The Shrek franchise succeeded in making four movies, following the lives of Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey as they strived to take on whatever villain each film threw at them. However, instead of concluding the story with the happily ever after Shrek and Fiona receive at the end of Shrek, the franchise goes on to expand on their happy ending, portraying post-marital issues, babies, and alternate timelines when Shrek makes a wish with very bad results. Although Shrek could have worked perfectly as a singular film, Shrek 2 proved that sometimes a sequel can add so much more to the world and characters.

But, was that the case for every Shrek movie? Did every Shrek film succeed in expanding the universe in funny and meaningful ways? Did they truly add anything exciting to the characters and world the series was building? Sometimes, too many sequels are not always the answer, even if the revenue claims it will do well for the studio. While Shrek took off and then kept flying in its storyline's success for the first two films, Shrek The Third and Shrek Forever After may not have had the same effect. So, which Shrek movie was the best? Which struggled to live up to expectation?

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4 Shrek Forever After (2010)

Shrek Forever After Eddie Murphy as Donkey, Mike Myers as Shrek, and Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots
Paramount Pictures

The fourth Shrek film, Shrek Forever After, is not the exciting and meaningful ending to the series it should have been. Instead, it barely works as a movie in its own right. Shrek had always found consistent enjoyment in being left alone due to others fearing him. However, after falling in love with Fiona and starting a family with her, Shrek's life had turned around. He is a father to three Ogre babies, and the world no longer views Shrek as a threat. While Fiona is thrilled with their lifestyle, Shrek only sees the negatives. Everything changes when a wish-gone-wrong has Shrek wake up in a world where everyone continues to fear Ogres. However, while this is what Shrek wanted, it comes with an unwanted side effect; he never rescued or fell in love with Fiona in this reality.

Shrek and Fiona's entire relationship never happened, and as a result, Shrek is left alone without the family he had been struggling to appreciate fully. He had never existed in this new reality, meaning Fiona escaping the tower had nothing to do with him. While Shrek Forever After answers some questions regarding what could have happened if particular characters had made vastly different choices, the movie itself could never fully grasp the comedy, charm, or emotional connection to the characters other Shrek movies had.

3 Shrek The Third (2007)

Shrek the Third Fiona and Princesses
DreamWorks Animation

Shrek and Fiona's lives have been going pretty well. They are happy together and with Donkey. Everything seems to be going great, except that Fiona's father is dying. As he dies, a very troubling reality starts to hit when Shrek realizes that he and Fiona are next in line for the crown. But, the last thing Shrek wants is to lead a Kingdom, preferring the solitary and dirtiness of his swamp. So, to avoid taking the crown, Shrek and Donkey go on a journey to find another blood relative who can take the throne, no matter how distant. But, as Shrek and Donkey are leaving, Fiona throws in one last plot twist. She is pregnant.

Shrek The Third could have been a decent ending had the franchise been a trilogy. Shrek and Fiona get to hand off the kingdom to Artie and start a family with their babies. However, the biggest downfall for the film is that it comes after Shrek 2, a rarely successful sequel that raised the bar for Shrek. Still, Shrek The Third succeeds where Shrek Forever After did not, by making the storylines essential for all the main characters, rather than a central journey for Shrek that only he remembers.

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2 Shrek (2001)

Shrek Fiona and Shrek
DreamWorks Animation

As the movie that started it all, the franchise owes its popularity and success to Shrek. The storyline is the simplest to follow. Excitedly, Donkey joins a begrudging Shrek on a journey to get his swamp empty again. The quest involves reaching Lord Farquad and making a deal to rescue Princess Fiona. But, Fiona has her own secrets and worries, which revolve around a secret curse that turns her into an Ogre at night. Shrek parodies Disney classic characters and princess tropes, turning them on their heads. In addition, the movie features adult jokes, such as Lord Farquad choosing a fiancé in a The Bachelor style fashion.

Shrek heavily leaned on the growing romance between Shrek and Fiona, but it was also well-rounded out by the friendship Shrek was growing with Donkey. Fiona is also not the usual damsel in distress. Instead, Shrek makes fun of that concept by showing Fiona is wide-awake when Shrek goes to rescue her and that Fiona is more than capable of beating up the bad guys when the moment calls for it.

1 Shrek 2 (2004)

Shrek 2 Fiona and Shrek
DreamWorks Animation

Shrek 2 proves that a sequel can take everything great about the original movie and use that to enhance the plot and characters, making a sequel just as good or better than the original. Life is going great for Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey, but things get complicated when Fiona's father, Harold, and Fairy Godmother get involved. Shrek 2 reveals that Prince Charming was supposed to marry Fiona, not Shrek, due to a deal Harold and Fairy Godmother had made previously.

Shrek 2 pushes Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey in ways the original film did not have the chance to. They are challenged by characters and events that move all the characters and storylines forward. Shrek 2 does not just re-make the first movie. Instead, it builds on it, crafting the characters to dive deeper into their relationships while expanding the universe the film exists in. Shrek 2 also introduces fan-favorite supporting character Puss in Boots, who would gain his own spinoff films.