When “Shrek” debuted in 2001, it became an instant sensation, both critically acclaimed and a box office hit. This success quickly paved the way for sequels—a second, third, and fourth installment, along with a spinoff for the charming character “Puss in Boots” released a year post the fourth film. Although the original series wrapped up around 15 years ago, the franchise proved its enduring charm with a well-received “Puss in Boots” sequel in 2022. By 2023, the anticipation for “Shrek 5” was officially ignited. Clearly, Shrek’s legacy is unstoppable. But how should these films be experienced? We advocate for the release order, as follows:

With “Shrek 5” on the horizon, this order might eventually shift, but for now, let’s delve into why watching the “Shrek” movies in their release order remains the best approach.

For newcomers embarking on their “Shrek” journey (and if you haven’t yet, what are you waiting for?), viewing the films in release order is ideal as it allows you to follow a continuous narrative. The “Shrek” saga unfolds chronologically from the first film through the fourth, showcasing Shrek’s personal growth alongside the audience. The inaugural movie is also the perfect gateway into the fairy tale universe, offering a narrative that is subversive yet adheres to the classic fairy tale framework.

If it’s your first time watching the “Shrek” movies (and if it is, what are you waiting for?), this is the best way to watch the films because you get to watch one ongoing story unfold. The “Shrek” movies are in chronological order, from the first movie to the fourth, with Shrek growing and learning along the way and the audience growing right beside him. The first film is also the best introduction to the entire fairy tale aesthetic of the “Shrek” universe. It’s both subversive in its telling while still hitting most of the notes a traditional fairy tale would.

Even though “Puss in Boots” is a prequel to the “Shrek” films, Puss isn’t introduced until “Shrek 2,” so it would be hard to appreciate the film as much without at least watching the first two “Shrek” films. “Shrek 2” assumes you don’t know Puss, introducing him as an enemy and then an ally of the titular character, while “Puss in Boots” assumes you already have at least some appreciation of him. “Puss in Boots” is a fairy tale character that predates the “Shrek” movies, but these films have their own take on him that’s important to understand if you want to fully appreciate him in his own story. Plus, since “Puss in Boots” is not as popular as “Shrek” and “Shrek 2,” why not start with the better and most creative of the films and work your way from there?

The idea of an ogre being the hero of a fairy tale, complete with references to both pop culture and fables alike, was untested when “Shrek” came out. But animation fans everywhere ended up embracing him and appreciated this inside-out retelling of Princess Fiona’s (Cameron Diaz) first meeting with Shrek (Mike Myers). In the movie, Shrek is happy living in his beloved swamp alone. While Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) is rounding up fairy tale creatures, Shrek, it seems, is exempt because he’s too scary. But then all the fairy tale creatures — including the three blind mice (Simon J. Smith, Christopher Knights, and Mike Myers), Pinocchio (Cody Cameron), and the Wolf (Aron Warner) of “Little Red Riding Hood” fame — end up on his doorstep in the swamp.

So Shrek and Donkey (Eddie Murphy), a talking animal who escaped the earlier fairy tale roundup, go to Lord Farquaad to complain. After a knockdown, drag-out wrestling match, Farquaad ends up declaring Shrek his champion. He tasks Shrek with rescuing Princess Fiona from the fire-breathing dragon and bringing her back for Farquaad to marry. If Shrek does this, he can have his swamp back, free of fairy tale creatures.

“Shrek” was an instant box office hit when it came out, receiving widespread critical acclaim and all kinds of accolades, including the very first Academy Award for best animated feature in 2002. As a result, it’s the perfect film to start your tour of the “Shrek” universe.

“Shrek” is available to watch on Peacock.

With the success of “Shrek,” it was only a matter of time before a second movie came out, and three years later, “Shrek 2” hit screens everywhere. The film was a direct sequel to the first installment. Following Shrek and Fiona’s honeymoon, the princess is summoned by her parents, the King (John Cleese) and Queen (Julie Andrews) of Far Far Away, to their castle so they can meet her new husband and give him their blessing. But Fiona’s parents have no idea that she’s married to a big, green ogre or that she, too, has been transformed into one, so they’re shocked when their daughter finally appears before them.

“Shrek 2” is the only other movie in the main “Shrek” series that was critically acclaimed (at least so far). In fact, critics liked it just as much as the first “Shrek,” and it’s easy to understand why. Not only does it have similar humor, but it also has a lot of great references. While the first “Shrek” had references to Disneyland, “The Matrix,” “The Dating Game,” and several classic Disney movies, “Shrek 2” had references to “Alien,” Paramount Studios, Beverly Hills, and, once again, several animated Disney films. The film was the highest-grosser of 2004, and it’s been praised as one of the best sequels of all time.

“Shrek 2” is available to watch on Peacock.

“Shrek” continued to pump out follow-ups, but they started to go downhill with the third one. Though it’s a sequel that continues the story of Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey, there was a steep dropoff in quality. “Shrek the Third” received the worst reviews of any “Shrek” film from both critics and audiences due to its lack of a memorable villain and a sillier story. Perhaps most importantly though, it’s missing the heart and charm of the two previous films. Plus, this one, more than other entries in the series, had a number of things only adults would notice, such as a Hooters joke.

In “Shrek the Third,” Fiona’s father, the King of Far Far Away, is dying. He expects Shrek to take over his duties when he’s gone, but having gotten a taste of life as king, Shrek is determined to find another heir. On his deathbed, the King tells Shrek of one: Fiona’s cousin, Arthur “Artie” Pendragon (Justin Timberlake). So Shrek sets out to find him at his magical boarding school. Meanwhile, Fiona — who tells Shrek she’s pregnant as he is sailing away to get Artie — is having a baby shower when villains attack the castle at Prince Charming’s behest. Though this movie is the nadir of the series, “Shrek the Third” isn’t that terrible. It’s far from unwatchable, but it’s also not memorable, and for this series, that’s enough to make it the bottom of the barrel.

“Shrek the Third” is available to watch on Peacock.

“Shrek Forever After” was supposed to be the final film in the “Shrek” series — it even plasters “the end” on the screen at the end of the movie. As such, it has numerous tributes to the past, especially in the ending credits sequence. The story centers on Shrek as he settles into family life with Fiona and his triplets. He embraces his new role at first, but then he becomes more and more jaded as time goes on. It’s at this point that Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn) presents a contract to Shrek: In exchange for a day from his childhood, Shrek can spend a day being a “real” ogre again. Shrek agrees and wakes up in an alternate reality, where he’s feared again — but he quickly realizes that Fiona is a fugitive too, causing him to go in search of Rumpel to reverse everything back to normal.

While better than “Shrek the Third,” “Shrek Forever After” doesn’t reach the heights of the first or second movies in the series. Nonetheless, for the (supposedly) final movie in the “Shrek” franchise, “Shrek Forever After” is a fitting ending, with all the pop culture references and hilarious jokes you could want in a “Shrek” movie. As a result, it still offers an enjoyable, if not nearly as memorable, hour and a half at the movies.

“Shrek Forever After” is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

“Puss in Boots” is actually a prequel to the “Shrek” movies, so Puss (Antonio Banderas) hasn’t met Shrek or his other fairy tale friends at this point in his story. The movie centers on Puss as he tries to steal magic beans from Jack (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jill (Amy Sedaris) so he can get to a giant’s castle and take the goose that lays golden eggs. But he finds someone else is also there to steal the beans: Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), a cat burglar just as skilled as him. Puss discovers that she works for Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis), the talking egg that Puss was childhood friends with until it tricked him into a bank robbery. Nonetheless, when Humpty suggests teaming up, Puss eventually goes for it.

Though not nearly as innovative or thrilling as the first “Shrek” movie, this spinoff is still better than the third and fourth films in that series. The plot is abundant in fairy tale details and has a sort of swashbuckling charm, a decent script, and funny bits, especially when it comes to cat jokes (such as Puss lapping his milk or chasing a flashlight). However, even though it’s a prequel, we suggest it be watched fifth because you’ll want to be introduced to Puss in the “Shrek” series first and finish the madcap fun of those movies before starting on the spinoffs.

“Puss in Boots” is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” is the second in the “Puss in Boots” series and the sixth in the “Shrek” universe overall, which is why it is the last movie you should watch. Unlike the first “Puss in Boots” movie, this follow-up takes place after the “Shrek” films and after Puss has squandered eight of his nine lives. It’s also the best reviewed of all the movies in the “Shrek” universe, with a 95% from Rotten Tomatoes critics and a 94% from the audience.

In “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” Puss is a known outlaw with little regard for his safety. That is, until he discovers he only has one life left, pushing him into retirement to escape the Wolf (Wagner Moura) hunting him. But when Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and the three bears (Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, and Samson Kayo) come by to ask Puss to steal a map that will lead them to a wishing star, he decides to take it for himself to get his eight lives back. Along the way, he’s joined once again by Kitty Softpaws and a new friend, Perrito (Harvey Guillen), a perpetually optimistic dog. In his hunt for the map, he also goes up against not just Goldilocks but “Big” Jack Horner (John Mulaney) as well. “The Last Wish” is a blast from start to finish, and it lightly references its ties to “Shrek” while being smart and funny in its own right.

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” is available to watch on Peacock.

We don’t know a whole lot about “Shrek 5” so far. In fact, we know nothing about the plot of the movie, although that hasn’t stopped Reddit from speculating. We can say for sure that, in the grand tradition of “Shrek” movies, it once again takes place in chronological order: After “Shrek Forever After,” with Shrek and Fiona’s triplets now fully grown, or at least teenagers. Getting a firm release date has been as difficult as pinning down Goldilocks’ definition of “just right” — “Shrek 5” was originally slated to come out in 2026, but after two delays it’s been pushed to June 30, 2027.

So far, the biggest news has come in casting. While you may have wondered what happened to some of the cast lately, you’ll be happy to know that original cast members Mike Meyers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy are back playing Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey, respectively. And there are a few new faces as well. Most excitingly, Zendaya will be co-starring as Shrek and Fiona’s daughter, Felicia. Also, “Saturday Night Live” cast member Marcello Hernandez and 2025’s version of Jimmy Olsen in “Superman,” Skyler Gisondo, will be playing their sons Fergus and Farkle, respectively.

There may also be a “Donkey” movie after Shrek 5. In 2024, Eddie Murphy let slip that he was planning on doing a “Donkey” spinoff after recording was completed on the fifth “Shrek.” With that said, the film has yet to be confirmed by DreamWorks.

If you’ve already seen the “Shrek” franchise and its spinoffs and would like to watch the movies in the universe’s chronological order, you can do that easily. Simply sandwich the four “Shrek” movies between the first and second “Puss in Boots” films, and enjoy the story that way. So you’ll start with “Puss in Boots,” watch all four “Shrek” movies in order, then finish with “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.”

If you’re a “Shrek” newbie and don’t want to watch all the movies in release order — or don’t want to watch the third and fourth movies at all — you can start with the first and second “Shrek” movies and then move on to the first and second “Puss in Boots” movies. However, don’t watch the fourth “Shrek” movie without watching the third movie first. Although “Shrek the Third” is the lowest rated of the bunch, it still has some valuable information, such as Fiona’s pregnancy, that you’ll miss if you skip it.

Also, once “Shrek 5” comes out, going in release order may go out the window. That’s because you may want to watch all of the “Shrek” movies in order, ending with the fifth one, and then turn your attention to the “Puss in Boots” movies. Whichever way you choose to watch the “Shrek” franchise, you’ll surely enjoy this fractured take on fairy tales.

There are a lot of short films, television specials, and TV shows featuring Shrek, Donkey, Fiona, Puss in Boots, and even the three little pigs. These were released throughout “Shrek”‘s run in the 2000s and the early 2010s and are quite spread out across releases. For example, the television special “Shrek the Halls” takes place between “Shrek the Third” and “Shrek Forever After,” while the special “Scared Shrekless” happens after “Shrek Forever After.” 

There are also several shorts that are on various “Shrek” DVDs, and their timing either corresponds to the DVD they were released with or doesn’t have anything to do with the events of the series at all. For example, “The Pig Who Cried Werewolf” revolves around the Three Little Pigs finding themselves a new neighbor and doesn’t have anything to do with the events of any “Shrek” movie. Meanwhile, “Shrek in the Karaoke Dance Party” takes place during the final scene of the first “Shrek,” the movie it was released alongside on DVD.

Then there’s “The Adventures of Puss in Boots,” a TV show that is actually a prequel to 2011’s “Puss in Boots.” It is currently available on Peacock and centers on Puss as he protects the town of San Lorenzo from invaders after he broke the spell that protected it. The series lasted six seasons and launched an interactive special in 2017 as well. All of these are nice additions to your “Shrek” watch party, but if you don’t see them, it shouldn’t hinder your enjoyment of the movies.