The beloved Shrek sidekick was actually based on a real-life donkey, and in a tragic turn of events, Perry has died, signifying “the end of an era; the loss of an icon.”
As one of the best animated movies ever, Shrek became notable for its adult-skewed humor and memorable characters. But none were quite so legendary as Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy.
A wise-cracking, pop culture-referencing animal buddy, Donkey was both Shrek’s biggest fan and biggest annoyance. Despite being an animated creature, Donkey was actually modelled after a very real counterpart: Perry.
On January 4, Bol Park (Perry’s home) announced the news of his death on Instagram, writing: “We are heartbroken to share that our beloved Barron Park donkey, Perry, passed away yesterday at the age of 30. He was a beloved member of our community and we know many people will be touched by his passing.”
Donkey in Shrek was based on Perry the donkey
Perry’s trainer, Jenny Kiratli, told Palo Alto Online that Perry was euthanized on Thursday, January 2 after a painful hoof disease. He first arrived at the park in 1997.
“For a month, he had just been standing on three legs and keeping one lifted,” Kiratli said. “He has clearly been in a lot of pain. He’s been on a lot of pain medicine.
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“And we had handlers there all day long, just watching and hoping something would improve.”
Perry became the inspiration for Shrek’s Donkey after one of the animators working on the movie visited the donkey pasture. Later, he returned with a group of other animators to spend time with Perry.
Kiratli later said in an online post, “In Perry’s last weeks, handlers spent many hours at the pasture with him, petting him, cradling him, singing to him, and telling him that he was and always will be loved.
“We are all blessed for having known him and we will never, ever forget him.”
For more, find out everything we know about Shrek 5. You can also keep up to date with Toy Story 5 and the live-action How to Train Your Dragon.
