Shrek Movies in Order: The Complete Green Monster Guide
With recent speculations of a possible release of Shrek 5, you might be considering revisiting the previous Shrek films or watching them anew if you have never watched them. If that is the case, you should probably stick around as I am going to show you the right way to watch Shrek movies in order.
How Many Shrek Movies Are There?
There are currently four Shrek movies. Below is a list of all Shrek movies in the order of their release:
- Shrek (2001)
- Shrek 2 (2004)
- Shrek the Third (2007)
- Shrek Forever After (2010)
- Shrek 5 – Upcoming
RELATED: Is Shrek on Disney+, Hulu, or Netflix? [Where to Watch It?]
Shrek Movies in Order
1. Shrek (2001)
Shrek is a grouchy, stinky, and ugly ogre who lives quietly in a swamp. One night, he discovers that his realm has been invaded by a swarm of fairy-tale animals (including Pinocchio, the three little pigs, Peter Pan, Snow White, and Cinderella), who have been exiled by the terrible Lord Farquaad. Donkey is one of them (he just won’t stop talking).
Shrek, accompanied by him, meets Lord Farquaad, seeking the return of his territory. Farquaad strikes a bargain with him, informing him that in exchange for his swamp, he must rescue Princess Fiona from a dragon-guarded fortress.
Shrek and Donkey try to save the Princess, just escape being burnt by the Dragon, who attempts to seduce Donkey (being a lady Dragon!). Fiona is irritated that she was saved by an ugly monster rather than Prince Charming. Despite their differences, she and Shrek develop feelings for each other.
Fiona hides in a windmill on the second night of their return journey. Donkey locates her and realizes that she has been transformed into an ogress. She confesses that she is under a spell that can only be broken by the first kiss of genuine love. Shrek overhears some of this, but misinterprets and concludes that she doesn’t love him because he’s ugly.
The sun rises just as she chooses to tell Shrek the truth, and she transforms back into a lovely princess. Lord Farquaad appears and whisks Fiona away to his castle, while Shrek retreats to his swamp. Both are unhappy.
Later, Shrek, Donkey, and Dragon travel to Farquaad’s castle to prevent Fiona from marrying him. Farquaad’s genuine plans to marry Fiona are revealed to her by him. When they arrive, the sunsets and Fiona reverts to her ogress form.
Farquaad refuses to marry her and places guards on everyone, but Dragon comes to the rescue and devours Farquaad. Shrek and Fiona share a kiss. As a result, Fiona remains ugly (according to the spell, “you find true love’s first kiss and then take love’s genuine shape”).
Fiona will always be a hideous monster like Shrek. She marries Shrek at a lavish ceremony attended by all of the fairy tale characters, and they live happily ever after.
2. Shrek 2 (2004)
The film begins with a “perfect” prince dubbed Prince Charming being distraught after learning that Fiona has already been freed from her tower. The plot then changes to Shrek and Fiona, who have married! They’re on their honeymoon and having a good time.
They return home to find Donkey impatiently anticipating their homecoming, and we learn that Donkey and the Dragon’s romance did not go well. Shrek evicts Donkey, but then they get a letter from Fiona’s parents… the King and Queen of Far Far Away!
Shrek decides not to go since he knows Fiona’s parents will be shocked if they saw him and her as ogres. But, after some prodding, Shrek gives in to Fiona’s desire to meet her parents.
Donkey joins us as well! They journey for days to Far Far Away because, well, it’s far, far away. Far Far Away is like a medieval Hollywood, complete with a Far Far Away spoof of the Hollywood Sign. As expected, hardly one reacts positively to Shrek and Fiona’s presence, and King Harold and Shrek end up fighting throughout supper.
Queen Lilian, on the other hand, is a little more forgiving. Puss in Footwear, a cat with an attitude and boots, is recruited by King Harold to replace Shrek. Puss in Boots joins their side after a “catfight” with Shrek in the woods. Meanwhile, Fiona’s Fairy Godmother wishes for her son, Prince Charming, to marry Fiona rather than Shrek!
Returning to Shrek, he discovers an old journal of Fiona’s and decides he wants to be human. He, Donkey, and Puss in Boots break into Fairy Godmother’s Factory and steal “Happily Ever After,” a potion that transforms Shrek into a handsome man, Fiona back into a human princess, and Donkey into a horse!
Fairy Godmother revealed as the story’s villain, has her son, Charming, trade places with Shrek and convince Fiona that he is Shrek in human form. She provides the king a potion that would make Fiona fall in love with the first guy she kisses, who Fairy Godmother wishes to be Charming.
Shrek, Donkey, and Puss in Boots are imprisoned but are freed thanks to the Gingerbread Man, Pinnochio, and others. They ultimately plan to crash Fairy Godmother’s gala, where Fiona would kiss Charming.
Shrek and his friends visit the Muffin Man, who prepares a Gingerbread Man the size of Godzilla to assist them in breaching the castle walls. Will Shrek arrive in time to save Fiona from falling in love with the wrong man?
3. Shrek the Third (2007)
“Shrek The Third,” which reintroduces the lovable, gregarious green ogre, neatly ends the tremendously amusing trilogy of fairy tale parodies. This video illustrates that the third time’s a charm by introducing a plethora of unique spins on traditional fairytale characters, as well as a bevy of funny pop-culture allusions.
Unbelievably lifelike animation, running jokes, and spoofs of iconic films, as well as tremendously cheerful music, ensure that this crowd-pleaser will amuse the entire family. The Gingerbread Man, on the other hand, never gets old.
Shrek and Princess Fiona are about to return to the comforts of their swamp when the frog King croaks. Forced to choose between assuming the throne and tracking down the sole surviving heir — a youngster named Arthur – Shrek enlists the help of his companions, Donkey, and Puss in Boots to go on a journey to find the young monarchy prospect.
Meanwhile, the devious Prince Charming gathers a gang of heinous fairytale villains to take over the realm of Far Far Away. Fiona must foil the plot by rallying her princess pals, including Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, to preserve their destroyed realm.
The different personalities truly drive the storyline in the third episode of the franchise. Almost a straight sequel to the last installment, the tale begins up shortly after, utilizes many of the same characters, and revolves around a similar plot and villain.
Despite the familiarity of the tale, the large cast of people is nonetheless interesting to watch. Puss in Boots returns, and while he mostly recycles his finest gags, Antonio Banderas’ vocal work and clever character design ensure that he dominates every scene he’s in.
Donkey is his normal obnoxious self, adhering to his invasive, loud-mouthed routine, though he’s been toned down a touch here to avoid being too oppressive. And, of course, the Gingerbread Man returns — a hysterical part deserving of its own spin-off.
However, both technically and artistically, the Shrek features continue to improve. The screen is adorned with stunning graphics, including ultra-realistic textures, shading, and landscapes, as well as smooth human-like motions and nearly faultless animation.
With the magnificent blend of artistic mediums and technology, hilarious character designs come to vivid life. Once again, lively and popular music complements the production, with delightfully added full-scale song-and-dance routines enhancing practically every scene.
“Shrek the Third” is as sanctimonious as ever, yet it equals its predecessors in terms of animation and entertainment value.
4. Shrek Forever After (2010)
Shrek Forever After employs a seemingly ingenious method of keeping the same old characters new and fascinating by swapping roles, deleting memories, and rewriting history. The location is the same, but those in authority are not, which affects the appearance and feel of the world as well as the majority of its population dramatically.
The catch includes a crippling “exit clause,” making the entire tale quite predictable. The fourth episode of the popular series actually reduces its dependence on pop culture for its humor, resulting in more universal and thoughtfully designed chuckles.
The running gags continue to grow as predicted, the 3D appears to be an afterthought, and the supporting characters once again wind up stealing the show – yet wide-eyed pussycats and wisecracking donkeys still have plenty of charm.
Our dearly, beloved ogre, Shrek appears to have everything he wants: a loving wife, Fiona, three happy children, and closest buddies Donkey and Puss in Boots. While everyone else admires his life, Shrek is becoming increasingly fatigued by the daily rituals of blocking off loud tourists, changing babies, and constantly interrupted mud baths.
Wishing for the quiet and freedom of his days as a frightening ogre, Shrek falls for Rumpelstiltskin’s clever ploy and exchanges one day from his youth for one day to live as his former carefree self.
Shrek has only 24 hours to restore the harm caused by the furious dwarf’s treachery, which results in a significantly changed current day, by locating Fiona and making her fall in love with him all over again.
With this fourth installment in the “Shrek” franchise, it’s evident that the series is becoming more episodic than theatrical. The narrative may be more suited to a TV program period, especially with the emphasis on funny banter and side characters.
The humor is more traditional than in the last movies, relying on the funny antics of Puss in Boots or the Gingerbread Man for chuckles, but towards the end, nothing feels particularly brilliant or novel.
According to advertising posters that use the title “The Final Chapter,” the producers couldn’t even agree on a title until the last minute.
The plot allows for unrestricted flexibility with an entirely different, updated conclusion for the traditional characters, but ultimately only produces one winner: a chubby, lazy, pampered Puss in Boots.
The subsequent heroes all play nearly identical roles, unaware of Shrek’s influence on their lives. Unfortunately, the crew’s “amnesia” results in repeating activities rather than significantly diverse encounters.
Do You Need to Watch Shrek Movies in Order?
Because all of the Shrek movies are linked and pick up the tale from the end of the previous film, it is necessary to watch the Shrek movies to comprehend and enjoy the story of Shrek.
Will There Be More Shrek Movies?
There is another Shrek movie in production. The upcoming film, Shrek 5, was revealed in 2016, but there has been little news about its progress in the years afterward. Looper reports it will hit theaters on September 30th, 2022, followed by streaming platforms in November.