Shrek Movies: Every Film in the Franchise

The Shrek movies follow an ogre who wants to be left alone in his swamp and instead collects a wife, a loud best friend and a kingdom full of fairy tale problems. The main films track one household through courtship, in laws, an inheritance and a midlife crisis, and the two spin-offs hand the spotlight to a sword fighting cat.

Shrek (2001), directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, introduces the ogre Shrek, voiced by Mike Myers, a grumpy loner who likes living by himself. His peace ends when the short-tempered Lord Farquaad, voiced by John Lithgow, banishes fairy tale creatures onto his land. Shrek teams up with a talkative Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy, and goes to Farquaad to demand his swamp back. Farquaad offers a deal: rescue Princess Fiona, voiced by Cameron Diaz, from a dragon-guarded castle, and the creatures will be removed. Chris Farley had recorded most of Shrek's lines before his death, and the producers restarted with Myers and his Scottish accent, as CBS News reported.

Each sequel moves the story into a new stage of family life. Shrek 2 (2004), directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon, sends the newlyweds to the kingdom of Far Far Away to meet Fiona's parents, King Harold (John Cleese) and Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews), who are shocked to learn that their daughter and her husband are both ogres. Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) has her own plan, since she wants Fiona to marry her son, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett). The film also brought in Antonio Banderas as the character Puss in Boots, and it screened in competition at Cannes on May 15, 2004, according to Euronews.

Shrek the Third (2007), directed by Chris Miller, begins when King Harold dies and leaves Shrek and Fiona next in line for the throne. The ogre has no wish to be king, so he sets off with Donkey and Puss to find Fiona's cousin Artie, voiced by Justin Timberlake, while Prince Charming gathers the fairy tale villains. Screen Daily reported that it opened across 4,122 theaters, a record opening for an animated film. Shrek Forever After (2010), directed by Mike Mitchell, finds Shrek settled with Fiona and three ogre babies, missing the days when people feared him, and tempted by a one day deal with Rumpelstiltskin.

The two spin-offs follow the character Puss in Boots. Puss in Boots (2011), also directed by Chris Miller, sits before Shrek (2001) in chronological order: an outlaw cat teams up with Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek Pinault) and his old friend Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) to steal magic beans. Guillermo del Toro was an executive producer and voiced Comandante. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), directed by Joel Crawford, finds Puss down to the last of his nine lives and chasing a wishing star while a hooded wolf stalks him. Syfy Wire reported that its painterly look grew from an idea by Nate Wragg.

For a parent choosing tonight's film, the official ratings help. Every film is rated PG in the US. In the UK the four main films and Puss in Boots (2011) are rated U, while The Last Wish is rated PG, and Australia rates all six PG.

Shrek 2 (2004) is the biggest earner, with about $933 million worldwide on a $150 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo. Shrek the Third followed with about $808 million and Shrek Forever After with about $753 million, while Shrek (2001) made about $490 million on a $60 million budget. The full numbers are in the Shrek box office figures, and the people behind each film are listed under Shrek cast and crew.

The music changes hands as well. John Powell scored Shrek (2001), Harry Gregson-Williams scored the next three main films, Henry Jackman scored Puss in Boots (2011) and Heitor Pereira scored The Last Wish. The Shrek 2 soundtrack album features Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows and Holding Out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler, and the full track lists are under the Shrek soundtrack. The same fairy tale cast of Pinocchio, the Three Pigs and the Gingerbread Man turns up across the films, which the pages on fairy tale characters in Shrek and Shrek spin-offs cover in more depth.

As of November 3, 2026, Peacock streams Shrek (2001), Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, Shrek Forever After and Puss in Boots (2011) in the US, while Puss in Boots: The Last Wish streams on Netflix. Availability data comes from JustWatch through TMDB and shifts often, so check the service before you settle in.

In the UK, Netflix streams the four main films and Puss in Boots (2011), and BBC iPlayer lists the four main films as free. In Australia, the first five films are on services including Netflix, Stan and BINGE, and The Last Wish is on BINGE and Foxtel Now. Every film can be rented or bought in all three countries, and the full table by country and film is under where to watch the Shrek movies.