Before “Shrek 5,” It’s Time to Head Back to the Swamp for “Shrek’s” 25th Anniversary

Somebody once told us…

Okay, you probably know exactly where this is going.

It has somehow been 25 years since audiences first met a certain green ogre who simply wanted everyone out of his swamp. Yet what started as a rather unconventional fairy-tale adventure would quickly become something considerably larger, introducing Shrek, Fiona and Donkey to generations of families while helping establish DreamWorks Animation as a major force in animated storytelling.

Now, before we return to Far Far Away for another adventure, it is time to head all the way back to where everything began.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is celebrating 25 years of “Shrek” with a new “Shrek: 25th Anniversary Edition,” arriving November 3 on 4K Ultra HD, Digital and in a limited-edition Steelbook. The original 2001 film has been newly remastered with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, giving families another way to revisit Shrek’s swamp, Duloc and an adventure that helped turn the traditional fairy-tale formula upside down.

Of course, “Shrek” was never exactly interested in being a traditional fairy tale.

The movie introduced audiences to Shrek, a solitary ogre whose quiet existence is interrupted when Lord Farquaad sends a collection of displaced fairy-tale characters directly into his swamp. In order to reclaim his home, Shrek reluctantly agrees to rescue Princess Fiona for Farquaad, setting off alongside an endlessly talkative Donkey on what initially seems like a fairly straightforward quest.

Naturally, things don’t remain straightforward for very long.

Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow brought Shrek, Donkey, Fiona and Lord Farquaad to life, helping create characters that remain instantly recognizable a quarter century later. Yet the movie’s staying power went beyond its cast. “Shrek” took the stories kids already knew, happily poked fun at them and wrapped everything in a movie filled with pop-culture jokes, memorable music and enough heart underneath all that sarcasm to make its characters matter.

It also helped change animation history along the way. “Shrek” became the first movie to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature when the category debuted, beating fellow nominees “Monsters, Inc.” and “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.” Its success would eventually lead to three direct sequels, two theatrical “Puss in Boots” films, television projects, holiday specials, attractions and plenty more adventures across the larger “Shrek” world.

The anniversary edition is consequently bringing quite a bit of that history home with it.

A new 30-minute retrospective titled “Origin of an Ogre” reunites members of the original creative team to look back at how “Shrek” came together and share stories from the making of the movie. The release also includes deleted scenes, commentary from directors Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson alongside producer Aron Warner, a closer look at Donkey, “Secrets of Shrek” and several other behind-the-scenes features.

Families may want to set aside a little extra time for this trip to the swamp, though. Ten “Shrek” shorts and specials are included, ranging from “Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party” and “Far Far Away Idol” to “Scared Shrekless,” “Shrek the Halls” and “Donkey’s Caroling Christmas-tacular.” Five episodes of “The Adventures of Puss in Boots” are joining the collection as well, alongside music videos and a selection from “Shrek the Musical.”

All of this arrives at a particularly fitting moment for the franchise. After years away from the main story, Shrek, Fiona and Donkey are preparing to return to theaters in “Shrek 5.” Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy are returning to their familiar roles, with Zendaya joining the family as Shrek and Fiona’s daughter Felicia. Marcello Hernández and Skyler Gisondo will voice their sons, Fergus and Farkle.

Conrad Vernon and Walt Dohrn are directing the new movie, which is presently scheduled to arrive in theaters June 30, 2027.

Before we find out what happily ever after looks like 25 years later, however, there is something rather fitting about returning to the movie that reminded audiences fairy tales don’t always have to look—or sound—the way we expect.

Sometimes the princess has a secret. Sometimes the noble hero is an ogre. Sometimes your loyal companion is a donkey who simply will not stop talking.

And sometimes a song beginning with “somebody” is all it takes to transport an entire generation right back to 2001.

“Shrek: 25th Anniversary Edition” arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Digital and limited-edition Steelbook November 3.