List of Shrek (franchise) characters explained

This is a list of characters that appear in the Shrek franchise.

Main

• Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers and Michael Gough as his official voice in the video games) is a large, grumpy yet caring green ogre and the lead character in all of the Shrek films. Chris Farley was originally cast to be the voice of Shrek, but he died before he could complete his voice work. He had finished 85-95% of his lines.^{[1] [2]}
• Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy in the films, Mark Moseley in the video games, and Dean Edwards in Scared Shrekless) is a talking donkey, and Shrek's best friend.
• Princess Fiona (speaking voice by Cameron Diaz, singing voice provided by Sally Dworsky in the first film, Renee Sands on all other occasions, and Holly Fields in the video games) is the princess of the kingdom of Far Far Away and Shrek's wife from the end of the first film on.
• Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas in the English, Spanish, and Italian versions of the films, Eric Bauza in The Adventures of Puss in Boots and The Trident, vocal sounds and purrs provided by Frank Welker, and voiced by André Sogliuzzo in the video games and commercials) is Shrek's best friend along with Donkey. He is also the lead character of the Puss in Boots films and the TV series based on it.

Introduced in Shrek

See also: Shrek.

• Dragon is depicted as a ruby-colored dragon, initially known as the guard of the tower in which Princess Fiona awaits her rescuer in the first film, later becoming Donkey's mate.
• Some storybook characters who become Shrek's main group of friends include:
  • The Gingerbread Man, known as Gingy, is voiced by Conrad Vernon, and references the fairy tale of the runaway cookie. In the first film, Shrek, Lord Farquaad kidnaps him and tortures him for information, but Gingy refuses to reveal Shrek's location. There is an echo in Shrek 2, where a gigantic gingerbread man baked by The Muffin Man helps storm Prince Charming's castle.
  • Pinocchio is drawn ultimately from the Italian novel by Carlo Collodi, with animation reminiscent of the 1940 Disney version. Starting with Shrek 2, he becomes one of Shrek's best friends and he fulfils his dream of being turned into a real boy, but in a few moments he is made of wood again.
  • The Three Little Pigs are the same three little pigs from the classic story. They are distinguished by their hats and are some of Shrek's best friends. They speak with a German accent.
  • The Big Bad Wolf is the same wolf from the story of Little Red Riding Hood, dressed as a grandmother. Starting with Shrek 2, he becomes one of Shrek's best friends, helping him along with his other companions, and he sent the Fairy Godmother flying. He is usually quiet, dry and monotonous.
  • The Three Blind Mice are based on the English nursery rhyme of the same name.
• Lord Farquaad (voiced by John Lithgow in the films, Andre Sogliuzzo in Shrek Smash n' Crash Racing) is the narcissistic, ruthless and diminutive ruler of the huge castle of Duloc.
• Magic Mirror (voiced by Chris Miller) is Snow White's Magic Mirror, who is working under threats from Farquaad because otherwise he will break it.
• Geppetto (voiced by Chris Miller in Shrek 1 and 4, and by Sean Bishop in Scared Shrekless) is an Italian carpenter and Pinocchio's father and creator.
• Monsieur Robin Hood (voiced by Vincent Cassel) is a famous (sometimes) hero from the first film. He sings along with his band of Merry Men and tries to confront Shrek, thinking he was taking Fiona prisoner, but she took them down and defeated them all. He has a French accent.
• Thelonius (voiced by Christopher Knights) is Lord Farquaad's assistant executioner. He wears a hood and his face is never seen. He's not that intelligent, although he's good at heart, and ends up getting along well with Shrek and Fiona. Appears in Shrek and Shrek 4

Introduced in Shrek 2

See also: Shrek 2.

• (voiced by John Cleese) is Fiona's father. He made a pact with the Fairy Godmother involving blackmail against him to get Fiona to marry Charming and he is actually the Frog Prince.
• (voiced by Julie Andrews) is Fiona's mother. Also widowed by King Harold, whom she loved still turned into a frog, she was also surprised to see her daughter turned into an ogre and married to Shrek.
• Fairy Godmother (voiced by Jennifer Saunders in the films, Claudia Christian in the video games, and Pinky Turzo in Thriller Night) is a scheming, conniving opportunist, loosely based on the fairy-tale Cinderella's "Fairy Godmother".
• (voiced by Rupert Everett in the second and third film, Sean Bishop in Scared Shrekless, James Arnold Taylor in video games) is the son of the Fairy Godmother. A handsome prince who believes he is a gift from God to all women and claims to be the legitimate heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Far, Far Away, but in reality people see him as an outcast of destiny and a spoiled, resentful little boy, selfish, arrogant, cold and calculating
• Captain Hook (voiced by Ian McShane) is a villain in the story of Peter Pan. He plays the piano in the "Poisoned Apple" tavern. Although he has a brief appearance in the second film, in the third he acts as a secondary villain.
• The Headless Horseman is the villain of Sleepy Hollow who appears drinking alongside King Harold in "The Poisoned Apple", and also juggling outside the bar. He also appears in the third film as an ally of Prince Charming.
• The Enchanted Trees are talking trees who appear as the most loyal customers of "The Poisoned Apple". In the third film, they join Prince Charming's villainous side.
• Cyclops (voiced by Mark Valley) is a villain who acts as the doorman of "The Poisoned Apple". He is married and has a daughter who, like him, only has one large eye in the center of her forehead.
• Doris (voiced by Larry King) is based on the ugly sisters from Cinderella and is a great friend and confidant in Fiona's group of friends.
• Dronkeys are the creatures that arise from the love of Donkey and Dragon, little donkeys with tails and dragon wings. They can fly and breathe fire. Curiously, in Shrek 2 there are six, while in the rest of the films there are five.

Introduced in Shrek the Third

See also: Shrek the Third.

• Fergus, Farkle and Felicia are triplets of Shrek and Fiona, two boys and a girl. They appear in Shrek the Third, Shrek The Halls, Shrek Forever, and Scared Shrekless.
• Arthur Pendragon (voiced by Justin Timberlake) is a cousin of Fiona, based on the legendary figure King Arthur.
• Merlin (voiced by Eric Idle) is a powerful wizard who controls all kinds of magic and spells. Artie comes to him for his aid when he knows he is going to be king. He was a teacher in the magic class at Artie's school, although his spells don't always turn out as he expects, as he switched Puss and Donkey's bodies.
• Snow White (voiced by Amy Poehler) is one of Fiona and the others' princess friends.
• Cinderella (voiced by Amy Sedaris) is one of Fiona and the others' princess friends.
• Sleeping Beauty (voiced by Cheri Oteri) is one of Fiona and the others' princess friends.
• Rapunzel (voiced by Maya Rudolph) is one of Fiona and the others' princess friends and betrays Fiona to join Charming and his allies.
• Mabel (voiced by Regis Philbin) is Cinderella's other ugly stepsister.
• Evil Queen (voiced by Susanne Blakeslee) is Snow White's stepmother and a poisoned apple villain who joins forces with Charming.
• Stromboli (voiced by Chris Miller) is the puppeteer of the story of Pinocchio, based on the Disney version.

Introduced in Shrek Forever After

See also: Shrek Forever After.

• Rumpelstiltskin (voiced by Walt Dohrn) is an evil short conman who makes magical deals solidified with contracts, based on the fairy tale character of the same name.
• Pied Piper is a mute boy from the original story. He briefly appears in Shrek's swamp, along with the rest of the banished story characters, as a young boy who attracts a group of mice while playing his flute. In Shrek Forever After, he is represented as a mute and intelligent type of antihero, as he is presented as a kind of mercenary for hire. Depending on the way he activates his flute, some creatures or others will dance to the sound of the music, unable to control their movements. At the end of the film he is seen forcing Rumpelstiltskin to dance to his music.
• Fifi is a huge white goose, Rumpelstiltskin's faithful pet, who is never separated from his owner. In the alternate reality, he is seen as King Goose's Royal Advisor and his noble companion on the throne. When everything returns to normal, when the contract that Shrek had previously made is voided, Fifi is instantly killed by Fiona when she makes him explode with her singing.
• Witches who are Rumpel's minions. Most of them have green skin, use brooms to fly, wear pointy hats and are recognized for their malicious laughter. They may be partly inspired by Wizard of Oz because of the weakness to water.
• Some ogre characters include:
  • Brogan (voiced by Jon Hamm) is a character from the fourth film. He is an ogre, leader of the army against Rumpelstiltskin.
  • Cookie (voiced by Craig Robinson) is a character from the fourth film. He is an ogre who is in charge of cooking in the army against Rumpelstiltskin.
  • Gretchen (voiced by Jane Lynch) he is a character from the fourth film. She is an ogress in the army against Rumpelstiltskin.

Introduced in Puss in Boots

See also: Puss in Boots (2011 film).

• (voiced by Salma Hayek Pinault in the films and Margo Rey in The Trident) is a de-clawed, thieving bicolor cat introduced as Puss' love interest in the prequel spin-off Puss in Boots and later reunited with him and rekindling said relationship after Santa Coloma in .
• Humpty Dumpty (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) is the mastermind who intends to retrieve the Golden Eggs from the one-of-a-kind Goose. He is based on the character of the same name.
• (voiced by Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris) are married outlaws, based on the nursery rhyme with same name.
• The Golden Goose is a huge goose that lives in the castle at the top of the bean plant, has a baby that provides golden eggs and it is known as the great terror.

Introduced in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

See also: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

• Perrito (voiced by Harvey Guillen) is a friendly and naïve dog who is initially disguised as one of Mama Luna's pet cats and wants to become a therapy dog. Since the end of the film, he officially names the trio "Team Friendship".
• Death (voiced by Wagner Moura) is the personification of Death who takes on the form of a wolf. He is initially presumed to be a bounty hunter before revealing his true identity to Puss, who he wants to personally kill as punishment for carelessly wasting eight of his nine lives. He wields twin sickles that combine into a double-bladed glaive.
• Big Jack Horner (voiced by John Mulaney in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) is an adult version of the character from the nursery rhyme Little Jack Horner. In addition to owning a pastry business, he's also a crime lord who plans to obtain the wishing star to obtain control of all Magic.
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears (voiced by Florence Pugh with Ray Winstone, Olivia Colman and Samson Kayo) are based on the book. Golilocks is a criminal who, as a child, was adopted, by the Three Bears, who acted as her cronies as she grew older. She looks for the wishing star to have a real family, but does not accept and becomes part of the bear family. The characters have no relation to those who appear in the Shrek films
• Ethical Bug (voiced by Kevin McCann) is the Talking Cricket from the story of Pinocchio. He appears in the possession of Jack Horner as his advisor, or rather a witness to his atrocities. He tries to get Jack to make good decisions, although without any success.
• The Phoenix is one of the creatures ransacked by Big Jack Horner and is able to breathe fire.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Berkowitz . Joe . August 6, 2015 . Chris Farley Was Originally The Voice of Shrek–And Footage Has Finally Surfaced . January 25, 2023 . Fast Company.
2. Web site: Anderton . Ethan . August 6, 2015 . Hear Chris Farley As 'Shrek' In A Story Reel From 1997 . January 25, 2023 . slashfilm.