
Early development reportedly aimed for a cruder, more grotesque vibe than the final product. The New York Post recalled that even the cleaned‑up opening relied on bawdy humor that tested audiences and studio nerves alike. Cannes‑debut nerves aside, co‑founder Jeffrey Katzenberg later admitted he feared the premiere might fail before Shrek charmed viewers and critics alike.
Ultimately, Shrek’s triumph reshaped DreamWorks’ identity, proving the studio could outpace Disney in a changing animation landscape and launching a durable, revenue‑rich franchise.
Source: Original article
