Are You A Shrek-spert? Try Our Ogre-some Quiz

Now almost 20 years old, Shrek remains a firm family favourite. The movie and its three sequels are so popular that they’ve even spawned a visitor attraction on London’s South Bank. But how well do you know the films? Test yourself (or your kids!) with the following 10 questions.
 

10 Swamptastic Shrek Questions

1. Which famous actor played the part of Lord Farquaad, the baddy in the first film? (a) John Cleese, (b) John Noakes, (c) John Lithgow, (d) John Hurt
2. Which famous Hollywood actor turned down the role of Shrek? (a) Nicolas Cage, (b) Will Ferrell, (c) Danny DeVito, (d) Jim Carey
3. Which of these fairytale characters does not make an appearance in any of the Shrek films? (a) Goldilocks, (b) Sleeping Beauty, (d) Snow White, (d) Rapunzel
4. Where does most of the action take place in the second, third and fourth films? (a) Never, Never Land, (b) Once-Upon-A-Time-Land, (c) Cleethorpes, (d) Far, Far Away
5. What’s the name of the bar that makes several appearances in the Shrek films? (a) The Poisoned Apple, (b) The Magic Beans, (c) The Golden Egg, (d) The Rover’s Return
6. Which of the following is true of King Harold, Fiona’s father? (a) He walks round naked, believing he’s wearing invisible clothes, (b) Everything he touches turns to gold, (c) He has a sword called Excalibur, (d) He turns into a frog.
7. How many children do Donkey and Dragon have together? (a) Five, (b) None, (c) 72, (d) Seven.
8. Which English county makes an appearance in Shrek The Third, causing pronunciation problems for many of the characters? (a) Gloucestershire, (b) Leicestershire, (c) Worcestershire, (d) Kent.
9. What are the first words ever spoken by Shrek on screen? (a) “Once upon a time there was a lovely princess”, (b) “I am an ogre!”, (c) “It was a dark and stormy night…”, (d) “A long time ago, in a fairytale far, far away…”.
10. And finally... In which other Dreamworks film does Shrek make a blink-and-you’d-miss-it cameo? (a) Flushed Away, where the DVD of Shrek can be seen on Roddy’s shelf; (b) Monsters vs. Aliens, where Shrek’s face appears on a military badge; (c) Kung Fu Panda 3, whose trailer features both Shrek and donkey as alternate forms of Po and Monkey; (d) All of the above

Puzzled Shrek

Answers

1. (c) John Lithgow. Alan Rickman was initially lined up for the role, but he instead opted to play Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies. Ironically, Lithgow stands 6 feet, 4 inches tall, in contrast to the pint-sized character he portrays.
2. (a) Nicolas Cage. Famously, the actor was also set to play Superman in a movie that never happened.
3. (a) Goldilocks. Despite their close associations with Disney, Dreamworks was able to incorporate the likes of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty as they are based on much older literary works.
4. (d) Far, Far Away. The first film centres on the palace of Duloc.
5. (a) The Poisoned Apple. The name refers, of course, to the disagreeable fruit from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
6. (d) He turns into a frog. Funnily enough, the writers did consider making the king naked, in homage to The Emperor’s New Clothes, but the idea was never used.
7. (a) Five. Their names, incidentally, are Coco, Debbie, Peanut, Parfait, and Bananas.
8. (c) Worcestershire. In case you’re in any doubt, it’s pronounced Wuss-ter-sher.
9. (a) “Once upon a time there was a lovely princess”. All four films begin with a storybook opening.
10. (d) All of the above. See our list of other surprising cameos in children’s movies.

To see a lot more of Shrek and friends, book now for tickets to Shrek’s Adventure on London’s South Bank.