Shrek 2 scene inspired by OJ Simpson car chase resurfaces

A clip from Shrek 2 featuring a spoof of OJ Simpson’s infamous 1994 car chase has resurfaced following the death of the former American football star on Wednesday (10 April), aged 76.

Five days after the 1994 murders of Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, he fled in his white Ford Bronco with a former teammate, carrying his passport and a disguise. The slow-motion car chase over the LA freeways captured global attention.

In the wake of Simpson’s death, fans are remembering the event’s parody in DreamWork’s Shrek sequel.

The scene sees Gingerbread Man sitting at home watching TV. “Tonight on Knights, we got a white bronco heading east into the forest,” a news anchor announces as Shrek is seen riding on the back of his companion Donkey (who at the time has been transformed into a white horse).

Shrek and Donkey are eventually apprehended by the knights with their guns drawn. Donkey is heard yelling: “Police brutality, police brutality,” as they hold him down.

“Say what you want about OJ Simpson but he inspired one of the funniest movie scenes in history,” one person tweeted on Thursday alongside the clip.

“OJ Simpson only good contribution to the world was giving us this funny reference in Shrek 2,” a second wrote, posting a side-by-side picture of Simpson’s car chase and the Shrek 2 scene.

“The OJ Simpson car chase reference in Shrek 2 is the pinnacle of cinema,” a third wrote.

“I forgot about this. Damn, Shrek 2 is good,” a fourth praised.

“HOW DID I NEVER PUT IT TOGETHER THAT DONKEY BEING A WHITE BRONCO WAS A REFERENCE TO THE OJ CAR CHASE???!!!” another added in disbelief.

After Simpson was arrested, he faced an 11-month murder trial. By 1995, he was acquitted of the murder of Brown and Goldman. However, in 1997, he was found liable for their deaths in a California civil case and ordered to pay $33.5m (£26.6m) to the victims’ families.

Years later, he was convicted of armed robbery in Las Vegas after leading a group of men into the room of a sports memorabilia collector and robbing him at gunpoint. He was released on parole in 2017 and moved into a gated community in Las Vegas. He was granted early release from parole in 2022, due to good behaviour, at the age of 74.

He is survived by his four children: Sydney, Jason, Justin and Arnelle Simpson. They stand to inherit his fortune, estimated at $3m (£2.4m).