Charlie Bean to Direct Donkey Movie

Universal Pictures has scheduled a spin-off movie centered on the character Donkey for release in June 2028, according to Animation Magazine. The film, produced by DreamWorks Animation, will be directed by Charlie Bean and co-directed by Matt Flynn.

The project expands the Shrek universe, moving the focus away from the titular ogre to explore a standalone narrative for the talking donkey. This development follows the studio’s ongoing efforts to broaden the franchise’s reach through character-driven side stories.

Who is directing the Donkey movie?

Charlie Bean takes the lead as director for the project. Bean’s previous credits include the 2019 version of Lady and the Tramp and The LEGO Ninjago Movie. His background combines experience in both high-energy stylized animation and the management of legacy intellectual properties.

Matt Flynn serves as co-director. Flynn’s professional background is as a story artist, a role that focuses on the visual pacing and narrative structure of animated sequences before they enter full production.

The pairing of a seasoned director like Bean with a story artist like Flynn suggests a focus on the film’s narrative architecture. Bean’s work on The LEGO Ninjago Movie specifically demonstrated an ability to balance comedic timing with fast-paced visual gags, a requirement for a character defined by constant dialogue and high energy.

How does this fit into the Shrek franchise?

The Donkey spin-off represents a strategic shift toward a cinematic universe model for DreamWorks Animation. This approach mirrors the success of other animation giants, such as Illumination’s decision to create standalone Minions films after the character’s popularity in Despicable Me.

The Shrek property has already successfully utilized this model with the Puss in Boots series. The most recent entry, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, released in December 2022, proved that spin-offs could achieve both critical acclaim and commercial viability independent of the main series. That film specifically pivoted toward a new, painterly art style, setting a precedent for future spin-offs to experiment with visual identities.

This new film arrives alongside the development of Shrek 5. By splitting the franchise into a main-line series and character-specific spin-offs, Universal can maintain the brand’s presence in theaters more frequently without exhausting the primary plot of the central characters.

What is the production timeline?

Universal Pictures has officially slotted the film for June 2028. This placement puts the movie in the heart of the summer blockbuster window, a period DreamWorks typically reserves for its highest-budget animated releases.

The three-year lead time from the June 26, 2026, announcement suggests a full production cycle. Animated features of this scale typically require several years for storyboarding, voice recording, and the intensive rendering process required for modern CG animation.

Industry observers note that this timeline allows the studio to coordinate the release with the broader Shrek ecosystem. The gap between the main series entries and these spin-offs helps prevent audience fatigue while keeping the intellectual property relevant across different generations of viewers.

The film will be distributed by Universal Pictures, which has managed the Shrek brand since the acquisition of DreamWorks Animation. The studio’s current strategy emphasizes maximizing existing IP through sequels and spin-offs rather than relying solely on original concepts.