Universal Pictures has announced plans for a 25th anniversary celebration for Shrek with a nationwide theatrical re-release of DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek, the Academy Award®-winning blockbuster that helped redefine animated storytelling for a new generation and introduced audiences to the fairy tale world of Far, Far Away. The beloved comedy adventure, featuring the voice talents of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow, returns to cinemas nationwide on Friday, May 15, 2026 in both standard and 4DX screens.
Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson and inspired by William Steig’s 1990 children’s book Shrek!, the film follows Shrek, an ill-tempered ogre (Myers) who simply wants to live out his days in the peaceful swamp he calls home. But his solitude is interrupted by a horde of fairy tale characters who have been banished from the kingdom of Duloc by the pint-sized tyrant Lord Farquaad (Lithgow). Among the uninvited guests is the talkative, wise-cracking Donkey (Murphy), who attaches himself to the reluctant ogre as Shrek sets out to confront Farquaad and reclaim his home.
Meanwhile, Farquaad has his sights set on becoming king, but to do so, he’ll need to marry a princess, and the princess in question, Fiona (Diaz), is locked in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. Rather than rescue her himself, the cowardly ruler strikes a deal: if Shrek retrieves Fiona, Farquaad will return the swamp. But Shrek’s reluctant bargain soon gives way to a twisted fairy tale in which friendship, romance and heroism arrive from the least expected places.
Watch the film’s classic trailer in the player below:
Shrek premiered in competition at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, a rare distinction for an animated feature, before opening in the UK in June, 2001. The film became the fourth highest-grossing film of the year globally.
Earning widespread industry acclaim, Shrek won the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature at the 74th Academy Awards® and received an additional Oscar®nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film earned six BAFTA nominations, winning Best Adapted Screenplay, with Eddie Murphy receiving a nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for his voice performance as Donkey.
To date, Shrek has been followed by three sequels: 2004’s Shrek 2, 2007’s Shrek the Third and 2010’s Shrek Forever After. The franchise also expanded to include the television specials Shrek the Halls and Scared Shrekless, along with the hit spin-off features Puss in Boots and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. In 2008, the story made its way to Broadway with Shrek the Musical, the eight-time Tony Award-nominated stage adaptation by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire.
In 2027, DreamWorks Animation will invite audiences back to Far, Far Away for a thrilling new adventure with Shrek 5, which reunites Myers, Murphy and Diaz in their signature roles as Shrek, Donkey and Fiona, alongside newcomers Zendaya, Marcello Hernández and Skyler Gisondo. The film is directed by Conrad Vernon and Walt Dohrn and is co-directed by Brad Ableson.
