DreamWorks Animation made its name as the irreverent alternative to Disney. Its first big hit, Shrek, was a fairy tale that openly mocked fairy tales: an ogre hero, a princess with a secret, and a villain who looked a lot like a theme-park mogul. Since then the studio has broadened out. Kung Fu Panda brought martial arts and real heart, How to Train Your Dragon became one of animation's great epics, and The Wild Robot showed it could do quiet and beautiful too.
This guide covers the main characters of DreamWorks' biggest franchises, then the best of its standalone films, with voice actors and a quick timeline. DreamWorks isn't part of Disney: the company is owned by NBCUniversal. For the Disney side, see our Disney and Pixar character guides.
- Founded
- 1994, as part of DreamWorks SKG
- Owner
- NBCUniversal (since 2016)
- First feature
- Antz (1998)
- Breakthrough
- Shrek (2001), first Best Animated Feature Oscar
- Sister studio
- Illumination (Minions)
Shrek
Four main films (2001–2010), two Puss in Boots spin-offs, and a fifth Shrek film in development. The franchise mixes fairy-tale parody, pop songs and a surprisingly tender story about an outsider learning to let people in.
Shrek
Ogre · Swamp owner
Shrek is a grumpy, Scottish-accented ogre who just wants his swamp back from the fairy-tale creatures dumped there by Lord Farquaad. To get it, he agrees to rescue a princess. Under the layers (he's like an onion, he insists) is someone who expects to be rejected and gets in first. Across the sequels he becomes a husband and father, and wrestles with what that means.
- Voice
- Mike Myers
Donkey
Shrek's best friend
Donkey is a talking donkey who never stops talking. He attaches himself to Shrek after being rescued and refuses to leave. His total inability to read a room makes him the comic engine of the series. He ends up married to Dragon, with flying "dronkey" children.
- Voice
- Eddie Murphy
Princess Fiona
Princess · Shrek's wife
Fiona is a princess under a curse: human by day, ogre by night. She has spent years waiting in a dragon-guarded tower for a fairy-tale rescue. She's tougher than any knight, and her choice of who she wants to be is the twist of the first film.
- Voice
- Cameron Diaz
Puss in Boots
Swashbuckling cat
Puss is a suave, Spanish-accented outlaw cat. He's hired to kill Shrek in Shrek 2 and becomes a friend instead. His enormous pleading eyes are a weapon. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) gave him real depth, as a hero on his last life who is learning to be afraid.
- Voice
- Antonio Banderas
Lord Farquaad
Ruler of Duloc · First film villain
Farquaad is a very short, very vain lord who wants to marry a princess so he can become king. He rules a theme-park-like kingdom and has fairy-tale creatures banished. He's a petty, insecure tyrant and the film's sharpest joke at its rivals' expense.
- Voice
- John Lithgow
Fairy Godmother and Prince Charming
Shrek 2 villains
The Fairy Godmother is a ruthless businesswoman of magic who wants her son, Prince Charming, married to Fiona. Charming, a preening mama's boy, carries the grudge into Shrek the Third.
- Voice
- Jennifer Saunders, Rupert Everett
Gingy, Pinocchio and Dragon
Fairy-tale friends
Gingy is a tough-talking gingerbread man, Pinocchio is a puppet whose nose gives away every lie, and Dragon is the fire-breathing tower guard who falls for Donkey. Together with the Three Blind Mice and the Big Bad Wolf, they form Shrek's chaotic extended family.
Kung Fu Panda
Four films (2008, 2011, 2016, 2024) set in a version of ancient China with animal martial artists. The joke at the start is that the chosen one is a noodle-loving fan; the series' point is that he really is the right choice.
Po
The Dragon Warrior
Po is a clumsy, kung-fu-obsessed panda who works in his adoptive father Mr. Ping's noodle shop. He's chosen as the Dragon Warrior by apparent accident. He wins over his sceptical teachers by fighting in his own way. Later films explore his origins and, in Kung Fu Panda 4, his need to pass the role on.
- Voice
- Jack Black
Master Shifu
Kung fu master · Red panda
Shifu is the strict, perfectionist teacher of the Jade Palace. He can't believe a panda is the Dragon Warrior. His failure with his former student Tai Lung haunts him, and learning to teach Po on Po's terms is his redemption.
- Voice
- Dustin Hoffman
Master Oogway
Grand master · Tortoise
Oogway is the ancient, serene tortoise who chooses Po and trusts that there are no accidents. His calm wisdom anchors the first film, and he returns in the spirit world in the third.
- Voice
- Randall Duk Kim
Tigress
Leader of the Furious Five
Tigress is the most disciplined of Shifu's students. She resents Po for taking the title she worked her whole life for, and her slow thaw into his closest friend runs through the series.
- Voice
- Angelina Jolie
Monkey, Mantis, Viper and Crane
The Furious Five
The rest of Shifu's elite students, each a master of an animal style: Monkey, a laid-back prankster; Mantis, tiny and hot-tempered; Viper, kind and graceful; and Crane, the dry, sensible one.
- Voice
- Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross
Mr. Ping
Po's adoptive father · Goose
Mr. Ping is a doting goose who raised Po and still hopes he'll take over the noodle shop. Somehow he never mentions that they are different species.
- Voice
- James Hong
Tai Lung, Lord Shen and Kai
Villains of the first three films
Tai Lung is a snow leopard and Shifu's spurned former student. Lord Shen is a peacock with a cannon, linked to Po's past. Kai is a spirit-world warrior who steals masters' chi. Each one tests a different side of Po.
- Voice
- Ian McShane, Gary Oldman, J.K. Simmons
Zhen and the Chameleon
Kung Fu Panda 4
Zhen is a quick-witted fox thief who becomes Po's reluctant partner. The Chameleon is a shape-shifting sorceress who wants every master's power.
- Voice
- Awkwafina, Viola Davis
How to Train Your Dragon
An animated trilogy (2010, 2014, 2019), several TV series and a live-action remake of the first film released in 2025. It's set on the Viking island of Berk, where dragons are the enemy, until a boy befriends one.
Hiccup
Viking inventor · Later chief of Berk
Hiccup is the scrawny, sarcastic son of the village chief. He's hopeless at dragon-killing, which is the only thing his people value. When he shoots down a dragon and can't bring himself to kill it, he changes Berk forever. Across the trilogy he grows into a leader and loses a lot along the way.
- Voice
- Jay Baruchel
Toothless
Night Fury dragon
Toothless is a sleek black dragon with retractable teeth, cat-like moods and plasma blasts. He can't fly alone after Hiccup's bola costs him half his tail. The prosthetic fin Hiccup builds makes them literally dependent on each other, and their wordless bond is the soul of the series.
Astrid
Viking warrior
Astrid is the fiercest of Hiccup's peers. She starts out suspicious of his sudden dragon skills and becomes his partner in everything, riding her dragon Stormfly.
- Voice
- America Ferrera
Stoick the Vast
Chief of Berk · Hiccup's father
Stoick is a huge, gruff chief who doesn't know how to talk to his son. His relationship with Hiccup is the emotional backbone of the first two films.
- Voice
- Gerard Butler
Gobber, Valka and the dragon riders
Berk
Gobber is the blacksmith and dragon-training teacher with interchangeable prosthetics. Valka is Hiccup's long-lost mother, who has lived among dragons for twenty years. Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut round out Hiccup's riders.
- Voice
- Craig Ferguson, Cate Blanchett
Drago Bludvist and Grimmel
Villains of the sequels
Drago is a warlord who controls dragons through fear and an alpha Bewilderbeast. Grimmel is a cold, methodical hunter who has wiped out every Night Fury but one.
- Voice
- Djimon Hounsou, F. Murray Abraham
Madagascar
Alex
Lion · Star of the Central Park Zoo
Alex is a showboating lion who loves his New York zoo life. Being stranded in the wild with his friends forces him to face his own instincts.
- Voice
- Ben Stiller
Marty, Melman and Gloria
Alex's zoo friends
Marty is a restless zebra whose birthday wish to see the wild starts the whole adventure. Melman is a hypochondriac giraffe, and Gloria is the level-headed hippo.
- Voice
- Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith
King Julien
Lemur king
King Julien is the self-declared, party-loving king of Madagascar's lemurs, and a scene-stealer who later got his own Netflix series.
- Voice
- Sacha Baron Cohen
The Penguins
Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private
The Penguins are a paramilitary squad of zoo penguins who treat every errand like a covert operation. They were so popular they got their own TV series and film.
More DreamWorks characters
Megamind
Megamind · 2010
Megamind is a big-headed blue alien supervillain who finally defeats his heroic rival, Metro Man, then has no idea what to do with himself. It's a smart superhero comedy about choosing who you are. His sidekick is a fish in a robot suit named Minion, no relation to the yellow ones.
- Voice
- Will Ferrell
Poppy and Branch
Trolls · 2016
Poppy is the relentlessly happy Troll princess. Branch is the grey, grumpy survivalist who thinks she's naive. Their musical trilogy is bright, loud and very popular with younger kids.
- Voice
- Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
The Boss Baby
The Boss Baby · 2017
The Boss Baby is a briefcase-carrying, suit-wearing infant executive sent undercover to a family, as seen through the eyes of his jealous older brother, Tim. Beneath the meme-friendly premise is a sibling story.
- Voice
- Alec Baldwin
Mr. Wolf and the Bad Guys
The Bad Guys · 2022
Mr. Wolf is a charming master thief who leads a crew of animal criminals: Mr. Snake, Ms. Tarantula, Mr. Shark and Mr. Piranha. When they're forced to fake going good, he finds he might actually like it. A sequel followed in 2025.
- Voice
- Sam Rockwell
Death
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish · 2022
Death is a whistling wolf bounty hunter who has come for Puss's final life. He's patient, terrifying and quietly fair, and he made The Last Wish a film about mortality. Perrito, an endlessly optimistic little dog, is his counterweight.
- Voice
- Wagner Moura
Roz
The Wild Robot · 2024
Roz is a service robot shipwrecked on an island of wild animals. She adopts an orphaned gosling, Brightbill, and with the help of a sly fox, Fink, she learns that kindness can be a survival skill.
- Voice
- Lupita Nyong'o
Moses and Rameses
The Prince of Egypt · 1998
Moses and Rameses are adoptive brothers raised as princes of Egypt, torn apart when Moses learns where he came from. The hand-drawn epic is still one of DreamWorks' most admired films.
- Voice
- Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes
DreamWorks voice cast at a glance
DreamWorks made celebrity voice casting its trademark from the start, so these films are full of famous names.
| Character | Franchise | Voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Shrek | Shrek | Mike Myers |
| Donkey | Shrek | Eddie Murphy |
| Fiona | Shrek | Cameron Diaz |
| Puss in Boots | Shrek / Puss in Boots | Antonio Banderas |
| Po | Kung Fu Panda | Jack Black |
| Master Shifu | Kung Fu Panda | Dustin Hoffman |
| Tigress | Kung Fu Panda | Angelina Jolie |
| Hiccup | How to Train Your Dragon | Jay Baruchel |
| Astrid | How to Train Your Dragon | America Ferrera |
| Alex | Madagascar | Ben Stiller |
| King Julien | Madagascar | Sacha Baron Cohen |
| Megamind | Megamind | Will Ferrell |
| Roz | The Wild Robot | Lupita Nyong'o |
Key DreamWorks films
- 1998 Antz and The Prince of Egypt, the studio's first two features.
- 2001 Shrek wins the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
- 2005 Madagascar launches another long-running franchise.
- 2008 Kung Fu Panda.
- 2010 How to Train Your Dragon and Megamind.
- 2016 Trolls; NBCUniversal buys DreamWorks Animation.
- 2022 Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Bad Guys mark a shift to a painterly, stylised look.
- 2024 The Wild Robot and Kung Fu Panda 4.
- 2025 The live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake and The Bad Guys 2.
DreamWorks vs Disney and Pixar
For years DreamWorks defined itself against Disney. Its films had pop-culture jokes, pop songs, famous voices and smirking characters on the poster, where Disney had sincere fairy tales. That's still a good rule of thumb for the early 2000s, but the line has blurred. Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon are as earnest as anything Pixar has made, and The Wild Robot is closer to a Studio Ghibli film than to Shrek.
If you're not sure which studio a character comes from, our Disney and Pixar A–Z has a section on common mix-ups. The yellow Minions are from a different studio again: see Minions characters. For animated TV characters, try Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, both of which have aired DreamWorks spin-off series.
Frequently asked questions
Is DreamWorks owned by Disney?
No. DreamWorks Animation is owned by NBCUniversal (part of Comcast), which bought it in 2016. NBCUniversal also owns Illumination, the studio behind the Minions. Shrek, Po and Toothless are not Disney characters, though they often get mixed up with them.
What was the first DreamWorks animated movie?
Antz (1998) was DreamWorks Animation's first feature, followed the same year by the hand-drawn The Prince of Egypt. Shrek (2001) was the breakthrough, and it won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Who voices Shrek and Donkey?
Mike Myers voices Shrek and Eddie Murphy voices Donkey. Cameron Diaz plays Fiona and Antonio Banderas plays Puss in Boots, a role he reprised in both Puss in Boots spin-offs.
What kind of dragon is Toothless?
Toothless is a Night Fury, the rarest and fastest dragon in the How to Train Your Dragon world, able to fire plasma blasts. He can't fly alone after losing half his tail fin, so Hiccup builds him a prosthetic that only works with a rider.
Who is the villain in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish?
There are several. Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and "Big" Jack Horner, all race Puss for the wishing star. The real threat is Death, a wolf bounty hunter who has come for Puss because he's careless with his last life. Death is widely considered one of DreamWorks' best villains.
Is there going to be a Shrek 5?
Yes, DreamWorks has announced a fifth Shrek film with Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz returning. Its release date has moved more than once, so check the latest official announcement for when it's due.