Shrek Timeline: Every Movie in Story Order

Puss in Boots (2011), directed by Chris Miller, is the earliest story in the Shrek universe, even though it reached theaters fifth. It follows Puss in Boots as a wanted outlaw who has been on the run since leaving his hometown of San Ricardo, and who goes after the magic beans owned by Jack and Jill. Along the way he meets the cat burglar Kitty Softpaws and his childhood friend Humpty Dumpty, and the three plan to climb a beanstalk to a giant's castle where golden goose eggs are said to be kept.

Antonio Banderas voices Puss in Boots, Salma Hayek Pinault voices Kitty and Zach Galifianakis voices Humpty, with Henry Jackman as composer. The film ran 90 minutes and opened in the US on October 28, 2011. If you want the Shrek timeline with Puss in Boots included, this is where it begins, because Puss in Boots is already a seasoned outlaw here. The film has its own page at Puss in Boots (2011).

Shrek (2001), directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, is the first story of the main saga and the second entry in story order. Shrek is a grumpy ogre who wants his swamp to himself, until Lord Farquaad banishes fairy tale creatures onto his land. With a talkative donkey beside him, Shrek travels to Farquaad's town of Duloc and agrees to rescue Princess Fiona from a castle guarded by a dragon in exchange for his swamp back.

Mike Myers voices Shrek, Eddie Murphy voices Donkey, Cameron Diaz voices Princess Fiona and John Lithgow voices Lord Farquaad. John Powell composed the score. Chris Farley recorded most of the lines for Shrek before his death, and the producers then restarted with Mike Myers and his Scottish accent, according to CBS News. The film runs 90 minutes, and the page for Shrek (2001) covers the cast in full.

Shrek 2 (2004) came out three years after Shrek (2001), but in the story it starts right after Shrek and Fiona's honeymoon. Directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon, the film sends the couple to a royal invitation from Fiona's parents, King Harold and Queen Lillian, in the kingdom of Far Far Away, and Donkey tags along.

The sequel introduces Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas), Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) and Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders), with Julie Andrews and John Cleese as the royal parents. Harry Gregson-Williams composed the score, and the film runs 92 minutes. It screened in competition at Cannes on May 15, 2004, before its May 19 US release. The film is covered at Shrek 2.

Shrek the Third (2007), directed by Chris Miller and Raman Hui, is the fourth film in story order and the point where Shrek is next in line for a crown. King Harold dies, which leaves Shrek and Fiona as heirs of Far Far Away. Shrek has no wish to rule, so he sets off with Donkey and Puss in Boots to find Fiona's cousin Artie, another possible heir. Meanwhile Prince Charming, who wants revenge, starts gathering the fairy tale villains.

Justin Timberlake voices Artie, with Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas returning. Harry Gregson-Williams again scored the film, which runs 93 minutes. It opened in US theaters on May 18, 2007, and Screen Daily reported that it took a record animated opening in North America from 4,122 theaters. The film has a page at Shrek the Third.

Shrek Forever After (2010) closes the main saga and sits fifth in story order, with Mike Mitchell in the director's chair. By this point Shrek lives as a husband and father, sharing a home with Fiona and their three ogre babies. Endless parties and the fuss of local fame have left him nostalgic for the time when villagers ran from him. At his children's birthday party, being treated like a sideshow attraction makes him snap, and he storms away. That is when Rumpelstiltskin steps in with an offer: one day as a truly fearsome ogre. The price is a single day from Shrek's past, and Shrek accepts without reading the fine print.

Walt Dohrn voices Rumpelstiltskin. The established voice cast returns, and Jon Hamm, Jane Lynch and Craig Robinson join it. The running time is 93 minutes. Before its wide US release on May 21, the film opened the Tribeca Film Festival on April 21, 2010, the first 3D film to take that slot. Full credits are at Shrek Forever After.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), directed by Joel Crawford, is the sixth and most recent film in story order. It follows Puss in Boots after a near fatal accident leaves him with only one of his nine lives. He retires to hide in a cat lady's home, then leaves to find a wishing star so he can win his lives back. Other treasure seekers chase the same prize, and a hooded wolf is stalking him.

Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek Pinault return as Puss in Boots and Kitty Softpaws, joined by Harvey Guillén as Perrito, Wagner Moura as Wolf and Florence Pugh as Goldilocks. Heitor Pereira composed the score. The film runs 103 minutes and reached US theaters on December 21, 2022. Its own page is at Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Shrek 5 is set for a US release on June 30, 2027, after moving from December 23, 2026, and the reasons for the delay have not been confirmed. The film is in production at Universal and DreamWorks Animation. That date has held since Variety reported on August 11, 2025 that the film had moved from December 23, 2026. Before that it had moved from July 1, 2026, a date set in July 2024, to December 23, 2026, which was set on January 10, 2025.

A first teaser arrived on June 16, 2026. No UK or Australian date has been found. Where the film sits in the story has not been announced, so this timeline places it last by release date only. Full status is at Shrek 5 release date, and the footage is collected at Shrek 5 trailer.

The Shrek timeline runs Puss in Boots (2011), Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007), Shrek Forever After (2010) and then Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), with the four main films forming one continuous family story. In my opinion, the cleanest way to hold it together is to treat the four main films, which follow each other with no stated gap between them, as one family story, with the Puss in Boots films as a parallel thread that crosses it.

The main saga links tightly. Shrek (2001) ends with Fiona staying an ogre, and Shrek 2 begins with their honeymoon return, which is why the in story gap is so short. Shrek 2 also ends with Fiona choosing Shrek as he is, and its post credit scene shows Dragon, now married to Donkey, arriving with several baby dragon and donkey hybrids. Shrek the Third ends with Shrek getting over his fear of fatherhood and raising triplets, and Shrek Forever After opens with those three ogre babies at a birthday party. That continuity is the strongest reason to keep the four films together.

Shrek Forever After is the one film I would flag. Rumpelstiltskin's contract takes the day Shrek was born. The altered world in Shrek Forever After is erased when Fiona's kiss breaks the spell, so Shrek returns to the moment just before his outburst and no story time is added. That makes it a clean ending, and a reasonable reason to treat the saga as finished.

The Puss in Boots films are trickier. Puss in Boots (2011) shows the cat as a wanted outlaw before he meets Shrek, so placing it first is logical. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) has him down to his last life, so it reads best as a late chapter for him, and placing it after Shrek Forever After fits that. As for how many years pass in the story between films, none of the plots state it, so I would not trust any fixed number a fan list gives.

If you are new, I would still watch in release order, because Puss in Boots first appears in Shrek 2 and the surprise lands better that way. Use story order for a rewatch, and the guide at Shrek movies in order lays out both lists.