Where Every Movie Fits In The Story

With some snags, the timeline of the Shrek franchise is largely structured in a clear and legible way. The animated franchise kicked off in 2001 with the animated movie of the same name, adapted from the 1990 picture book of the same name by William Steig. The movie, which starred a celebrity voice cast that included Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy was an enormous hit, grossing $492.2 million against a budget of just $60 million and eventually going on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in addition to a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Given its smash hit status, the Shrek franchise quickly ballooned into a multimedia behemoth, bringing in a variety of different fairy tale and children’s book characters over the years including Prince Charming, Rumpelstiltskin, Rapunzel, Captain Hook, and many more to skewer in its typical subversive comic fashion. With more than $4 billion in box office receipts, it is the 18th highest-grossing movie franchise of all time, just above Twilight. At the time of writing, the main branch of the franchise includes four movies with a fifth on the way, and the Puss in Boots subfranchise has run for two installments.

Shrek (2001)

Shrek Is Set (Loosely) In The 15th Century

The installment that kicked off the Shrek movies does not take place during any particular time, but rather during a general “fairy tale” era that draws its inspiration from Medieval European design traditions. However, a nightmare sequence during the sequel Shrek the Third features a banner reading “Congratulations Class of MCDIX,” suggesting that Shrek graduated in 1409 and thus the majority of the franchise takes place in the early to mid 15th century.

However, this setting is contradicted by various language, references, and historical details from throughout the remainder of the franchise. Because the Shrek franchise is a pastiche of both classic and modern storytelling, the time period in which it takes place is more of a loose suggestion of an era than a strict historical setting. This is evidenced by the fact that the sources of the characters used throughout the franchise are widely varied, as Puss in Boots is from the mid-1500s, Cinderella is from the early 1600s, The Gingerbread Man and Pinocchio are from the late 1800s, and so on.

Shrek 2 (2004)

Shrek 2 Takes Place The Same Year As Shrek

Although the general setting of the franchise is loosely defined, the timeline of each installment in the franchise as it relates to the entries before and after it is much more rigidly structured. While it is unclear exactly how much time has passed between the original movie and Shrek 2, it can not have been more than a few months, as the first movie ends with Shrek and Fiona leaving for their honeymoon and the sequel sees them returning from their trip.

The screenplay of the movie does not dwell on the details as to how long the newly married couple spent on their honeymoon, though the main story picks up immediately afterward. Thus, it can be assumed that the full events of both movies take place over the course of less than a year in total.

Shrek The Third (2007)

Shrek 3 Takes Place A Short Time After Shrek 2

The story of Shrek the Third makes major strides for several characters, including having King Harold fall ill and die and Fiona get pregnant and give birth to triplets by the end of the movie. However, the exact amount of time that elapses between the second and third movies is unclear. While Shrek and Fiona seem to have settled somewhat into married life, their dynamic with the royal court seems largely unchanged, so there has likely only been between a few months to a few years between the events of the two movies.

Shrek Forever After (2010)

Shrek 4 Takes Place One Year After Shrek 3

The timeline of Shrek Forever After becomes much clearer after the somewhat murky timeline of Shrek the Third. The movie takes place roughly a year after the events of the previous installment, as the main thrust of the story picks up on the first birthday of the triplets. However, the movie features a prologue explaining Rumpelstiltskin’s connection to the royal family that takes place during the events of the original Shrek, during the time when he has just rescued Fiona, which at this point would have been at least two years before, and perhaps more.

Puss In Boots (2011)

Puss In Boots Takes Place Before Shrek 2

Puss in Boots, the first theatrical spinoff movie in the Shrek franchise, is explicitly set before the title character ever met Shrek, Donkey, and Fiona. This took place during Shrek 2, placing it firmly before the events of that movie in the franchise’s canon. However, the exact timeline of the movie is somewhat unclear, as it is unknown precisely how long before the 2004 movie it is meant to take place.

Because the timeline lacks clarity, it is difficult to discern if Puss in Boots takes place before the events of the original Shrek in addition to its sequel. However, given the fact that the timelines of both original movies take place in such close proximity, it seems highly likely that the spinoff precedes the original movie by a considerable margin as well.

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Puss In Boots 2 Takes Place 10 Years After Shrek 4

Along with its predecessor, the Puss in Boots: The Last Wish timeline is one of the most complicated in the canon to nail down. In the narrative itself, it is clear that it takes place a great deal of time after the events of all four Shrek movies, as Puss is down to the last of his nine lives and is facing his fear of the fact that the next time he dies will be the final time.

However, the timeline of the movie is not made perfectly clear in the narrative itself. A Polygon interview with co-directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado was where the movie’s setting was officially nailed down when they revealed that it took place about ten years after Shrek Forever After. This makes sense canonically, as it also roughly lines up with the movies’ release dates.

Shrek 5 (2026)

Shrek 5’s Timeline Is Unknown

The franchise is set to continue with the upcoming Shrek 5, about which very few details are known, including when it is set. However, the end of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish teases Puss visiting his old friends in Far, Far Away, so presumably the 2026 release will take place shortly after the events of the 2022 movie. This would make it the latest movie yet in the Shrek franchise timeline, taking place during a time when the triplets are roughly 11 to 12 years old.

Source: Polygon

Shrek

The Shrek franchise is a beloved animated series that began in 2001, centering around an ogre named Shrek who lives in a swamp and embarks on various adventures with a cast of quirky and memorable characters. The franchise is known for its humor, parodies of fairy tales, and heartwarming themes about friendship, love, and self-acceptance. The success of the first film led to multiple sequels, spin-offs, and television specials, making Shrek a pop culture icon.

Spin-offs

The Adventures of Puss in Boots

TV Show(s)

Shrek the Halls