Shrek Forever After (2010)

Shrek has grown steadily weary of being a family man and celebrity, leading him to long for the days when he was feared and had privacy. While celebrating his children’s first birthday at a restaurant in Far Far Away, an escalating series of mishaps further injure his ego, causing him to walk out in anger and lash out at his wife, Princess Fiona. Having observed the outburst, Rumpelstiltskin (“Rumpel”) follows Shrek and stages a scene of being in distress, prompting Shrek to help. Inside Rumpel’s carriage, Shrek laments that he is no longer a “real ogre”. Following through on his scheme, Rumpel pretends to thank Shrek for his good deed earlier and offers him a deal: receive a day as a “real ogre” in exchange for a day from his childhood. Shrek signs the contract and is whisked away into an alternate reality.

Now feared by the villagers, Shrek seizes the opportunity to cause some lighthearted mischief until he discovers that Fiona is a fugitive and his home is deserted and desolate. Captured by witches, Shrek is taken to Rumpel, now the king of the derelict Far Far Away. Rumpel reveals to Shrek that he took the day he was born, meaning Shrek never existed in this altered timeline. Consequently, Shrek was not there to save Fiona, and therefore, Fiona’s parents, King Harold and Queen Lillian, were forced to sign the kingdom over to Rumpel, causing them to disappear. When the day ends, Shrek will cease to exist. Shrek escapes Rumpel’s castle with Donkey, who is initially terrified of Shrek but befriends him after seeing him cry over his erased history. Donkey helps Shrek find a hidden exit clause; the contract can be nullified by “true love’s kiss”.