Key Takeaways
- DreamWorks Animation rose to fame with hits like Shrek, Madagascar, and How to Train Your Dragon.
- The studio has produced a wide range of original films and sequels, including the Trolls and Kung Fu Panda franchises.
- DreamWorks classics are still celebrated, with new entries like Kung Fu Panda 4, and Shrek 5 on the horizon.
DreamWorks Animation has been a mainstay in the world of animation since the late-’90s. With the release of the acclaimed The Wild Robot, it’s a great time to take a look back at all the great offerings the studio has given kids and families over the decades, from the Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon movies, to the Trolls franchise, and more.
The studio, originally founded as a division of DreamWorks SKG by director Steven Spielberg and former Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg. Their first film was the CG-animated movie Antz in 1998, and they followed it up the same year with the beloved biblical epic The Prince of Egypt, which was made with a mix of traditional hand-drawn and computer animation. It was the release of Shrek in 2001, that served as the studio’s blockbuster breakthrough, earning nearly $500 million at the box office, and winning the first ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, along with a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
In the years that followed, DreamWorks produced many original movies, including Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, Megamind, How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods, The Boss Baby, Trolls, and The Bad Guys, along with a slew of sequels, and the Shrek spin-off franchise Puss in Boots.
Of course, the most important question is, where can you stream all these DreamWorks classics? Thankfully, we’ve got you covered.
This list is not exhaustive but includes the studios’ most iconic hits from the past 25 years
1 Shrek
The franchise that turned DreamWorks into an animation juggernaut
The movie had parents in the audience laughing as much as their kids.
DreamWorks got its start with films like Antz and The Prince of Egypt, but it took a grumpy green ogre to cement the company as one of the top animation studios in America. The original Shrek, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, and John Lithgow, was released in May 2001 and became an instant smash hit. A satirical take on classic Disney fairy tales, the movie had parents in the audience laughing as much as their kids.
In 2004, DreamWorks returned to happily ever after in Shrek 2, the highly acclaimed sequel. It opened to over $108 million in its first weekend at the box office, becoming at the time the second-biggest opening weekend ever, behind only 2002’s Spider-Man. The film eventually went on to earn nearly $1 billion worldwide. The sequel also introduced moviegoers to Puss in Boots, as voiced by Antonio Banderas, the film’s most beloved character, who would go on to lead his own spin-off films.
Three years later, Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey were back for Shrek the Third. The film also featured the voice of Justin Timberlake as Arthur Pendragon, with Monty Python legend Eric Idle as Merlin. Amid a plot by Prince Charming to take control of the kingdom, Shrek finds himself tired of ruling and tries to get Fiona’s teenage cousin Artie to take his place. The film was another big success, earning over $800 million at the box office.
In 2010, DreamWorks closed the book on the Shrek series (for now) with the fourth entry in the franchise, Shrek Forever After. A married ogre with kids, Shrek starts longing for his old life and goes out in search of adventure. Another big success, earning over $700 million at the box office, DreamWorks nonetheless kept the Shrek franchise on ice, until recently, when the studio announced Shrek 5 is on the way and expected to hit theaters in 2026.
Related
DreamWorks’ The Wild Robot is giving me major How to Train Your Dragon vibes
I’ll admit it — the HTTYD movies get an annual re-watch in my household. Sure, it’s one of the greatest animated trilogies of all time, but it’s more than that. They make you feel connected to both people and fantastical creatures, no matter what age you are. They’re the kind of movie that parents are just as excited to see on the silver screen as their toddler sprinting through the movie theater lobby is, especially with the ab-inducing adult jokes that fly right over their radar. However, it feels like it’s been years since we’ve been treated to a movie that accomplishes this — we reminisce about films like Shrek, The Emperor’s New Groove, and The Road to El Dorado, not only for the marks they left on us as kids but also for how we continue to appreciate them as adults. These days, few movies manage to resonate with both kids and adults like they used to. Inside Out 2 is a recent exception, though I’d argue it doesn’t carry the same whimsy as being thrust into a brand-new world wit
2 Puss in Boots
Everyone’s favorite sword-fighting feline gets the spotlight
With the Shrek franchise on pause, DreamWorks launched its first spin-off, 2011’s Puss in Boots. Once again featuring the voice of Antonio Banderas as Puss, the adventurous kitty cat goes out on the hunt for fortune in the form of three golden eggs. That is, if he can get there before the murderous outlaws Jack and Jill find the eggs first.
The surprisingly emotional film, with its unique, painterly art style, won over critics and audiences.
After 11 long years, Puss finally returned to the big screen in the sequel Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. After learning he’s gone through eight of his nine cat lives, Puss faces an existential crisis, venturing out in search of the fabled Last Wish, so that he can restore his nine lives. The surprisingly emotional film, with its unique, painterly art style, won over both critics and audiences.
3 How to Train Your Dragon
DreamWorks takes flight in the land of Vikings
Just a few months after Avatar wowed audiences, in spring 2010, DreamWorks took 3D dragon riding to the next level with How to Train Your Dragon. The film tells the story of Hiccup, a young Viking voiced by Jay Baruchel, who manages to injure a rare Night Fury dragon he calls Toothless, but then can’t go through with killing him. Instead, the two become friends and uncover the secret behind the age-old feud between dragons and Vikings.
DreamWorks took 3D dragon riding to the next level with How to Train Your Dragon.
Five years after the events of How to Train Your Dragon, the 2014 sequel sees Hiccup meeting his long-lost mother, Valka. At the same time, Hiccup and Toothless must help his community fend off a cruel dragon hunter who has set his sights on global domination.
The final installment of the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, was released in theaters in 2019. In the film, Hiccup must come to terms with Toothless losing interest in him after bonding with a female Night Fury dragon. Meanwhile, Hiccup goes out in search of the dragon utopia known as the Hidden World, and faces the threat of dragon hunter Grimmel the Grisly. Though no more sequels in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise are planned, the series is getting a live-action adaptation scheduled for release in 2025.
4 The Prince of Egypt
One of the greatest stories ever told comes to life like never before
The Prince of Egypt has become a widely beloved classic, with families putting it on every year around Passover and Easter.
Before DreamWorks went all-in on computer animation, the studio was still in the business of traditional, hand-drawn animation, and their first 2D release was the biblical epic The Prince of Egypt. The film featured the voices of Val Kilmer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ralph Fiennes, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum, and more. It also featured a great soundtrack, including the hit Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey duet “When You Believe,” which won Best Original Song at the Oscars. Over the years, The Prince of Egypt has become a widely beloved classic, with families putting it on every year around Passover and Easter.
5 The Road to El Dorado
A literal New World of adventure
In 2000, DreaamWorks released their hand-drawn follow-up to The Prince of Egypt, the comedy-adventure film The Road to El Dorado, starring Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh, and written by Aladdin scribes Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott, who would also go on to write Shrek and the Pirates of the Caribbean films. The Road to El Dorado is about a pair of con men who arrive in the New World after getting hold of a map claiming to show the location of the legendary city of gold. Once there, the inhabitants mistake the pair for gods, and hijinks ensue.
6 Madagascar
It’s a zoo out there
Hot off the success of Shrek 2, in 2005, DreamWorks released the first movie in their next big franchise: Madagascar. The film is about a group of zoo animals, very used to their pampered, domesticated lives, who find themselves stranded on the island of Madagascar and must finally come to terms with their inner nature. The film featured the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett Smith. It also introduced the world to the hilarious penguins, whose antics provided much of the film’s comic relief.
In 2008, the animals returned for Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, in which the crew all end up in the African savanna, and Alex the lion is reunited with his parents. The film also added a number of stars to its stacked voice cast, including Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Bernie Mac, and Sherri Shepherd.
Because adventuring through Africa wasn’t enough, in 2012, everyone’s favorite escaped animals from the Central Park Zoo made their way to Europe for Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. Traveling across the continent with a circus, the animals try to get back home to New York, all while being chased by a nasty French animal control officer.
In 2014, the beloved penguins of Madagascar finally got their own feature film: Penguins of Madagascar. The franchise’s most hilarious creatures find themselves in the middle of an action-spy comedy. They team up with the North Wind intelligence agency to stop a giant octopus named Dave from taking his revenge on the world’s penguins.
7 Kung Fu Panda
An ancient martial art gets animated with the help of Jack Black and Jackie Chan
In 2008’s Kung Fu Panda, an adorable, bumbling panda named Po, voiced by Jack Black, learns he is the prophesied kung fu hero called the Dragon Warrior. But before he can claim his mantle and defeat the evil snow leopard Tai Lung, Po must receive his training from Master Shifu, voiced by Dustin Hoffman. He’s also joined by a crew of kung fu-fighting animals voiced by Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, and the iconic Jackie Chan.
In 2011’s Kung Fu Panda 2, Po and the Furious Five work together to stop the evil peacock Lord Shen, voiced by Gary Oldman, from conquering China, all while uncovering the secrets of Po’s past. Michelle Yeoh also joined the cast as the wise goat Soothsayer.
Released in 2016, Kung Fu Panda 3 sees Po reunited with his birth father and discovering a secret panda village. Things get shaken up, though, by General Kai, a spirit warrior intent on destroying Master Oogway’s legacy. Po must master the art of chi, and lead the pandas in a fight against General Kai.
In 2024’s Kung Fu Panda 4, Po is tasked with finding and training his successor in the role of Dragon Warrior. He teams up with a fox bandit named Zhen, voiced by Awkwafina, in order to stop The Chameleon, an evil sorceress, from stealing all the powers from China’s kung fu masters.
8 Trolls
Spiky-haired dolls get new life in this series of musical adventures
Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake star as Poppy and Branch go out on an adventure to stop the giant troll-eating creatures, the Bergens, in this jukebox musical based on the classic children’s Good Luck Trolls dolls. Timberlake’s song Can’t Stop the Feeling! was nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars that year.
The Trolls returned in 2020’s Trolls World Tour, in which Poppy and Branch must join with other trolls to stop the Queen of the Rock tribe, Barb, who seeks to unite all trolls under the rock music genre.
Poppy and Branch returned once again in 2023’s Trolls Band Together. Together, they must rescue Floyd, and reunite with Branch’s brothers, years after their boy band BroZone disbanded. The movie also featured the voices of artists like Kid Cudi, Daveed Diggs, Camila Cabello, Troye Sivan, and a reunited NSYNC.
Trending Products
