Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers and Michael Gough as his official voice in the video games) is a large, grumpy yet caring green ogre and the lead character in all of the Shrek films. Chris Farley was originally cast to be the voice of Shrek, but he died before he could complete his voice work. He had finished 85-95% of his lines.[1][2]
Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas in the English, Spanish, and Italian versions of the films, Eric Bauza in The Adventures of Puss in Boots and The Trident, vocal sounds and purrs provided by Frank Welker, and voiced by André Sogliuzzo in the video games and commercials) is Shrek's best friend along with Donkey. He is also the lead character of the Puss in Boots films and the TV series based on it.
Dragon is depicted as a ruby-colored dragon, initially known as the guard of the tower in which Princess Fiona awaits her rescuer in the first film, later becoming Donkey's mate.
Some storybook characters who become Shrek's main group of friends include:
The Gingerbread Man, known as Gingy, is voiced by Conrad Vernon, and references the fairy tale of the runaway cookie. In the first film, Shrek, Lord Farquaad kidnaps him and tortures him for information, but Gingy refuses to reveal Shrek's location. There is an echo in Shrek 2, where a gigantic gingerbread man baked by The Muffin Man helps storm Prince Charming's castle.
Pinocchio is drawn ultimately from the Italian novel by Carlo Collodi, with animation reminiscent of the 1940 Disney version. Starting with Shrek 2, he becomes one of Shrek's best friends and he fulfils his dream of being turned into a real boy, but in a few moments he is made of wood again.
The Three Little Pigs are the same three little pigs from the classic story. They are distinguished by their hats and are some of Shrek's best friends. They speak with a German accent.
The Big Bad Wolf is the same wolf from the story of Little Red Riding Hood, dressed as a grandmother. Starting with Shrek 2, he becomes one of Shrek's best friends, helping him along with his other companions, and he sent the Fairy Godmother flying. He is usually quiet, dry and monotonous.
Lord Farquaad (voiced by John Lithgow in the films, Andre Sogliuzzo in Shrek Smash n' Crash Racing) is the narcissistic, ruthless and diminutive ruler of the huge castle of Duloc.
King Harold (voiced by John Cleese) is Fiona's father. He made a pact with the Fairy Godmother involving blackmail against him to get Fiona to marry Charming and he is actually the Frog Prince.
Queen Lillian (voiced by Julie Andrews) is Fiona's mother. Also widowed by King Harold, whom she loved still turned into a frog, she was also surprised to see her daughter turned into an ogre and married to Shrek.
Prince Charming (voiced by Rupert Everett in the second and third film, Sean Bishop in Scared Shrekless, James Arnold Taylor in video games) is the son of the Fairy Godmother, who pretends to be Shrek in an effort to win Fiona's heart and marry her.
Fergus, Farkle and Felicia are triplets of Shrek and Fiona, two boys and a girl. They appear in Shrek the Third, Shrek The Halls, Shrek Forever, and Scared Shrekless.
Merlin (voiced by Eric Idle) is a powerful wizard who controls all kinds of magic and spells. Artie comes to him for his aid when he knows he is going to be king. He was a teacher in the magic class at Artie's school, although his spells don't always turn out as he expects, as he switched Puss and Donkey's bodies.
Rumpelstiltskin (voiced by Walt Dohrn) is an evil short conman who makes magical deals solidified with contracts, based on the fairy tale character of the same name.
Pied Piper is a mute boy from the original story. He briefly appears in Shrek's swamp, along with the rest of the banished story characters, as a young boy who attracts a group of mice while playing his flute. In Shrek Forever After, he is represented as a mute and intelligent type of antihero, as he is presented as a kind of mercenary for hire. Depending on the way he activates his flute, some creatures or others will dance to the sound of the music, unable to control their movements. At the end of the film he is seen forcing Rumpelstiltskin to dance to his music.
Humpty Dumpty (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) is the mastermind who intends to retrieve the Golden Eggs from the one-of-a-kind Goose. He is based on the character of the same name.
The Golden Goose is a huge goose that lives in the castle at the top of the bean plant, has a baby that provides golden eggs and it is known as the great terror.
Perrito (voiced by Harvey Guillen) is a friendly and naïve dog who is initially disguised as one of Mama Luna's pet cats and wants to become a therapy dog. Since the end of the film, he officially names the trio "Team Friendship".
Death (voiced by Wagner Moura) is the personification of Death who takes on the form of a wolf. He is initially presumed to be a bounty hunter before revealing his true identity to Puss, who he wants to personally kill as punishment for carelessly wasting eight of his nine lives. He wields twin sickles that combine into a double-bladed glaive.
Big Jack Horner (voiced by John Mulaney in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) is an adult version of the character from the nursery rhyme Little Jack Horner. In addition to owning a pastry business, he's also a crime lord who plans to obtain the wishing star to obtain control of all Magic.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears (voiced by Florence Pugh with Ray Winstone, Olivia Colman and Samson Kayo) are based on the book. Golilocks is a criminal who, as a child, was adopted, by the Three Bears, who acted as her cronies as she grew older. She looks for the wishing star to have a real family, but does not accept and becomes part of the bear family. The characters have no relation to those who appear in the Shrek films
Ethical Bug (voiced by Kevin McCann) is the Talking Cricket from the story of Pinocchio. He appears in the possession of Jack Horner as his advisor, or rather a witness to his atrocities. He tries to get Jack to make good decisions, although without any success.
