Shrek is an ogre who likes to live alone in his swamp. His solitude is interrupted after dwarfish Lord Farquaad of Duloc exiles all the fairy-tale creatures to Shrek's swamp. Angered by the intrusion, Shrek decides to visit Farquaad and demand that they be moved elsewhere. He reluctantly allows the talkative Donkey, who was also exiled, to tag along and guide him to Duloc. Concurrently, Farquaad is presented with the Magic Mirror, who tells him that in order to become a king, he must marry a princess. Farquaad chooses Princes Fiona, who is imprisoned in a tower guarded by a dragon. Unwilling to rescue her himself, Farquaad organizes a tournament in which the winner receives the "privilege" of rescuing Fiona. Shrek and Donkey arrive at Duloc at the start of the tournament. Disgusted by Shrek, Farquaad proclaims that whoever kills the ogre will be the tournament's winner. Shrek and Donkey, however, defeat Farquaad's knight in the ensuing melee. Shrek then negotiates with an amused Farquaad that in exchange for rescuing Fiona, Farquaad will relocate the fairy-tale creatures. Shrek and Donkey then depart on the quest. However, there is more to the princess—and the dragon—than meets the eye!

Shrek is a fun story that takes pretty much everything that we know about Disney fairy-tale movies, and turns them on their head. Part of the movie's fun is spotting a character and naming where they come from. The largest twist, however, is casting an ogre as the protagonist. This is not only tied into a wonderful story arc of growth, but also the theme of the film.

The film depicts Shrek as being both comfortable with himself, but miserable because he is ostracized by society. Fiona is presented as the opposite: accepted by society but miserable because she isn't comfortable with who she becomes after the sun goes down. Their journey to being accepted and accepting themselves elevates this film into one of the greats. Shrek is also laden with a substantial dose of comedy, largely supplied by Donkey and how he gets on most everyone's nerves, Shrek's most of all. While the animation looks relatively simple, it packs a surprising level of detail: note the tracks in the trampled grass after Shrek and Donkey pass through it. The highlight of the film is its judicious use of pop music and other oldies—it is as much an auditory feast as it is a visual treat.

Newlyweds Shrek and Fiona return from their honeymoon, and learn that they have been invited by Fiona's parents to a royal ball to celebrate their marriage. Shrek initially refuses to attend, causing discord with his wife. Fiona soon convinces him, and accompanied by Donkey, they travel to the kingdom of Far Far Away. King Harold and Queen Lillian, Fiona's parents, are shocked to see the ogres—with Harold being especially repulsed. At dinner, Shrek and Harold get into a heated argument that sees Fiona, disgusted by their behaviour, locking herself away in her room. Shrek worries that he is losing Fiona, particularly after seeing the contents of her childhood diary and learning that she was once infatuated with Prince Charming. Later that night, Harold is visited by the Fairy Godmother, who chastises him as her son, Charming, was to marry Fiona in exchange for Harold's own happy end! She then orders him to get rid of Shrek. Harold subsequently employs Puss in Boots to assassinate Shrek during a faux hunting trip. In the ensuing melee, Puss is unable to defeat Shrek, and reveals that he was paid by Harold and offers to be an ally. Shrek, Donkey, and Puss then sneak into the Fairy Godmother's factory and steal a "Happily Every After" potion, as Shrek thinks it will make him good enough for Fiona. Donkey, and then Shrek both drink the potion, but nothing happens. Shrek complains about it before both he and Donkey both suddenly fall fast asleep. Fiona, in Far Far Away, in the midst of preparing to leave to go find Shrek so that they can return home, also falls asleep. Awakening the following morning, Shrek and Fiona have become human, and Donkey has transformed into a white stallion. In order to make the changes permanent, Shrek must kiss Fiona by midnight, so he, Donkey, and Puss head back to the castle. However, the Fairy Godmother, having learned of their theft, has sent Charming to pose as Shrek and win Fiona's love, and has her sights set on preventing Shrek from reuniting with Fiona!

Shrek 2 not only picks up right where Shrek ends, but takes the story in a bold new direction. Among the first things we see in Shrek and Fiona's 'happily ever after' is an argument. This is further underscored with the suggestion that Donkey and his partner Dragon are currently 'on a break' as they are also experiencing marital strife. The cause of Shrek and Fiona's troubles is his refusal to accept the invitation to visit Fiona's royal in-laws—as Shrek is both an ogre as well as the anti-thesis of royal etiquette, his reluctance is quite understandable. Nevertheless, the themes are a thought-provoking contrast to and a refreshing change from the fairy tail (and arguably whirlwind) romance depicted in the first film.

A lot of this film's fun comes from the depiction of the kingdom of Far Far Away as a stand-in for Hollywood and Beverly Hills. The film takes some glee in suggesting that princess such as Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel are actually Hollywood starlets. The highlight, however, is the addition of Puss in Boots. The character is presented in some truly imaginative ways with many scenes going in completely unexpected—and hilarious—directions! Shrek 2 is, just like its predecessor, also loaded with wonderful hit music. However, unlike Shrek, this film skews more into the 70's and 80's eras, rather than the late 90's. Even so, it makes the film just as much fun to listen to as it is to watch!

Shrek and Princess Fiona are performing the royal duties while King Harold is on medical leave. Their attempts, however, invariably end in disaster. Shrek insists that he isn't suitable, and that there must be someone else who can rule the kingdom of Far Far Away. Just before he dies, Harold tells Shrek about his nephew and Fiona's cousin: Arthur "Artie" Pendragon. Concurrently, after his latest failure, Prince Charming vows to become king of Far Far Away and avenge the death of his mother, the Fairy Godmother. At the Poison Apple tavern he successfully persuades the fairy tale villains there to join him and fight for their "happily ever after". Shrek, Donkey, and Puss set out by ship to retrieve Artie. Just as they are leaving, Fiona reveals that she is pregnant. While her mother and friends celebrate the announcement, Shrek is horrified, as he believes that he isn't capable of raising children. The trio soon arrive at Worcestershire Academy, where they find Artie to be a 16-year-old kid who is bullied and picked on even by the school's nerds! Artie is excited to hear that he will be king. Until, that is, Donkey and Puss inadvertently frighten him by discussing the king's responsibilities and the everyday threats to the king. Artie attempts to take control of the ship, and they end up crashing on a remote island—where they encounter Artie's former wizard teacher Merlin. In Far Far Away, Fiona and Queen Lillian are having a baby shower with Cinderella, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Doris the Ugly Stepsister; when Charming and the other Fairy Tale villains invade the city and attack the castle. Fiona's fairy tale friends stall Charming and his forces long enough for Fiona and the others to escape into the castle's secret passages. However, they are soon captured and locked up when Rapunzel betrays them, as she has fallen in love with Charming. Hook and his pirates soon catch up with Shrek on Merlin's island. Shrek learns what Charming has done, and urges Artie to return to his school. Instead, Artie tricks Merlin into using magic to send them all to Far Far Away. However, Merlin's spell accidentally causes Puss and Donkey to switch bodies!

Unlike the preceding two films in this series, Shrek the Third marks a drastic change in the series. The movie largely abandons its premise of fairy tale creatures and opts for the overdone high-school/college setting, and its requisite sophomore humour. This is most evident in how Artie is treated by his schoolmates—even though the film appears to place Worcestershire Academy in Britain, it is decidedly American in all but the sport of jousting. The film is even further disengaging as it presents Shrek's impending fatherhood as one nightmare scenario after another. This is in stark contrast to the preceding films that not only dealt with like themes with non-sophomoric humour, but ultimately resolved them in mature ways, and depicted Shrek as a person who was always striving to better himself.

In addition to abandoning its origins and largely keeping its fairly tale supporting cast off screen for most of the run time, the film also sidelines Fiona for most of the film. It's a real shame, as the feisty and strong-willed Fiona was a breath of fresh air as a compelling counterpoint to the usual "princess movie" princesses, and arguably one of the reasons why the Shrek film series has been so successful. Even the scenes with the princesses fall flat, and were better handled and more transformative in Ralph Breaks the Internet. While the filmmakers get credit for attempting something new with Artie's story, making Charming this film's main villain merely feels unimaginative. Charming was a one-joke secondary character in Shrek 2, and the character doesn't come across as having the charisma to motivate the other fairy tale villains, let alone the brains to lead them in battle (which was the joke in Shrek 2!) Ultimately, despite the wattage of its star power, Shrek the Third doesn't live up to its predecessors, and is a disappointing missed opportunity.

In a flashback, King Harold and Queen Lillian are about to sign their kingdom of Far Far Away over to Rumpelstiltskin ("Rumpel") in exchange for lifting the curse on their daughter Fiona that makes her turn into an ogre during the night. However, the deal is cancelled when Shrek saves Fiona. Harold rips up the contract, much to Rumpel's dismay. In the present, Shrek has grown tired of being both a family man and a celebrity, and longs for the days when he was feared and lived in privacy. While celebrating the first birthday of his triplets at a restaurant, an escalating series of events causes him to storm out and lash out at Fiona. Rumpel, who is now an outcast, witnesses the outburst, and follows Shrek as he wanders into the forest. Rumpel arranges a contrivance to get Shrek talking to him, and soon they are sharing drinks inside Rumpel's carriage. Hearing Shrek lament that he's no longer a "real ogre", Rumpel offers him a deal to receive a day as a "real ogre" in exchange for a day from Shrek's past. Shrek signs the contract, and is taken to an alternative reality where he is now feared by villagers. He causes some lighthearted mischief before discovering that Fiona is a fugitive and not only has his swamp been clearcut and drained, but his home never existed! Captured by witches, he is taken to Rumpel, who is now the king of Far Far Away. Rumpel reveals that he took the day that Shrek was born—meaning that Shrek never existed in this altered timeline, Harold signed his kingdom over to Rumpel, and Shrek will disappear when the day ends! Shrek escapes the castle with the enslaved Donkey, who is initially terrified of him. However, Donkey befriends him after seeing Shrek cry over his erased history. Capitalizing on Donkey's experiences with Rumpel's witches, they learn that Rumpel's contract can be nullified by "true love's kiss". However, not only do they have to find Fiona, Shrek has to convince her that he is her true love!

Shrek Forever After is a wonderful conclusion to the series that goes back to its roots: fairy tales. This film also thematically resonates with them as it has a whopper of a parable. It also proves the rule that what makes or breaks these types of films is the villain, and in Rumpel we have one that is as nutty as Lord Farquaad (Shrek) and as devious as the Fairy Godmother (Shrek 2)! Rumpel is rounded out by witches—social outcasts in the Shrek universe—and hires the Pied Piper; a mercenary who is as much fun as he is ingenious. The strength of this film, however, is its creativity: specifically how all of the characters have been reimagined and renewed in the alternate reality that Shrek finds himself in.

The films strongest point is how the relationship between the main characters transcends the alternate reality Shrek finds himself in, and how they still find friendship and comradery with each other, and ally themselves together to overcome a common challenge. The highlight is Fiona, who not only has her full feistiness restored back to the way she was in the first two films, but in many ways her alternative version eclipses it! This film is engaging throughout as it challenges the viewer with its alternate reality. However, it is also emotionally satisfying as it not only reminds us of what the core Shrek-Fiona relationship is all about, but also shows genuine growth in Shrek's ever-continuing quest for betterment.

Puss in Boots is a fugitive on the run from the law, who is also seeking to restore his lost honour. Puss learns that the murderous outlaw couple Jack and Jill have the magic beans that he has long been searching for—beans that lead to a legendary giant's castle that contains goose eggs made of gold. When Puss is breaking into Jack and Jill's safe house to steal the beans, a female cat named Kitty Softpaws interrupts. Puss gives chase when she flees, and eventually catches up with her in a cat-only bar. He learns that she was hired to steal the beans by Humpty Alexander Dumpty, a long-estranged childhood friend of Puss from the orphanage where they were both raised. Puss feels betrayed by Humpty, because he was tricked into committing a bank robbery in their hometown San Ricardo, and has been on the run ever since. After Humpty reveals himself, he eventually convinces Puss to join them in finding the magic beans and retrieving the golden eggs. Puss, however, only accepts so that he can repay the debt he owes to San Ricardo. As they move to set up the heist, Puss's relationship with Kitty starts to turn romantic, and despite his grudge, he slowly warms up to Humpty. The team successfully steals the magic beans, heads out deep into the desert, and plants them. When the beans grow, the trio rides the vines up into the clouds, where they learn that the giant died a long time ago. However, they must still avoid the Great Terror that guards the golden eggs. Realizing that the golden eggs are too heavy, they decide to steal the goose instead. They barely manage to avoid the Great Terror as they escape from the castle, and then cut down the beanstalk. After celebrating, the group is ambushed by Jack and Jill, and Puss is knocked unconscious. When he awakens, Puss is alone in the desert, and presumes that Kitty and Humpty were kidnapped. He then sets out to not only rescue his friends, but recover the golden egg laying goose!

Puss in Boots is a fun adventure, but it lacks the emotional punch of the Shrek films. While Kitty and Humpty make for intriguing companions for Puss, there aren't any fireworks between them because none of them have an odd couple-like relationship, like the one between Mike Meyer's Shrek and Eddie Murphy's Donkey. The film also hurts because Puss was, in a handful of ways, both a one-joke character and a foil for both Shrek and Donkey.

Nevertheless, the fun parts of the film are in its continual creativity in not only how it incorporates characters and elements from various fairy tails, but also how it skewers our expectations by altering them in unexpected ways. The highlight is what the Great Terror eventually turns out to be, and the ensuing chaos is arguably when the film fully recaptures the magic of the Shrek films. The movie is also intriguing because it takes something so familiar (the Puss character) and places it in a completely unfamiliar setting, with unfamiliar characters. Hopefully the upcoming sequel (being released in about a month at the time of writing) will also depict how and why Puss left the arid landscapes of Puss in Boots and found himself in the verdant forests of the Shrek films.

While hosting a party in the town of Del Mar, legendary hero and outlaw Puss in Boots subdues a giant but is subsequently crushed by a church bell. After Puss recovers, the town doctor advises Puss to retire because he has already lost eight of his nine lives. Puss initially refuses, but relents when he is wounded and disarmed while duelling a wolf, whom he assumes is a bounty hunter. Traumatized by the event, Puss follows the doctor's directions to the house of Mama Luna, an elderly cat lady, and buries his clothes. Months later, Puss meets an optimistic Chihuahua disguised as a cat, whom he calls Perrito. Shortly afterwards, Goldilocks and the Three Bears Crime Family arrive at Luna's home, intending to hire Puss to help them steal a map displaying the location of the Wishing Star—a legendary star that fell to earth in the Dark Forest and will grant one wish to whomever finds it. Goldi and the Three Bears leave after finding Puss's apparent grave. Puss decides to find the Star and wish to have nine lives again. Puss and Perrito head to the factory lair of "Big" Jack Horner, a corrupt pastry salesman and magical artifact collector, who intends to use the Star to control all of the world's magic. While stealing the map from Horner, Puss encounters his resentful ex-fiancee Kitty Softpaws, who intends to take the map for herself. Goldi, the Bears, and Horner discover and chase the trio. During the chase, Puss sees the wolf watching him in the distance. Arriving at the Dark Forest first, Puss, Kitty, and Perrito are stunned to find that it is actually a pocket dimension that manifests illusions of the travellers' memories. In order to reach the star, they have to cross such things as the Valley of Incineration, Cave of Lost Souls, and the Swamp of Infinite Sorrows. However, when Perrito has the map, the challenges they must pass become the Pocket Full of Posies and Fields of Quick and Easy Solutions!

The Last Wish is a great movie that goes back to the roots of the Shrek series: the fun in exploring old fairy tales—and nursery rhymes!—while adding a mature twist to them and their characters. The film appeals to all ages, and has a great balance between comedy, romance, adventure, and most importantly, a creative storyline. Perhaps its greatest success is how it subverts expectations, and that in turns makes it highly unpredictable. The film also has a surprisingly poignant theme that echoes the very first Shrek film, while doing it in a thoroughly original way.

The only drawback is that, for better or for worse, the film ignores the the first Puss in Boots film. This works to create an original story while also subtly reinforcing the film's central theme. However, the lack of reoccurring characters—there was a pantheon of supporting characters by this point in the Shrek series—raises an eyebrow. It's not so much that the film needs them, but more a fleeting thought that we want to see more of those lovable supporting characters when Gingy and Pinocchio briefly appear in a flashback. Nevertheless, the film introduces a slew of new characters that are a lot more engaging and sympathetic than the ones introduced in the first Puss In Boots film. I'm referring to the ones other than Kitty Softpaws of course, who plays one of the most important roles in this film's story. The Last Wish is one of the rare films that is not only suitable for everyone, but also has something for each and every one of them. A must see!