Arguably essentially the most culturally impactful Dreamworks movie franchise in existence, the Shrek universe took the world by storm in some unusual but admirable methods. Adored by children and adults alike upon its launch, the fandom that was birthed from this animated movie sequence rivals Harry Potter, Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings in the way in which that it impacted viewers. From Shrek-themed weddings and events all the way in which to non secular practices, followers took the love for his or her new favourite character to weird–and generally disturbing–heights.
Praised for its countless references to popular culture and traditional fairy tales, it’s actually no shock that individuals linked with this fantastical journey of a narrative. What actually makes this premise distinctive is that this animated function stars a near-absolute anti-hero; one which many followers have claimed to narrate deeply to. Making an ogre–one in all mythology’s most creepy and disgusting man-eating creatures–the principle character of a narrative turned out to be a wonderful alternative for Dreamworks to run with, particularly with the solid of zany characters that have been chosen to be alongside him. One of those counterparts is Puss in Boots: a hilariously chaotic character that earned his personal spinoff motion pictures because of this franchise. With over 20 years of Shrek in existence, there’s little extra that may be stated aside from: Shrek is Love / Shrek is Life.
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How Many Shrek Movies Are There?
There are a whole of 6 feature-length Shrek movies, together with the two Puss in Boots movies. There are additionally 9 brief movies within the sequence, 3 TV and interactive specials, and a Puss in Boots TV sequence. It was just lately introduced that Shrek 5 is in improvement and a Donkey spin-off film could also be within the works as effectively.
How Long to Watch Every Movie?
If you need to have a Shrek (and Puss in Boots) film marathon, it’s going to take you round 9 hours to observe each one. Shrek is 90 minutes lengthy, Shrek 2 is 93 minutes, Shrek the Third is 93 minutes, Shrek Forever After is 95 minutes, Puss in Boots is 90 minutes, and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is 102 minutes.
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Shrek: The Ultimate Collection [Blu-ray]
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The Shrek Movies in Chronological Order
The movies talked about beneath are solely the function size movies which have been launched, that means that this doesn’t embrace the numerous animated shorts, themed rides, and spinoff tales which have come from this origin story. The order of movies is predicated on the timeline of occasions that happen inside the universe, not so as of launch date.
1. Puss in Boots (2011)
The first of the flicks that star our furry little buddy, Puss in Boots is the spinoff that cemented the character as a standalone. Joined by his group of compadres, Puss (Antonio Banderas) is on the hunt for the golden eggs of the fairytale character, the Golden Goose in an effort to undo the fees and suspicions towards him. Framed as a type of Zorro meets Batman character, Puss–voice-acted stupendously by Banderas–and Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) have an exquisite chemistry that entertainingly shadows a Batman and Catwoman dynamic.
2. Shrek (2001)
The legendary, pop-culture phenomenon that began all of it, Shrek is a tour-de-force of Dreamworks animation productions that modified the way forward for Dreamworks animation. Incessantly pestered by quite a few fairytale creatures and troopers of the dominion, Shrek (Mike Meyers) is distributed on a reluctant mission to avoid wasting Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) so he can lastly earn some peace and quiet. Highlighted by spot-on pop-culture references of the time, gifted voice performances, and the industry-changing soundtrack, it’s no surprise this franchise has gone on to take action a lot since its launch.
Read our evaluation of Shrek.
3. Shrek 2 (2004)
Hailed as a masterfully profitable sequel that saved the Shrek spirit alive, Shrek 2 takes zero missteps within the continuation of the Shrek-iverse. Summoned to the dominion of Far, Far Away by her mother and father, Fiona and Shrek journey approach out of his consolation zone in an effort to meet the requirements and expectations that include marrying into royalty. With the ever-successful facet character, Donkey (Eddie Murphy) returning once more for this movie, it was a nice shock so as to add Puss in Boots into this movie initially as an antagonist earlier than swiftly transitioning to one more member of their quirky troupe.
Read our evaluation of Shrek 2.
4. Shrek the Third (2007)
Ramping up its countless references to popular culture and phenomena, Shrek the Third satisfies the thirst for extra Shrek however suffers a bit in narrative cohesion and the guts and soul that it started with. When Shrek learns that he’s subsequent within the line of royalty, he searches the dominion desperately for the one different identified member of the royal bloodline, Artie (Justin Timberlake) in an effort to shirk his accountability as inheritor to the throne. Despite shedding a little bit of general high quality, the motion, jokes, and occasional darkness of this film make for a nice viewing expertise for any Shrek fan.
Read our evaluation of Shrek the Third.
5. Shrek Forever After (2010)
Taking on a noticeable change in tone each in animation and writing, Shrek Forever After does its half so as to add to the universe however in the end doesn’t keep true to the unique. In a rut of a mid-life disaster and lacking his outdated life-style of solitude, Shrek unwittingly makes a cope with Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn) that sends him into an alternate, terrifying universe the place Rumpelstiltskin guidelines and chaos reigns. Though essentially the most hardcore followers may disagree, this addition to the franchise merely appears and feels very misplaced within the usually tone-consistent sequence.
Read our evaluation of Shrek Forever After.
6. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
A smashingly profitable sequel within the Puss in Boots sequence, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish takes a large leap into the way forward for motion animation and storytelling in a incredible approach. After residing a lifetime of journey and reckless abandon and plowing by 8 of his 9 lives, Puss should go on a journey to seek out the legendary Last Wish: a sought-after gauntlet of personalised trials that can earn the victor a magical want. Impressively improved animation apart, this film does a incredible job writing its narrative and characters, together with and particularly Wolf (Wagner Moura): a villain that’s arguably top-of-the-line animated villains since Scar of The Lion King.
Read our evaluation of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
The Shrek Movies by Release Date
Want to observe the Shrek movies within the order they have been launched? Here’s the discharge order of each film:
- Shrek (2001)
- Shrek 2 (2004)
- Shrek the Third (2007)
- Shrek Forever After (2010)
- Puss in Boots (2011)
- Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
- Shrek 5 (2026)
Will There Be More Shrek Movies?
Almost 15 years after Shrek Forever After, Shrek 5 has been confirmed. The subsequent mainline Shrek movie is about to hit theaters on July 1, 2026, with Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz all returning to their iconic roles. While we will wager Shrek 5 may also see the return of Puss in Boots, there have not been any updates a couple of follow-up to The Last Wish.
Connor Sheppard is an Oregon-grown leisure author for IGN with a love for popular culture and films.
