The producers swear that when they decided to put a Justin Timberlake poster above Princess Fiona's bed, they had no idea that Cameron Diaz had just started dating the singer in real life. Timberlake was given a role in Shrek the Third (2007).
Young artist Butterfly Boucher recorded a new version of David Bowie's "Changes" specially for this movie. Bowie was so impressed with this rendition, that he provided backing vocals on it.
John Cleese and Dame Julie Andrews recorded most of their scenes together at the same time, an unusual practice for an animated movie.
When Shrek (Mike Myers), Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and Donkey (Eddie Murphy) were leaving for Far, Far Away, Donkey starts singing "Rawhide". Murphy ad-libbed the version that was put into the movie.
In the Police montage, the camera following a "white bronco" is a direct reference to the infamous 1994 California highway chase where cops were chasing O.J. Simpson in a white Ford Bronco. Larry King, who cameos as the Ugly Stepsister, originally commentated on the chase. The montage's camerawork and overall appearance resembles the appearance of the television show Cops (1989).