SomeBODY once told me… and now you won’t be able to unsee it either.
Shrek fans are just now realizing that there’s a hidden image of a random woman less than 30 minutes into the movie.
While the Shrek franchise is packed with colorful fairytale characters, there’s an unexpected figure hiding in plain sight. She doesn’t seem to belong in the whimsical world of ogres and talking donkeys.
Even though the film was released over 20 years ago, eagle-eyed viewers claim to have spotted a real-life woman’s photograph lurking in the background of a scene.
The cult classic movie continues to surprise fans even 24 years later
Dreamworks Pictures
In the first movie, Shrek, voiced by Mike Myers, and Donkey, played by Eddie Murphy, make their way to Lord Farquaad’s castle. As they approach Duloc, there’s a brief glimpse of an eerie image in the window of a ticket booth.
Since all the characters in the movie are animated, it’s not possible that this was a simple behind-the-scenes mistake. The mysterious woman’s presence raises questions about whether she was intentionally placed there.
Fans have taken to social media to discuss the phenomenon, pointing out that the “Duloc woman” appears in both the Netflix version (around the 21:18 mark) and in the original DVD release from 2001.
One Reddit user tested the theory by checking a rare DVD copy that was sent to Academy Awards voters before the official home release.
They wrote: “I checked this release tonight and found that the woman has always been in the film, even in 2001. This doesn’t mean a ton, but it does mean that it’s not a Netflix thing and an edit in this spot didn’t happen to the film between 2002 and today.”
Despite numerous attempts, fans have struggled to get a clear shot of the woman’s face, which has only fueled more speculation about her identity.
The photograph in the woman can be seen in the ticket box at Duloc
YouTube/Leo Film Facts
The Reddit investigator continued: “As for what’s next in the mystery, my mind goes to cross referencing with photos of animators and other crew members who worked on the film, along with their family members.”
“This feels sort of creepy and I’m hesitant to do so, but at the same time I would love to see this mystery solved.”
The Cameron Diaz theory has already been debunked
SGranitz/WireImage
Some fans have speculated that the woman could be none other than Hollywood star Cameron Diaz, who famously voiced Princess Fiona in the series.
LEO Film Facts on YouTube weighed in: “Some people suggested that it was Cameron Diaz and that this image was a small Easter egg since the actress voices Princess Fiona.”
Several Reddit users supported this theory, pointing out that Diaz appeared in the 1996 movie She’s the One with a similar hairstyle, earrings, and a white t-shirt.
However, the 4K version of Shrek appears to debunk this idea, as the higher resolution makes it clear that the woman is not Diaz.
The plot thickens with what looks like an image from Antz also appearing in the window
YouTube/LEO Film Facts
But the mystery doesn’t stop there. On the opposite side of the ticket booth, another strange image appears – this time featuring the protagonist from DreamWorks’ 1998 movie Antz.
Since DreamWorks produced both Antz and Shrek, some believe this was an intentional Easter egg rather than an accident.
The YouTuber added: “Hopefully this is an innocent prank, like an animator including a photo of his sister, girlfriend or wife – and not something creepy like an animator obsessing over a coworker,”
The mystery remains unsolved…