When Shrek came out 20 years ago, it was destined for animation history. In the spring of 2002, it won the first Oscar in the Academy Award’s Best Animated Feature category. One of the film’s two directors, Vicky Jenson, looks back on that win as a happy blur, in part, she says, because of the champagne, but mostly because this was not only her first win, but it was also her first time directing a feature film.
“The discoveries throughout the process—whether in story or in relationships with the amazing talent on the cast and crew—it filled me with a sense of wonder I only remember feeling as a kid,” she says.
The story of an anti-social ogre might have seemed like a longshot for one of the most prestigious awards in entertainment, but Jenson says, “we tried—and ultimately succeeded—to do something more unique and complex than people realized. The story had meaning about love and belonging that ran deeper than its irreverent appearance. That wasn’t typical at the time.”
From directing a storyline with surprising profundity to watching voice actor Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona) pull a drumstick from her shoulder bag to fuel just one more hour of recording, Jenson says, “it really was such an unpredictable and fantastic experience. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
