(Photo Credit: DreamWorks Animation)
A new Shrek spin-off is in the works starring Eddie Murphy’s Donkey. Thankfully, the movie has the blueprint for how to succeed already thanks to some other spin-offs.
The Donkey movie, which has been in the works for a bit, officially got a big update this week. The movie has set its release date for June 30, 2028. Eddie Murphy will once again reprise his role as Donkey, with the movie serving as an origin story of sorts on how the character came to be.
While the idea of a Donkey spin-off confused some, the Shrek series is no stranger to spin-offs. Should Donkey follow the blueprint some of these movies have left, it can also be a big success, and be the chance to showcase a side of the character we’ve never seen.
A potential Donkey movie need not look far for inspiration on how to be unique
A Donkey spin-off might sound a bit wild at face value, but it wasn’t too long ago that the character Puss in Boots was getting its own spin-offs as well. The first of those films, which released in 2011, was a bit more of a standard Shrek-style movie, albeit with Puss in Boots as the lead. However, a sequel to the movie was made, and that’s where Donkey should look to for inspiration. 2022 saw Puss in Boots: The Last Wish release.
The movie was a sequel to Puss in Boots, but featured a story that drew heavily from the Spaghetti Western films of old. It also employed an entirely new animation style, one that drew heavily from the Spider-Verse movies. The result was a total surprise of a hit. Instead of a generic spin-off featuring jokes and references to the original, The Last Wish felt like its own standalone movie, complete with a unique style, tone, and story, which just so happened to feature some clever references to Shrek.
When it comes to the Donkey movie, it would be wise to follow this blueprint. While it’s more likely that the movie leans more into the comedic, reference heavy side of things, DreamWorks could once again look to use the spin-off as a chance to show off a completely different side of the character, while also flexing its creative muscles in both style and story.
Originally written by Anthony Nash at Coming Soon
