Is House Of The Dragon A Shrek Rip Off?

Since its September release, House of the Dragon has dominated social media trends. Aside from the plot’s twists and turns, fans have been unable to shake the striking similarities between the hit series and the animated comedy Shrek.

Fans on Twitter and TikTok have been giggling at how similar some of the most iconic and shocking scenes in the Game of Thrones prequel are to the animated film and its sequels. And don’t worry if you’re a Shrek fan who hasn’t seen the finale yet. This post contains no spoilers.

Is House of the Dragon a live-action Shrek?

This goes beyond the fact that both Shrek and House of the Dragon have large old fire breathers and a woman in a green dress. Out of Context House Of The Dragon posted a comparison video on Twitter, combining scenes from the show and Shrek. As you can see, some scenes are so similar that it’s difficult to believe it’s a coincidence.

The sight of a dragon flying over King’s Landing is perhaps the most striking in the little montage. Not only is the building Shrek’s Dragon flying towards similar to the one in House of the Dragon, but the two imaginary monsters appear to be flying in the same swooping pattern. Someone suggested in the comments that the two teams used the same underlying animation for each scenario. Only those working behind the scenes at HBO will ever know for sure.

Fans of Shrek and House of the Dragon have noticed more than just scenes of dragon flying. Images of King Viserys on his deathbed appear to have been influenced by John Cleese’s King as he is ready to croak in Shrek the Third. The scene in which Aemond tames Vhagar also coincides with Donkey encountering Dragon for the first time.

Most noticeable and humorous, according to a lot of Twitter users, was Alicent Hightower’s green gown, which resulted in an unexpected but remarkable similarity to Princess Fiona, particularly with her red hair. Surprisingly, a relationship that, if HBO decides to expand on it in season two, would not be the most distressing.

If you want to know if there are any more Shrektastic similarities or to know more about who is portraying who, check out our guide to the House of the Dragon cast.