The Shrek franchise is a classic animated movie series from the early 2000s. Its animation and story drew kids in and let them enjoy its vibrant fantasy world, and the cleverly hidden jokes left something for adults to enjoy too, while still remaining polite for the kids. It remains a staple of pop culture even now, and was recently added to the Library of Congress, further cementing how important Shrek is in animated history. Even though the first movie is now 20 years old, fans are still celebrating its witty jokes and lovable story.

Though the main series may be over, the Shrek universe remains at large. The anticipated sequel Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is finally coming to life later this year, bringing the beloved Puss in Boots back to the big screen. It’s seen a few other titles and release dates during production, but The Last Wish promises more of what everyone knows and loves about the original series. So, before the movie comes out, catch up on everything Shrek with this list, so you know exactly what you’re getting into for the next one. While the character got green for Christmas, was Scared Shrekless for Halloween, and had TV specials and video games, let’s focus on every Shrek movie, in chronological order.

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Shrek Movies in Chronological Order

  • Puss in Boots Shrek Shrek 2 Shrek the Third Shrek Forever After Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Puss In Boots

     Paramount Pictures

A prequel to the main series, Puss in Boots follows the titular character as we’ve never seen him before. Before he met Shrek, Puss in Boots (played perfectly by Antonio Banderas) was a fugitive. He was running from a past robbery gone wrong and sought to restore his lost honor. When he discovered the siblings Jack and Jill had the magic beans he had been searching for, he plans to steal them for his own use, but runs into another ‘cat burglar’ trying to steal them, Kitty Softpaws.

Shrek

     Dreamworks Pictures

The movie that started it all, Shrek also follows a titular character in the same offbeat fairy tale universe. Shrek (played by Mike Myers) is an ogre who lives alone in his swamp, and is content with his life. He doesn’t mind that there is no one else around, and frequently tries to scare off those who do come close, especially the village people who think he’s bad and try to kill him. However, that all changes after Lord Farquaad orders that all the fairy tale characters be rounded up, and they all end up in Shrek’s swamp.

Upset that he is no longer alone (and he can’t get anyone to leave), Shrek makes the trip to Farquaad to request his land back. He is accompanied by Donkey (an energetic Eddie Murphy performance we can’t live without), the companion he can’t quite seem to shake no matter how much he tries. The quest he ends up on in order to clear the swamp ends up being more than Shrek expected, and after meeting Princess Fiona (played by Cameron Diaz), he slowly comes to find that maybe he doesn’t want to be alone all the time anymore. Shrek was released on April 22, 2001, and is available to stream on The Roku Channel and Netflix.

Shrek 2

In Shrek 2, after Shrek helps save and marries Fiona, he’s already passed the hurdle where he no longer wants to be alone. However, he must now pass another — he, Fiona, and Donkey take the road trip so that he can meet Fiona’s parents for the first time. There is a lot they weren’t expecting from him, including the fact that he is an ogre, and because of this, Fiona is still an ogre as well. Naturally, her parents aren’t very fond of him.

Shrek tries his best to please her parents, but life in the palace is a lot different from the swamp he was used to. However, when he runs into Puss in Boots in the forest and discovers that he’s an assassin sent to kill him, Shrek realizes that there may be more than one reason why Fiona’s parents don’t like him. He must figure out the real reason and how to reveal it to the masses before it’s too late. A weirdly realistic look at the anxieties of young marriage and in-laws, and the introduction to what would become its own Puss in Boots franchise, Shrek 2 is a delight. Shrek 2 was released on May 19, 2004, and is available to stream on The Roku Channel and Netflix.

Shrek the Third

Shrek and Fiona are set to succeed the throne in Shrek the Third, as King Harold is dying. However, acting as regent while the king is incapacitated ends in disaster, showing Shrek that he doesn’t have the ability to rule over the kingdom. Before King Harold dies, Shrek is told that Harold has a nephew who could rule instead. He sets out to find Arthur with Donkey and Puss in Boots, plagued by the knowledge that Fiona is pregnant, and he’s about to be a father.

Meanwhile, Prince Charming wants revenge for his mother’s death and attempts to steal the throne, attacking the castle while Shrek is away with the help of the other fairy tale villains. Fiona and her friends try and hold him off as long as they can, and don’t want to give up Shrek’s location or what he’s doing, but it slips out eventually. Now Shrek doesn’t know the danger waiting for him as he sails back home. Shrek the Third was released on May 18, 2007, and is available to stream on Hulu and HBO Max.

Shrek Forever After

In the emotional last installment, Shrek Forever After, Shrek finds himself longing for the old days when he was alone and feared. Now, with his family and the bit of fame he has gained through his adventures, he finds it impossible to ever be alone. After accidentally lashing out at Fiona, he leaves the building to cool off and finds Rumpelstiltskin in distress. In exchange for his help, Rumpelstiltskin offers an exchange — he’ll use his magic to give Shrek a day when he can be a ‘real ogre’ again, in exchange for taking a day from Shrek’s childhood. He eagerly accepts.

At first, Shrek is having the time of his life. In the alternate reality he was sent to, he was completely alone again, and all the villagers feared him just like they used to. However, he soon finds that this alternate world is going to be the new reality when the day comes to pass, as Rumpelstiltskin took the day Shrek was born, meaning he will soon cease to exist, and everything he ever did never happened. Only true love’s kiss can save him now — but how will he get Fiona to kiss him if she doesn’t know who he is?

As some of the best fantasy films of the century so far, and a surprisingly good romance, the Shrek movies finish strongly and ends reiterating its greatest theme: the power of love and the need for community. Shrek Forever After was released on May 21, 2010, and is available to stream on Hulu and Sling TV. The next installment in the franchise, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, will be released in theaters on September 23, 2022.