In 2001, DreamWorks launched its biggest franchise yet with Shrek.
After decades of Disney fairy tales dominating animation, the world was ready for a satirical take that flipped that formula on its head. Starring Mike Myers as a lone-wolf ogre, the film filtered familiar storybook icons through a farcical lens. That includes the requisite talking animal sidekick, Donkey (Eddie Murphy), and the damsel in distress, Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz).
“My mom read fairy tales to me,” Myers told Entertainment Weekly in 2001. “She’s from Liverpool, and she’s a trained actress. For me, Curious George was from London. So I went, ‘Aha! Shrek should have the Scottish accent of somebody who’s lived in Canada 20 years.’”
The film led to three initial sequels and two Puss in Boots spinoffs led by Antonio Banderas. And though it has long been delayed, Shrek 5 is officially in the works. With that 2027 release in mind, let’s break down how to watch every Shrek movie in chronological order.
01 of 06
Puss in Boots (2011)
DreamWorks Animation
The coolest cat in Far Far Away
What was this fearsome feline’s life like before Shrek 2? That’s just one of the questions this spinoff answers as Puss flexes his bravado. Turns out it’s not just ogres and onions that have layers; swashbuckling kitties do, too.
The fantastical humor of the Shrek movies is still present, but Banderas’ hero brings more of a Western genre tone, with the fuzzy fugitive strutting around as if he’s Zorro.
“It’s almost like Puss in Boots never [looked] at himself in the mirror so he doesn’t know actually how he is. He doesn’t know if he’s tall,” Banderas told Entertainment Weekly in 2018. “He thinks that he’s very big… so that was comedy.”
Alongside Kitty Soft Paws (Salma Hayek) and Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis), Puss’ adventure pits him against Jack and Jill (Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris) on a quest for magic beans, which will supposedly lead to a golden egg fortune.
Where to watch Puss in Boots: Netflix
02 of 06
Shrek (2001)
DreamWorks Animation
Antihero, sidekick, love interest, and overcompensating villain look like they’re about to drop the hardest album in Far Far Away
Shrek’s comically grotesque opening, introducing this abrasive, unhygienic, unlikely protagonist, was so good that it ingrained Smash Mouth’s “All Star” in cinematic lore. When we meet Shrek, he lives in peaceful isolation until the evil Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) banishes a plethora of creatures to his swamp.
Along with Donkey, the gregarious sidekick he reluctantly takes along, Shrek travels to Duloc to get his land back. After fighting off an army of Farquaad’s men, the foe tells Shrek his request will only be granted if he rescues Princess Fiona from a dragon-guarded castle. Our hero fulfills his duty, only to find he has more in common with the princess than he thinks; the once-lonesome ogre starts to fall in love. Cue the unexpected secret, the race against time, and the climactic wedding.
Shrek became a cultural phenomenon thanks to its brazen skewering of fairy tale formulas and pop culture tropes. The film, which earned an A grade from EW, also became the inaugural winner of the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
03 of 06
Shrek 2 (2004)
DreamWorks/Courtesy Everett Collection
Raise your hand if you always knew Fairy Godmother was not to be trusted
Shrek 2 took everything audiences loved about the first movie and amplified it, from the absurdist takes on fairy tale legends to its shrewd deployment of pop culture iconography.
Shrek and Fiona are now both full-time ogres, but Fiona’s parents (John Cleese and Julie Andrews) aren’t too thrilled, as a particularly tense family dinner scene makes clear. Beyond the royal relationship drama, this sequel introduces memorable new characters, including feline foe-turned-friend Puss in Boots and the villainous Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders), who tries to lure Fiona into the arms of her son, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett).
Shrek 2 broke box-office records, snagging the largest single-day haul in history up to that point, en route to the biggest-ever opening weekend for an animated movie. The film picked up two Oscar nominations — including one for the Counting Crows’ “Accidentally in Love,” played during Shrek and Fiona’s honeymoon.
Where to watch Shrek 2: Peacock
04 of 06
Shrek the Third (2007)
DreamWorks Animation
Shrek hates posing for publicity shots
Shrek, Fiona, Puss, and Donkey are back in Far Far Away for Shrek the Third, which features a serious new dilemma when Fiona’s father, King Harold, dies. Prince Charming aims to overthrow Shrek as heir to the throne, which the laissez-faire ogre doesn’t even want in the first place. On his deathbed, Harold suggests their seemingly humdrum cousin Arthur (Justin Timberlake) as the only other possible heir. Naturally, it’s up to Shrek to find him.
While waving away the responsibilities of kingship, Shrek can’t escape the responsibilities of fatherhood, as Fiona’s pregnant. Things don’t go too well at first, as Shrek tests out his paternal skills on Arthur while trying to convince him to take over as king. Eventually, the unlikely pair comes together to overthrow (not-so) Charming, who attempts to seize the crown for himself.
The film wasn’t as well-received critically as its predecessors, but it was still a smash hit at the box office, grossing over $800 million worldwide.
Where to watch Shrek the Third: Netflix
05 of 06
Shrek Forever After (2010)
DreamWorks Animation
Domestic life ain’t all it’s cracked up to be
Shrek Forever After finds the eponymous ogre not feeling very ogre-like anymore; he’s having something of a midlife crisis. Shrek is in a monotonous lull with his kids, Fiona, Donkey, and even Puss in Boots. No one fears him anymore, and he’s got too many responsibilities distracting him.
While Shrek pouts about missing his solo ogre days, the dastardly Rumpelstiltskin takes advantage, offering him a contract to relive that romanticized time in his life — for a day. The catch? He must give up a day from his past. Rumpelstiltskin, trickster that he is, selects the day Shrek was born.
After living it up as a feared ogre once again, Shrek discovers the consequences of his deal: He never even met Fiona, not to mention his loyal compatriots. His life doesn’t exist. Fiona, naturally, no longer knows who he is, yet Shrek has to win her heart — all over again — to get his old life back. That’s one way to learn a lesson about appreciating what you have, isn’t it?
Where to watch Shrek Forever After: Netflix
06 of 06
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
DreamWorks Animation
Boots, check. Feathered hat, check. Mandolin, check. Crippling sense of existential ennui, check
Our lionhearted hero is finally running out of lives. In fact, he’s on his very last one. Death (Wagner Moura), which comes in the form of a wolf wielding a pair of sickles, is literally following him.
Facing his own mortality, Puss pursues the last wishing star to request his nine lives back. He reunites with Kitty Softpaws and teams up with eccentrically excited chihuahua Perrito (Harvey Guillén) as they race against Goldilocks and the Three Bears to find the star. While still kid-friendly, the movie also offers deeper themes that resonated with Banderas.
“Puss has always seen himself as bigger than he is, but in this movie, we see him very vulnerable,” Banderas told EW in 2022. “It tells the message that we have permission to actually be afraid and just to feel, and sometimes we don’t [have] all the power that we thought that we had, and that is okay.”
The movie was praised for its Spider-Verse-esque animation, as it beautifully blended contrasting forms and styles. The Last Wish became one of the most acclaimed entries in the Shrek franchise and earned an Oscar nod for Best Animated Feature.
Where to watch Puss in Boots: The Last Wish: Netflix
How to watch the Shrek franchise in chronological order:
Shrek Forever After (2010)
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
How to watch the Shrek franchise in release order:
Shrek Forever After (2010)
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
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