Founded in 1994, DreamWorks Animation Studios has created blockbuster movies year after year. Pushing the limits of the imagination and bringing to life characters that will forever stick in our minds, the best DreamWorks movies continue to grace our television screens. Whether it’s the iconic green ogre Shrek, the Dragon Warrior Po, or the Viking Hiccup, we’ve enjoyed DreamWorks for over three decades. If you enjoy any of these memorable characters or the films they appear in, make sure to check out our full list of best DreamWorks movies below.
7. Megamind (2010)
Our first selection for best DreamWorks movies is Megamind, starring the voices of Will Ferrell and Brad Pitt as Megamind and Metro Man respectively. Coming from two planets on the edge of disaster, the two otherworldly beings fight against each other in Metro City. While Metro Man is the respected superhero, Megamind becomes the brilliant yet vastly misunderstood villain. When Megamind finally defeats his nemesis, he is left without a purpose and plans to create a new foe, but must become the hero to save the day for the first time in his life.
–IMDb score: 7.3
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6. Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
Punching and kicking into our sixth spot for best DreamWorks movies is Kung Fu Panda 2, which premiered three years after the original. After a year of being the Dragon Warrior, Po is a hero in China alongside his friends Crane, Mantis, Monkey, Viper, Tigress, and Master Shifu. Everything is great until Shen, a dangerous peacock, creates chaos across the lands. Everyone prepares to fight, but when Po learns Shen was his enemy from his infancy, he is sent into a whirlwind of self-discovery that allows him to finally reconnect with his fractured past.
–IMDb score: 7.3
5. Kung Fu Panda (2008)
Starting the legendary Po on his quest to greatness was Kung Fu Panda, sitting fifth for best DreamWorks movies. Po may be clumsy and lazy, but he dreams of becoming a kung fu legend like his idols the Furious Five. When he accidentally crashes the Dragon Warrior ceremony, he is astonished when Master Oogway chooses him as the prophetic savior. There is danger on the horizon in the form of villainous snow leopard Tai Lung, and it is up to Master Shifu to turn Po from a silly panda into a kung fu master.
–IMDb score: 7.6
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4. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
Soar into the world of dragons with How to Train Your Dragon 2, earning the fourth spot in our best DreamWorks movies list. It’s been five years after Hiccup and Toothless took down the Red Death and united dragons and Vikings on Berk. While Astrid and the rest of the gang challenge each other to dragon races, Hiccup and Toothless continue to explore new territories and worlds. When they find the home of hundreds of wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, while also drawing the attention of dragon hunter Drago, the pair must unite to protect the bond they share.
–IMDb score: 7.8
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3. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
One of the newest best DreamWorks movies on our list is Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, coming out in 2022. Set a decade after the original Puss in Boots, Puss has burnt through eight of his nine lives and must tread carefully. To make things worse, Puss is being pursued by a bounty hunter known as The Big Bad Wolf. When Puss hears about the legendary Wishing Star, he sets off into the Dark Forest to restore all of his past lives. As others join the quest for the star, it will take all of Puss’s skills to stay one step ahead and get his life back on track.
–IMDb score: 7.8
2. Shrek (2001)
“What are you doing in my swamp!” Of course, Shrek earns the second spot on our best DreamWorks movies list. When grumpy ogre Shrek learns that his swamp has been taken over by fairytale creatures, he sets out with his trusty “steed” Donkey to persuade Lord Farquaad to give his swamp back. Instead, the two make a deal. Shrek is sent to rescue Princess Fiona, who is locked in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon so she can marry Farquaad. When Shrek rescues her though, love blooms between the ogre and the princess, who is hiding a dangerous secret.
–IMDb score: 7.9
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1. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Taking its place as number one on our best DreamWorks movies list is How to Train Your Dragon. Hiccup is a young Viking living on the Island of Berk, led by his father Stoick the Vast. The whole tribe must continually fight against dragons, which take their livestock and set fire to several buildings. Though he is scrawny, Hiccup wants to join the fight, and one night manages to shoot down the legendary Night Fury.
After failing to kill the beast, Hiccup instead fosters a relationship between dragon and human that opens their eyes to a better future. As the two take flight, they must find a way to bridge the gap between their two worlds before it is too late.
–IMDb score: 8.1
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