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It's been almost 15 years since we had Shrek on theater screens and almost a quarter of a century (!) since we were introduced to the ogre Shrek (Mike Myers) Donkey (Murphy) and Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz).
However, we will be seeing the trio again, according to Collider.
Shrek is back!
While promoting his upcoming film Beverly Hills Copy: Axel F, the voice of Donkey himself, Eddie Murphy, has exciting updates for Shrek fans. Not only is there a fifth Shrek currently in production, the legendary comedian also confirmed that Donkey is getting his own film.
The entertainment website's Steve Weintraub discussed the box office successes of Kung Fu Panda 4 as well as the newest Puss in Boots movie with the titular character voiced by Antonio Banderas, which have reawakened the interest in the Shrek franchise. The fourth Kung Fu Panda movie earned $545.3 million globally, taking the franchise to more than $2.3 billion. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, released in 2022, pulled in $485.2 million worldwide, making more than five times its reported budget. Both movies were also critically acclaimed.
Murphy then said, “We started doing Shrek 4 or [Shrek] 5 months ago. I did this, I recorded the first act, and we'll be doing it this year, we'll finish it up. Shrek is coming out, and Donkey's gonna have his own movie. We're gonna do Donkey as well. So we're gonna do a Shrek, and we're doing a Donkey.”
The comedian has been the voice of the hilarious Donkey since the first Shrek film was released in 2001.
When he was asked if he was recording for both Shrek and Donkey movies, he replied, “No, not at the same time. I started recording Shrek, I think it's coming out in 2025, and we're doing a Donkey one next.”
The cultural impact of the animated green ogre
The Shrek franchise has long been a cultural touchstone to quite a few generations, since it first came out during the early aughts. The films were loosely based on William Steig's 1990 picture book of the same title. The story follows the bad-tempered but good-hearted ogre Shrek. He reluctantly accepts the quest to rescue a princess, which ends up with his finding new friends and going on different adventures.
The franchise spawned eight short films, four TV & interactive specials and a TV series, The Adventures of Puss in Boots which aired from 2015 to 2018. It also had a stage musical adaptation, Shrek The Musical, which premiered on Broadway, won a Tony Award for best costume design and ran from 2008 to 2010. The first Shrek film won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2002. The actual Oscar is currently on display at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles.
In 2008, the American Film Institute listed it as of the top 10 greatest animated films, the only non-Disney or Pixar film on the list. In 2020, Shrek was selected by the Library of Congress' National Film Registry for preservation, the first DreamWorks Animation film to be on the list. It was also the first animated feature film released in the 21st century and first PG-rated animation to be inducted. When it premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival it was the first American film screened there since 1953's Peter Pan.
The Shrek franchise is the 18th highest-grossing of all time and the second highest-grossing animated franchise. Shrek even has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Fans of Shrek are known as Brogres, a play on the My Little Pony fandom, Bronies. Since 2014, Shrekfest has been celebrated in Madison, Wisconsin. It features costume and onion-eating contests and themed merchandise. There's even an Airbnb listing called Shrek's Swamp, and the host is none other than… Donkey.
… and so is Donkey!
With the news of an upcoming Donkey standalone films, Shrek and Murphy fans will surely flock to the cinemas — because it should be released theatrically. Donkey has long been a favorite character, with his unfailing and more often than not annoying optimism set against the brooding Shrek. Their bromance was a thing before the word became a mainstay in the English lexicon.
Murphy's impressive and expressive voice acting has always been one of the highlights of the series. So much so that his BAFTA nomination was the first of its kind. And I bet the moment you heard the character's name, you heard two things in your head, Mike Myers' voice as Shrek yelling, “Donkey!” and Murphy's, “I'm gonna make some waffles.” And then there's his romance with a dragon named… Dragon. And of course, their five hybrid fire-breathing donkey-dragon babies.
The Shrek movies are available to stream on Netflix in select countries.
