The 2001 animated film that introduced the character Shrek is Shrek.
Shrek is an American computer-animated fantasy comedy directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson. Released in the United States on May 18, 2001, it was the first film in the Shrek series. The story follows an ogre whose swamp is invaded by fairy-tale characters banished by Lord Farquaad. Shrek agrees to rescue Princess Fiona, accompanied by the talkative Donkey.
The film was loosely based on William Steig’s 1990 picture book Shrek!, but it developed a distinct visual style and a more satirical tone. Mike Myers voiced Shrek, Eddie Murphy voiced Donkey, Cameron Diaz voiced Fiona, and John Lithgow voiced Farquaad. Myers replaced Chris Farley, who had recorded much of the dialogue before his death in 1997.
DreamWorks initially considered traditional animation and later experimented with motion capture before using computer animation from Pacific Data Images. The 90-minute film had a reported budget of $60 million and earned about $494.3 million worldwide. Its blend of fairy-tale parody, pop-culture jokes, and an unexpectedly emotional story helped make Shrek one of the defining animated films of the early 2000s.