Shrek, the story of the ogre who lived happily ever after, is already more than two decades old. After four movies and a couple of specials, the green creature has spawned a humble universe of places and characters with well-deserved popularity. One of the many sidekicks to the ogre is the Puss in Boots, the Spanish sword-cat voiced by Antonio Banderas, the first secondary character from the Shrek universe that has his own spinoff series. Its recent cinematic entry, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, confirms the kitten’s independence from the Shrek series, making him a protagonist in his own right.

Truth is, although the buzz around Shrek 5 is up, as of now, the only character receiving attention is Puss. The cat already has two films and a six-season Netflix series, whereas the last fully-fledged Shrek entry was in 2010. Surely, the ogre’s franchise needed a break, as the last two movies weren’t as popular as the first two, but Puss worked his way to fandom in the meantime. But, can Puss in Boots outgrow Shrek?

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To say that Shrek is just a movie character would be an understatement. Shrek changed pop culture as we know it. Ironically, younger generations might be more familiar with memes and YouTube spoofs about the ogre. Be that as it may, Shrek greeted audiences first in 2001 with its first cinematic incursion. The film was based on William Steig’s book, an interesting take on the whole fairytale concept.

The story inverted the age-old formula of the prince beating the ogre to win the princess’ love and live happily ever after. This inversion also gave a critical perspective on traditional stories but also reimagined the whole fairy tale universe long before the concept of a cinematic universe itself started trending. Classical characters like Pinocchio, the Three Little Pigs, and the Big Bad Wolf were revised satirically, showing their problematic sides as well as their funnier aspects.

Secondly, Shrek’s impact can also be traced in its wide appeal. To this day, many people still believe that animation is just for kids and not actual cinema. Back in the early 2000s, Shrek 1 (and especially the second installment) defied that idea with a comedy that children adored and parents could enjoy because of its innuendo style of humor that only adults could decipher. Plus, a cast involving Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and Antonio Banderas (and some other recurring stars) gave the characters instant lovability to kids and grownups alike.

Last but not least, Shrek’s visual design was revolutionary for the time. Back in the days when CGI movies were called “3D,” the film was a daunting example of how life-like animation can get.

Puss in Boots Reinvented the Franchise With its Own Style

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Nothing lasts forever, and Shrek’s third and fourth installments didn’t live up to their predecessors. Left in the freezer for a while, Antonio Banderas’ character received its first spin-off with Puss in Boots in 2011. It was already clear back in 2004 (with Shrek 2’s release) that the Spanish cat had the potential to go solo, and its first movie confirmed so. The film spawned a streaming series called The Adventures of Puss in Boots, another hit produced for Netflix that continued the cat’s story.

Despite the success, Puss in Boots took notes on Shrek’s path and doubled the bet with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. The sequel not only kept the humor to the finest but also had an original visual proposition. Apart from keeping realistic and comedic designs, The Last Wish added an anime-style animation for the action scenes. The film acknowledged its action-seeking crowd with dynamic imagery.

Following Shrek 2’s lessons, Puss in Boots 2 brought back the protagonist’s love interest (Kitty Softpaws, voiced by Salma Hayek), and also gave him one lovable sidekick. Perrito, the cute dog with the voice of Harvey Guillén, parodied Puss’ role in Shrek 2 and satirized it, gaining a spot in the franchise. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish confirmed that the character has autonomy in Shrek’s universe and currently leads most of the media related to the Far Far Away Land.

To this moment, the last statement partially answers the original question. Puss in Boots receives more attention than Shrek because of the latter’s prolonged absences from the screens. However, as mentioned, Shrek 5 has already been teased by Antonio Banderas and the Puss itself in the latest movie. It seems the ogre’s comeback will tie in both stories together (or could potentially do so). Shrek (and thus, Fiona and Donkey) will probably have the chance to shine once again, but Puss will be in the scene as well.

If the project eventually premieres, we will have our response in two ways. First, if the film is successful, Shrek may lead the franchise once again. Secondly, the screen time of the Puss in the said movie will also determine how much the ogre needs his sidekick to triumph. In short, yes, the Puss can outgrow Shrek, but the ogre still has a couple of tricks up his sleeve.