Perry, the original donkey that served as the model for Eddie Murphy’s Donkey in the now classic Shrek movies, has died at the age of 30. Shrek first made its debut in the early 2000s, and 25 years later is now one of the biggest animated franchises of all time with sequels, spinoffs, specials and more. It was an immediate success upon its debut as fans flocked to check out the dynamic between its two leads, Shrek (an ogre voiced by Mike Myers) and Donkey (a talking donkey voiced by Eddie Murphy). It’s hard to imagine the franchise without either one of them at the center of it all.
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Donkey was famously modeled after a real life miniature donkey named Perry in Bol Park in Palo Alto, California as Dreamworks animators had spent time with Perry and a few of the other donkeys for the upcoming film. But unfortunately a new update from the staff at Bol Park (as reported by Palo Alto Online) has revealed that Perry has died at the age of 30. His handler, Jenny Kiratli, revealed that Perry had been euthanized this past Thursday after battling a deadly hoof disease.
The Original Donkey That Inspired Shrek Dies at 30
Kiratli had noted that Perry was suffering from laminitis, a hoof disease that was causing him terrible pains. He also had a disorder with his left hind leg, so it was already painful to stand on that leg. He’d then keep it lifted to alleviate the troubles, but would add more weight to the other side. The staff had tried a number of treatments to help Perry with his pain including acupuncture, laser light therapy, and warm massage but it was soon made clear that his conditions were not improving, “He has clearly been in a lot of pain. He’s been on a lot of pain medicine. And we had handlers there all day long, just watching and hoping something would improve,” Kiratli stated.
Kiratli stated that Perry’s passing was peaceful as he was attending by over a dozen members of the staff and kept in constant company. Perry was described as “feisty and funny” with a very playful personality even up to the day of his passing. Handlers and staff are now planning a funeral service for Perry as he serves as the closing and end of an era for Bol Park and the city of Palo Alto overall.
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What’s Next for Shrek?
Shrek has been spending its time over the last few years exploring new spinoffs, but it’s about to return with a brand new entry for the main films. Shrek 5 has been officially announced to be in the works for a scheduled release on July 1st, 2026. Dreamworks Animation confirmed the new film was in the works last year, and revealed that original voice cast members would be returning including Mike Myers as Shrek, Cameron Diaz as Fiona, and Eddie Murphy as Donkey.
There have yet to be any concrete updates revealed about Shrek 5 since the film was initially announced last Summer, but we’re bound to get some crucial updates this year with its planned 2026 release. If that Summer 2026 holds strong, then this year we’ll begin to see promotional materials such as teasers, posters, and trailers ahead of the next film. It’s also yet to be revealed what kind of story will be offered in this long awaited follow up, but there’s plenty of excitement for it either way.
