Tier List
DreamWorks Movies Tier List: The Best Films Ranked (2026)
The best DreamWorks Animation movies: Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, Puss in Boots, and more, ranked from S-tier to D-tier. Then build your own DreamWorks tier list with head-to-head comparisons.
The Complete DreamWorks Tier List
For 25 years, DreamWorks Animation has been Pixar's scrappier, snarkier rival, and at its best, every bit as good. From the genre-skewering Shrek to the soaring How to Train Your Dragon trilogy to the late-era masterpiece Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, the studio's catalog is deep and divisive. Here are the most notable DreamWorks Animation films ranked, split into classic S/A/B/C/D tiers. Disagree? You should, and you can settle it yourself in minutes with Shortlist.
Shrek
(2001)The film that put DreamWorks Animation on the map. Subversive, hilarious, and the first-ever Best Animated Feature Oscar winner.
How to Train Your Dragon
(2010)A soaring, emotional adventure with the studio’s best score and animation. Toothless is an all-timer.
Kung Fu Panda
(2008)Gorgeous, funny, and surprisingly wise. The studio’s most complete blend of action and heart.
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Shrek 2
(2004)The rare sequel that tops the original. Puss in Boots steals every scene he’s in.
How to Train Your Dragon 2
(2014)A bold, darker sequel that expands the world and raises the emotional stakes.
Kung Fu Panda 2
(2011)A more ambitious, more beautiful follow-up with a genuinely affecting backstory.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
(2022)A stunning late-era triumph. Its painterly animation and meditation on mortality stunned audiences.
The Prince of Egypt
(1998)DreamWorks’ hand-drawn epic. Sweeping, mature, and home to the unforgettable “When You Believe.”
Madagascar
(2005)A zippy, joke-dense hit that launched a franchise, and the “I like to move it” penguins.
Megamind
(2010)A clever, underrated superhero comedy with a great Will Ferrell villain-turned-hero.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
(2019)A gorgeous, bittersweet conclusion to the trilogy that sticks the landing.
Kung Fu Panda 3
(2016)Visually spectacular and warm, even if it’s the lightest of the trilogy.
The Bad Guys
(2022)A stylish, Ocean’s Eleven-flavored heist comedy with a fresh visual look.
Antz
(1998)DreamWorks’ very first feature, a sharp, surprisingly adult CG comedy with Woody Allen.
Over the Hedge
(2006)A breezy, well-cast suburban satire that’s funnier than it’s remembered for.
Monsters vs. Aliens
(2009)A fun, B-movie homage that’s more spectacle than substance.
Trolls
(2016)A relentlessly bright jukebox musical. Catchy, candy-colored, and built for kids.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
(2008)A solid sequel that leans harder into the supporting cast.
Shrek the Third
(2007)The point where the franchise started running low on ideas, though still watchable.
Shark Tale
(2004)A celebrity-stuffed Finding Nemo cash-in that hasn’t aged well.
Bee Movie
(2007)A bizarre premise that became an internet meme. More fascinating than good.
Shrek Forever After
(2010)A tired fourth entry that sent the franchise into hibernation.
Turbo
(2013)A racing-snail concept that never quite justifies itself.
The Boss Baby
(2017)A loud, broad hit with kids that critics largely shrugged at.
How to Build Your Own DreamWorks Tier List
You just built one. The card above handles the easy part in a few taps. The top of a DreamWorks list is rarely in doubt, Shrek and How to Train Your Dragonsort themselves out, and so does the bottom.
The messy middle is the reason to go wider. Is Megamind better than Madagascar? Does The Bad Guys beat Trolls? Five films will not tell you. Shortlist ranks the whole studio the same way, keeps the list as you go, and hands you a share link at the end.
Read more about the comparison-based approach in our movie tier list guide.
Two different things get scored around this page. The S to D tiers above are editorial, and S means a film that held up rather than one that reviewed well on opening weekend. The score you see in the app is a different number: it is built from the head-to-head comparisons you make, scaled to 0 to 10, not from critic averages. How Shortlist scores work sets out the whole method.
DreamWorks vs. Pixar: What's the Difference?
Pixar built its reputation on emotional, tightly-crafted original stories. DreamWorks Animation carved out a niche with pop-culture humor, celebrity voice casts, and a willingness to be loud and irreverent, though films like How to Train Your Dragon and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish prove it can match Pixar for heart and artistry too. Many fans rank the two studios side by side. You can build both lists and compare them in Shortlist, see our Pixar tier list and Studio Ghibli tier list for the full animation showdown.
DreamWorks Tier List FAQ
What is the best DreamWorks movie?
It's a three-way race between Shrek (2001), How to Train Your Dragon (2010), and Kung Fu Panda (2008). Shrek has the cultural legacy and the first Best Animated Feature Oscar; How to Train Your Dragon has the most emotion and the best animation. All three are defensible #1 picks.
How many movies has DreamWorks Animation made?
DreamWorks Animation has released more than 45 feature films since Antz in 1998. This tier list covers the most notable and most-searched titles across its biggest franchises: Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, and more, rather than every single release.
Is Shrek the best DreamWorks franchise?
Shrek is the most iconic, but How to Train Your Dragon is the most consistently acclaimed trilogy, and the Kung Fu Panda films are a close third. It's exactly the kind of debate a head-to-head ranking is built to settle.
Did DreamWorks make Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda?
Yes. Both Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda are DreamWorks Animation franchises, along with Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Trolls, and The Bad Guys. (Note: Aardman films like Wallace & Gromit were distributed by DreamWorks but produced separately, so they're not included here.)
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