'Shrek' turns 25, and Long Island is part of the celebration

He's mean, green and about to turn silver.

This week marks 25 years since the world's most lovable ogre Shrek arrived in movie theaters and made a ton of green for DreamWorks Animation. With Mike Myers voicing Shrek, Eddie Murphy as Donkey and Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona, the animated movie had a dynamic trio of actors that helped it take in a worldwide gross of $485 million according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. It also spawned a slew of "Shrek"-tacular sequels.

"Shrek's" appeal has not been lost on Long Islanders, where the musical version has been a favorite on local stages and where the movie is playing through May 21 at several local theaters. Here are four ways to connect "Shrek" to Long Island.

Donkey lived here

Obviously, the Island's main connection to "Shrek" is Murphy, who grew up in Roosevelt and had one of his most popular roles as the voice of the sassy and street-wise Donkey who befriends Shrek. In a 2025 interview on "The Kelly Clarkson Show," Murphy talked about voicing Donkey while touting "Shrek 5," which is set for release next year.

 "When I'm doing those voice-overs for Donkey, it's like a blur," he said, "You go in and you do it, and I have a headache afterward, really because Donkey is on 10" all the time.

For his work in "Shrek," Murphy became the first voice actor to earn a BAFTA nomination (Britain's equivalent of the Oscar). He lost the supporting actor award to Jim Broadbent for "Moulin Rouge!"

'Shrek' onstage

Since completing a successful run on Broadway from December 2008 through January 2010, "Shrek the Musical" has been a Long Island theater staple that has been performed at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson, CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale and many other local theaters.

Justin Murphy, 37, of Northport, starred as the unjolly green giant in the version presented by St. Hugh's Productions in Huntington Station in 2019. And, he admits, while the role was a favorite of his, it wasn't easy being green.

Though he wore a headpiece with Shrek's distinctive ears, green makeup had to be applied to his face, a process that took about a half-hour to put on and another 30 minutes to remove after each performance. "It wasn't the easiest. I usually had to shower to get most of it off," Murphy said.

Still, it's a role he would gladly play again, he said, both for the humor in the story and for its message about trying to fit in. "Shrek and the fairy tale creatures as a whole are ostracized because they're different," Murphy said. "It's something people can relate to and they fight against in the show."

An honorary Long Island princess

In 2014, Diaz, the voice of Princess Fiona, had an audience with 1,200 Huntington High School students when she spoke to them about empowerment. The event was tied to the release of "The Body Book," in which she featured stories based on her own experiences that exemplified her philosophy about how to enjoy a happy and healthy life, and to feel better about yourself.

At the end of her 40-minute talk, Diaz was given a standing ovation by the crowd.

An encore for 'Shrek'

To celebrate the movie's 25th anniversary, AMC Theatres on Friday brought "Shrek" back to screens across the country, including several theaters on Long Island. 

Among the local movie houses presenting the fractured fairy tale are AMC Fantasy 5 in Rockville Centre, and AMC Stony Brook 17. For show times and to order tickets, go to amctheatres.com. It is also playing at Regal Cinemas in Westbury and Lynbrook (get tickets at regmovies.com), as well as Showcase Cinema de Lux in Farmingdale and Island 16 in Holtsville (get tickets at showcasecinemas.com), 

As a bonus, reserve a ticket and you'll get a large popcorn served in a collectible container resembling the outhouse that Shrek used. With that said, you gotta go.