I Don't Think Donkey Can Carry His Own Shrek Movie, And I've Got A Few Specific Reasons Why

When it comes to animation studios that have produced some of the best films of the last couple of decades, DreamWorks Animation is a notable example. With releases on the 2025 movie schedule, they’ve been responsible for some huge franchises, from the How to Train Your Dragon movies to the world of Kung Fu Panda, among others.

All of those 3D films and CGI-animated features trickled down from Shrek. Now, decades later, the Shrek movies are iconic for many reasons, whether its their comedy or through the constant stream of memes that have amassed online. Of course, a studio can’t let a good franchise die, and the movies are being revived it with the upcoming Shrek 5.

However, it’s officially been confirmed that after Shrek 5, a spinoff Donkey film is in the works. After really thinking about it, I don’t believe Donkey can actually carry his own movie, for a couple of reasons.

I Love Donkey Just As Much As The Next Person

I’m not going to be cursing out Donkey this entire article because I do love him. I mean, it’s Donkey. When people think of Eddie Murphy’s best movies, it’s almost a guarantee that Shrek will come up because he voices Donkey so well.

The character is funny and has had some crazy, wild moments in the franchise that stand out, namely his relationship with that dragon, which still confuses me years later. I’m not entirely sure I want to know more, either. Even so, he’s a fun character…But as the lead of a whole movie?

The Main Crux Of Donkey Is His Interactions With Shrek And The Main Gang. Could That Hold For A Whole Movie?

Here’s my first reason — Donkey is fun, sure, but if we’re being truthful, the main reason we enjoy him is that he’s a part of the prominent gang. His interactions with Shrek, Fiona, Puss, and everyone else are what make him tick. If we don’t really have those characters for a spinoff film, then I don’t really see how he’s going to fit into his movie when most of his story tends to revolve around them.

A second reason is that I don’t think he really can carry his own story. I mean, I think a lot of people thought Puss couldn’t carry his own story, and then Puss In Boots: The Last Wish came out and critics loved the spinoff sequel – but I think there’s a lot more you can do with that character. He’s Puss. He’s suave, loves to fight, and had a whole past before he met Shrek and the gang. With Donkey, he’s, well…Donkey. He doesn’t really have a special past we can dive deep into unless they’re coming up with one for this movie.

At the end of the day, the biggest reason is, do we really want to know more about Donkey? About why he’s able to speak? About where he comes from? It’s not something he really talked about, just that he didn’t have friends when he was younger. Is that enough to carry a movie?

I don’t know. I really don’t. Donkey is a beloved character – he has his kiosk at Universal Studios and everything – but for his film, I’m not sure. I feel like it would work better as a TV special or maybe something special that could premiere on one of the best streaming platforms, but a big-screen outing might be too much. I suppose we’ll have to wait and see.