Enthusiasts of Shrek are heading to online platforms to discuss the ‘mystery of the Duloc woman’ seen in the first movie of the series.
As we eagerly anticipate the release of the fifth installment in the beloved series, expected in 2026, there’s an intriguing mystery to engage us—the presence of an oddly realistic-looking character in the 2001 original.
Within the whimsical world of Far Far Away, attentive viewers have noticed what seems to be a photograph of a real-life woman subtly placed in a scene.
This image is spotted in the inaugural Shrek film when the swamp-loving ogre (voiced by Mike Myers) and his companion Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) approach Lord Farquaad’s castle in Duloc.
If you pause the film, whether on Netflix or on the original 2001 DVD, around the time Shrek is entering the castle at about 00:21:18, you’ll catch sight of an image that stands out from the animated setting—a photograph of a human woman in a ticket booth window.
Unlike the recent season of Squid Game, where a camera operator was seen in a shot, such an explanation doesn’t apply to an animated film like Shrek.
One Reddit user on the thread r/Shrek has delved into the enigma, stating they were ‘immediately intrigued’ and confident they could ‘offer unique insight into the mystery’ as they ‘own perhaps the oldest physical copy of Shrek.’
They elaborated: “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.”
“I have attached photo proof, another photo from my latest Blu-Ray release of the film and a digitally manipulated screenshot from the film on VUDU hoping to show a more accurate representation of the original photo’s scale and color.”
“It’s a difficult thing for me to get in high quality. She’s behind a window with lots of reflection on it in the film and the low bitrate of anything except for Blu-Ray makes for a difficult viewing experience of our mystery lady.”
The user has since proposed a possible solution to the ‘mystery,’ noting their efforts in ‘cross-referencing with photos of animators and other crew members who worked on the film, along with their family members.’
They are not alone in offering such a theory.
Another Reddit user remarked: “My guess would be an animator or one of their loved ones, since it’s hidden and so obviously not meant to be there by it just not fitting in.”
“That’s what I thought but she looks like she is crying,” another user added.
What are your thoughts?