Introduction
Height can be a really important thing when it comes to fictional characters, and if you’ve recently watched the beloved classic Shrek, you may be wondering how tall this “terrifying” green ogre is. He towers above Donkey and many of the other characters, but how tall is he supposed to be?
Shrek is somewhere between 7 and 8 feet (2.13 meters to 2.44 meters) tall, according to Adam Adamson (the director of the first two movies). Some fans think that he must be taller than this because Donkey seems so much smaller than him, while others think that 7 feet is about right in relation to the other characters. It is hard to say more precisely than this.
We’re going to assess Shrek’s size compared with the other characters to get a good idea of his likely height, and look at a few other interesting facts about him, like his age and his estimated weight. This should give you a good understanding of this character!
How Tall Is Shrek?
First, it’s important to note that because Shrek is an animated character, there are likely some fluctuations in his height, and he’s probably drawn to appear bigger in scenes where he is meant to be intimidating.
There’s no exact height given for him by the owners of the franchise, just a fairly vague range, which means many fans have taken it upon themselves to figure out how tall the ogre is.
Shrek may be around 7 or 8 feet tall.
Some fans have pointed out that he stands at about 2 or 3 times the height of Donkey, and as donkeys are generally only about 5 feet (1.52 meters) tall, this would make Shrek well over 10 feet (3.04 meters). Some fans argue he’s as tall as 11 or 12 feet (3.35 meters or 3.65 meters) as a result.
However, it’s quite likely that this is just artistic license, as Shrek does not appear as tall as this relative to other things in the movie. Although he does sometimes run into problems with things like doorways and he is oversized compared with everyday objects, he is also able to function more normally than he would be able to if he was up to 12 feet tall.
We also see Shrek and Donkey walking through a field of sunflowers in the first movie, and the sunflowers are over Shrek’s head.
Some sunflowers can grow as tall as 15 feet (4.6 meters), but most only grow to around 10 feet tall. The flowers are at least two feet over Shrek’s head in this scene, suggesting that he is about 7 or 8 feet at the most.
You might be wondering how Shrek compares to other characters, and it’s worth noting that although there are no official sources for this, Lord Farquaad is often said to be around 4 foot 6 inches (1.37 meters) tall. That means Shrek is probably close to double his height. The two never really stand side-by-side, so it’s hard to confirm this, but it seems likely.
It’s also worth noting that Princess Fiona (in human form) is thought to be around 5 foot 10 inches (1.78 meters), although estimates do vary. She looks about 1 to 2 feet shorter than Shrek in many scenes, which makes sense if he is about 7 feet tall.
Her ogre form is said to be around 6 foot 4 inches (1.93 meters), and is still somewhat shorter than Shrek, although not by very much. This suggests 7 feet is around the accurate measurement for Shrek, and disproves any idea that he could be over 10 feet tall.
Obviously, the heights of the characters relative to each other are likely to vary from scene to scene, but it makes sense that Shrek would be significantly taller than the average human, and 7 feet tall seems to be a good estimate for him based on how he fits into the world that Dreamworks has created for him to inhabit.
How Old Is Shrek?
Unfortunately, Dreamworks has never given any information about how old Shrek is, and this remains the case throughout the movies. We therefore have no way of determining how old Shrek is, although it is very clear that he is an adult.
The only clue as to Shrek’s age could be Fiona. She is said to have been rescued from the tower at the age of 23 (in Shrek the Musical). She and Shrek were also shown to be the same age in the musical, suggesting that Shrek is also 23 in the first movie.
It seems likely that Shrek is in his 20s or 30s for various other reasons too, including being prepared and eager to start a family.
Of course, there’s nothing to say that ogres age at the same rate as humans do, but since Fiona switches to being an ogre and appears to age at a normal rate, it’s reasonable to assume that in this universe, ogres have a similar lifespan to people.
The best guess for Shrek’s age is therefore around 23 for the first movie.
How Much Does Shrek Weigh?
Again, it’s pretty challenging to get an accurate weight estimate for Shrek, because this is another thing that Dreamworks has not specified. However, if Shrek was a 7-foot-tall human, he would probably weigh around 250 lb (113 kg).
It’s reasonable to assume that Shrek weighs more than a human would, as his frame is much heavier, and he’s also somewhat overweight. Additionally, he may be more than 7 feet tall. He likely therefore weighs between 300 and 400 lb (136 to 181 kg).
Of course, this is an approximate estimate based on his height and build, rather than any official source.
Conclusion
As you can see, pinpointing Shrek’s height, age, and weight isn’t easy, as Dreamworks has provided minimal information about these facts for this character. However, by inspecting the world that Shrek inhabits and using some estimates, we can get an approximate idea of all of these things, and learn that he’s a 7-foot-something, 23-year-old, 300-400 lb ogre.
