Shrek(2001)

Name: Shrek
Director: Andrew Adamson
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Released: May 16, 2001
Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow, Vincent Cassel

DreamWorks

1h 30m

Release Date: May 16, 2001 | Wide

A mean lord exiles fairytale creatures to the swamp of a grumpy ogre, who must go on a quest and rescue a princess for the lord in order to get his land back.

Official Website

Releases

Original Release | May 16, 2001

May 18, 2001 | Wide

25th Anniversary | May 15, 2026

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Box Office Results

Updated as of May 29, 2026 11:07 AM ET

All Releases (2)
Total US & Canada:
$270,447,886
Total International
$220,650,265
Total Worldwide:
$491,098,151

Total US & Canada:
$268,013,421
Total International
$216,744,207
Total Worldwide:
$484,757,628

Current Showtimes

orround

Sat May 30
Sun May 31
Mon Jun 1
Tue Jun 2
Wed Jun 3
Thu Jun 4
Fri Jun 5

Director & Top Cast

Andrew Adamson
Director

Vicky Jenson
Director

Mike Myers
Shrek

Eddie Murphy
Donkey

Cameron Diaz
Princess Fiona

John Lithgow
Lord Farquaad

Vincent Cassel

Monsieur Hood

Peter Dennis

Ogre Hunter

Clive Pearse

Ogre Hunter

Jim Cummings

Captain of Guards

Bobby Block

Baby Bear

Chris Miller

Geppetto

Cody Cameron

Pinnochio

Kathleen Freeman

Old Woman

Michael Galasso

Peter Pan

Christopher Knights

Blind Mouse

Simon J. Smith

Blind Mouse

Conrad Vernon

Gingerbread Man

Technical Specifications

Sound Mix: Dolby Digital,SDDS

Other Details

Country of Origin: United States

Language: English

Summaries

Plot Summary

Shrek, a grouchy, mean, selfish yet insecure green ogre that has always enjoyed living in peaceful solitude in his swamp, finds his life disrupted when numerous fairy-tale beings, including Pinocchio, the Three Little Pigs, and Donkey, are forced into the swamp by order of the obsessive, perfectionist, fairy-tale despising Lord Farquaad. Shrek leaves the swamp to ask Farquaad for the return of his privacy, with his new friend Donkey happily tagging along.Meanwhile, Farquaad tortures the Gingerbread Man into revealing the whereabouts of the remaining fairy-tale creatures until his guards rush in with an object Farquaad has been searching for: the Magic Mirror. The Mirror tells him that Farquaad can only become a real king by marrying a princess (completely disregarding his original question regarding if his kingdom was the fairest of them all).The Mirror gives him three princesses to choose from (in a parody of The Dating Game): Cinderella, Snow White, and Princess Fiona. Farquaad chooses Fiona and silences the Mirror before he can mention "the little thing that happens at night" (which is later revealed to be a curse). Shrek and Donkey arrive at Farquaad's palace in Duloc, where they find themselves in the midst of a tournament. The winner will have the "privilege" of attempting to rescue Fiona from a castle surrounded by lava and protected by a fire-breathing dragon so that Farquaad may marry her. Shrek (with some help from Donkey) easily beats the other knights in a fashion that resembles a wrestling match and Farquaad agrees to remove the fairy-tale creatures from the swamp if Shrek rescues Fiona.Shrek and Donkey travel to the castle and split up to find Fiona. Donkey encounters the dragon and sweet-talks the beast to save himself before discovering that the dragon is female. Dragon takes a liking to Donkey and carries him to her chambers. When Shrek finds Fiona, she is appalled at his lack of romanticism. As they are leaving, Shrek manages to save Donkey, caught in Dragon's tender clutches, and causing her to become irate, chasing Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey out of the castle. At first, Fiona is thrilled to be rescued but quickly becomes disappointed when Shrek takes his helmet off and she realizes that he is an ogre.The three make their return journey to Farquaad's palace, with Shrek and Fiona finding that they have more in common with each other along the way and falling in love. However, at night, Fiona refuses to camp with them, taking shelter in a nearby cave until morning. Shrek and Donkey stay awake and watch the stars while Shrek informs Donkey that he plans to build a 10-foot wall around his swamp when he returns. When Donkey persistently asks Shrek why he is doing this, Shrek sadly confesses to him that everyone judges him before they get to know him. Therefore, he feels he is better off alone, despite Donkey's admittance that he did not immediately judge him when they first met. Fiona hears this and decides to be kinder to Shrek the next day.The next night, Fiona takes shelter in a nearby windmill. When Donkey hears strange noises coming from the windmill, he finds Fiona has turned into an ogress. Fiona explains she was cursed as a child and turns into an ogress every night, which is why she was locked away in the castle, and that only a kiss from her true love will return her to her "love's true form". Shrek, about to confess his feelings for Fiona, overhears part of their conversation, and is heartbroken as he misinterprets her disgust at her transformation into an "ugly beast" as being disgusted with him. Fiona makes Donkey promise not to tell Shrek about the spell, vowing to do it herself, but when the next morning comes, Shrek has brought Lord Farquaad to Fiona. The two return to the castle, while a hurt Shrek returns to the now-vacated swamp, not long after breaking off his friendship with Donkey, out of anger.Shrek finds that, despite his privacy, he is miserable and misses Fiona. Donkey comes to the swamp, angry at Shrek and Shrek reveals that he overheard their conversation. Donkey keeps his promise to Fiona and tells Shrek that she was talking about someone else. He then tells him that Fiona will be getting married shortly, urging Shrek into action to gain Fiona's true love. They are able to travel to Duloc quickly, thanks to Dragon, who had escaped her confines and followed Donkey.They interrupt the wedding before Farquaad can kiss Fiona, but not before the sun sets, which causes Fiona to turn into an ogress in front of everyone. While her transformation causes Shrek to fully understand what he overheard at the windmill, Farquaad, disgusted over the change, orders Shrek killed and Fiona imprisoned, but Shrek whistles for Dragon, who bursts in and devours Farquaad. Shrek and Fiona admit their love for each other and share a kiss; Fiona is bathed in light as her curse is broken but is surprised to find that she has remained an ogress, as she thought she was supposed to become beautiful, to which Shrek replies that she is beautiful. The two of them get married in the swamp and depart on their honeymoon while the rest celebrate by singing "I'm a Believer".

Storyline

When a green ogre named Shrek discovers his swamp has been 'swamped' with all sorts of fairytale creatures by the scheming Lord Farquaad, Shrek sets out with a very loud donkey by his side to 'persuade' Farquaad to give Shrek his swamp back. Instead, a deal is made. Farquaad, who wants to become the King, sends Shrek to rescue Princess Fiona, who is awaiting her true love in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. But once they head back with Fiona, it starts to become apparent that not only does Shrek, an ugly ogre, begin to fall in love with the lovely princess, but Fiona is also hiding a huge secret. — Film_Fan Once upon a time, in a far away swamp, there lived an ogre named Shrek whose precious solitude is suddenly shattered by an invasion of annoying fairy tale characters. They were all banished from their kingdom by the evil Lord Farquaad. Determined to save their home -- not to mention his -- Shrek cuts a deal with Farquaad and sets out to rescue Princess Fiona to be Farquaad's bride. Rescuing the Princess may be small compared to her deep, dark secret. — Jwelch5742 It's the story of a terrifying green ogre by the name of Shrek, who lives in a swamp. But all of the sudden, the evil Lord Farquaad banishes a bunch of fairy tale creatures to Shrek's swamp. So Shrek now must go on a quest to save Princess Fiona, along with a fast-talking donkey whose name is literally Donkey in order to get his swamp back. A male ogre teams up with a male donkey to rescue a princess who is locked up in a tower. They need to rescue her in order to gain property back. While they getting to know the princess, they do not know that she has a secret that could change everything. — RECB3 2 more All

Frequently Asked Questions

Who originally voiced Shrek before Mike Myers?

Why was Shrek shown at Cannes?

What is the 2026 re-release?

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Fun Facts

The late SNL star was the original voice of Shrek and had completed roughly 90% of his lines. After Farley died in December 1997, fellow SNL alum Mike Myers took over and insisted on a full script rewrite. Myers also added Shrek's "air quotes" gesture as a deliberate homage to Farley's Weekend Update character Bennett Brauer, who used the same mannerism.