Who wrote the book Shrek!, which inspired the Shrek film franchise?

William Steig wrote the picture book Shrek!, which inspired the Shrek film franchise.

Steig’s Shrek! was published in 1990. The illustrated book follows an unusually ugly, green creature who leaves home, encounters a witch, and eventually marries a princess who is similarly unconventional in appearance.

DreamWorks Animation adapted the book into the feature film Shrek, released in 2001. The movie retained the central idea of an ogre finding love but greatly expanded the setting, supporting cast, humor, musical style, and fairy-tale satire.

The book and films are therefore related but not identical. The movie’s characters—including Donkey, Fiona, Lord Farquaad, and Puss in Boots—belong to the expanded screen universe rather than being direct equivalents of every figure in Steig’s short picture book.