The article discusses the best DreamWorks Animated movie endings, focusing on the elements that make a movie's conclusion satisfying and memorable.
Spoiler Alert: This list contains spoilers for the movies mentioned. What is the most important part of a movie? Is it the beginning, the middle, or the end?
Ideally, a good film would do all of these elements well, and in this list, we will be focusing on the best DreamWorks Animated movie endings. The ending of a movie is a very important element. If a movie does not have a satisfactory conclusion, it can leave audiences with a bad taste in their mouths. It can spark feelings of confusion, disappointment, or even anger and frustration that the two-hour-long emotional journey viewers invested in was for naught.
Luckily, these 10 examples finished strong and left fans happy, satisfied, and sometimes wanting more. 10 'Shrek the Third' Body swapping, shipwrecks, and more. The third installment in the highly successful Shrek franchise is a solid addition to the canon, but some would argue not one of the best. Despite its flaws, Shrek the Third throws the beloved characters into some fascinating circumstances, namely parenthood.
As Shrek finds out he’s about to be a dad, a swirl of emotions rages inside him. As the movie goes on, he works his way through apprehension and feelings of inadequacy. The end of the movie is highly rewarding as audiences get to see Shrek be the hero once again, diving into fatherhood with gusto.
The character design of Shrek’s triplets is absolutely adorable, and watching Shrek and Fiona add another chapter of life to their “happily ever after” is sublime. 9 'Madagascar' When four animals team up to leave the city zoo, they are in for a wild adventure in Madagascar. Featuring the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett Smith, Madagascar is a hilarious comedy that is full of talent and humor.
Watching the protagonists, who have spent most of their lives in the urban jungle, adapt to feral conditions and learn to hunt and fend for themselves is highly entertaining. At the end of the film, many plotlines are tied up, and Alex the lion and Marty the zebra are able to resolve their conflict with a creative solution.
Tensions between the two best friends were high after Alex bit Marty when his wild nature started to take over, but a beach full of fresh sushi provides a happy alternative to Marty’s hunger, and there can be harmony in the friend group again. One of the best moments in the finale comes from the penguins. The flippered foursome of Skipper , Kowalski , Rico , and Private stole every scene they were in.
The penguins were so popular that they got several spinoff movies and TV shorts. The ending to Madagascar finishes with their trademark humor. As the main characters wave goodbye from the bow of a large ship, the penguins lazily sunbathe on the beach nearby. When one of the penguins asks Skipper if they should tell the others that the boat is out of gas, he replies, “Nah, just smile and wave boys.
Smile and wave. ” 8 'The Bad Guys 2' Everybody dies. At least that’s what the end of The Bad Guys 2 wants viewers to believe. It is a punchy and hilarious edit when the action cuts mid-sentence from a shuttle crashing into the atmosphere with all of the heroes inside to a funeral with all of their photos next to a casket and public mourners.
The Bad Guys and The Bad Guys 2 use misdirection very well, and with their sleek animation and thrilling action, the movies feel more like James Bond or Bourne installments than anything else. The true motive behind the fake deaths is revealed as the main characters are recruited to be secret agents.
It is a more than fitting end for the unlikely heroes, and it is a sophisticated and smart conclusion that befits the Bad Guys franchise. 7 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' After racing against each other and fighting to have a solitary magical wish for their own, the characters in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish come together at the very end of the movie to defeat a common enemy. It is a rousing ending full of action and excitement, and the emotional sentiments that follow are heartfelt and touching.
Throughout the movie, Puss in Boots is grappling with his own mortality as he realizes he is down to his last life and Death is literally staring him in the face. After the wish that could have given him more lives is destroyed, Puss turns to his lost love, Kitty Softpaws , and says,"Kitty, one life spent with you is all that I could wish for.
" The emotional hits keep coming as Goldi realizes she has had the perfect family all along, and the little dog known as Perrito decides to keep his name, because that is what his friends call him, and he has finally found a place to belong. 6 'Kung Fu Panda 2' A sequel to the highly successful first film, Kung Fu Panda 2, saw many of the stars like Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Angelina Jolie, and Dustin Hoffman reprise their roles. The story of the second movie follows the main characters as they face a new enemy.
However, one of the most interesting elements of the sequel is the character journey Po embarks on as he discovers the truth about his past and his birth family. After learning about the circumstances that led to his adoption by Mr. Ping , Po returns at the end of the movie and talks to him.
As he explains that he has learned about where he came from and the tragic circumstances that led to their meeting, he says,"I know who I am,” and adds, “I'm your son.
" It is a stirring moment full of emotion, and it speaks volumes about found family, identity, and the love between parent and child. 5 'Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas' After an arduous journey with numerous perils and a life-or-death wager, the goddess Eris asks Sinbad a simple question. If he gets the Book of Peace, it would be a happy ending, but if he didn’t, would he go back and take the place of his friend Proteus , who had wagered his life on Sinbad’s success?
The stakes couldn’t have been higher, as not only were the lives of the two heroes at risk, but the well-being of everyone else that depended on them, Proteus’ subjects and Sinbad’s crew. At the very moment Sinbad has gone back and agreed to give his life instead of Proteus’, the blade of the executioner shatters into pieces, and Eris appears again.
It turns out it was all a test to see if Sinbad would keep his word and go back to die. It is a fascinating and dramatic ending full of tension. From the stained blood on the executioner’s block to the subtle gestures and vocal nuances given in the performances, it is exceptional.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is one of DreamWorks’ most underrated triumphs and definitely has one of its best endings. 4 'How to Train Your Dragon' Not only does How to Train Your Dragon have an awesome intro and starts strong, but it also has a surprising finale and ends with a flourish. After Toothless saves Hiccup’s life, Hiccup awakes in his house to find two shocking surprises.
The first is that Toothless, a dragon, is allowed to be inside his house, especially given his father, Stoick’s , predisposition towards dragons. And the second is that he has had the lower part of his left leg amputated. The fact that Hiccup lost his leg was quite a shock for audiences as well, especially in the genre of kids' movies which tend to play it safe.
Having a real consequence to battle, and the significance that Toothless was missing the left part of his tail, is not lost on viewers. As Hiccup takes the first few, unsteady steps on his new leg, he is met with another surprise when he opens the front door to the house and sees dragons and citizens of Berk living together in harmony.
The end monologue narrated by Hiccup ties back to the beginning of the story, and it is a fantastic finale. 3 'The Prince of Egypt' Based on the life of Moses, The Prince of Egypt was DreamWorks second animated film ever and one of its most accomplished. The predominantly hand-drawn animation is visually stunning, and the music and voice acting are superb. The cast is packed full of talent, including Val Kilmer, Sandra Bullock, Ralph Fiennes, and Michelle Pfeiffer.
The entire movie is a masterpiece, and the ending has three great takeaways. Subscribe for more deep dives into animated finales Join the newsletter to get curated breakdowns and fresh perspectives on DreamWorks endings and other animated finales—perfect for fans seeking richer context and memorable closing moments. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
At the end of the movie, after Rameses has reluctantly let the Hebrew people go after subjecting them to slavery, he has a change of heart and decides to pursue and overtake them in the desert. As Moses and the people are pinned with Rameses and his soldiers behind them and a vast sea in front of them, God intervenes, and a miracle takes place.
The parting of the Red Sea is a fantastic achievement in animation and reportedly took around two years to complete. After the people reach safety and the sea crashes down behind them, drowning their pursuers, Tzipporah turns to her husband and says, “Look. Look at your people, Moses. They are free.
” This moment signifies the full-circle story arch the movie has shown where Moses started out as the son of a slave, was adopted to be a prince of Egypt, and is now the leader of a nation. For the third and final bookmark at the end, as the very last few frames of the movie roll, Moses walks down the mountain holding two stone tablets with the 10 Commandments written on them.
The melody “Deliver Us” from the opening of the movie plays, and the voice of Moses’ mother is heard one last time. There is so much meaning in this conclusion that now the people have been physically delivered from bondage, there is a need for spiritual delivery from sin, and these new Commandments will begin a whole new era in Israel’s political and religious history.
It is a finale full of meaning and symbolism and a perfect 10/10. 2 'Shrek' A fairy tale like none other, Shrek blew the fantasy genre apart, and the ending was as outrageous and unexpected as the rest of the film. After the unlikely hero, an ogre named Shrek , had fallen in love with the princess he was sent to rescue, he crashed her wedding to Lord Farquaad .
After Shrek kisses Fiona , the shapeshifting spell she had been under her whole life is lifted, and she remains an ogre. The ending to Shrek is a fantastic, fractured fairy tale moment. Flipping so many tales like The Frog Prince and Beauty and the Beast on their head, where being anything but human is a form of curse or punishment, Fiona’s “love’s true form” is revealed as an ogre, not a human.
This surprising ending is all the sweeter because Shrek finds out that Fiona loves him, too, and he never thought romance would be a storyline he would be a part of. Shrek’s ending suited the rest of the film perfectly.
It was surprising, unique, and it told the story it wanted to tell without making any apologies. 1 'How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World' As the third feature-length movie in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, The Hidden World saw Hiccup and Toothless step into pivotal roles. As both Hiccup and Toothless become rulers of their respective communities, their character journeys are fulfilled as they grow into the leaders they were always meant to be.
At the end of the film, Hiccup realizes that he has been trying to build a world based on his wants, and it is time to think about Toothless and the other dragons’ needs. In a moving scene, the people of Berk take the saddles off their dragons and bid tearful farewells. If this scene wasn’t emotional enough, an even more poignant moment happens within a flash forward.
The final sequence shows Hiccup and Astrid with their two children, sailing to a location surrounded by mist. Through the fog, Toothless, his mate, and three little dragons become visible. After a moment of trepidation, wondering if Toothless would remember him or not, all fears are put to rest, and Toothless and Hiccup have a beautiful and joyous reunion. Hiccup also gets the opportunity to teach his children how to respect and interact with dragons.
It is a lovely conclusion full of heart and emotional payoff for fans of the films. Hiccup’s final words about dragons waiting until the world is worthy enough for them to return are the icing on the cake. COLLIDER. Collider · Quiz Collider Exclusive · Oscar Best Picture Quiz Which Oscar Best Picture Is Your Perfect Movie?
Parasite · Everything Everywhere · Oppenheimer · Birdman · No Country Five Oscar Best Picture winners. Five completely different visions of what cinema can be — and what it can do to you. One of them is the film that was made for the way your mind works. Ten questions will figure out which one.
🪜Parasite 🌀Everything Everywhere ☢️Oppenheimer 🐦Birdman 🪙No Country for Old Men FIND YOUR FILM → QUESTION 1 / 10TONE 01 What kind of film experience do you actually want? The best movies don't just entertain — they leave something behind. ASomething that pulls the rug out — that makes me think I'm watching one kind of film and then reveals I'm watching another entirely. BSomething overwhelming — funny, sad, absurd, and genuinely moving, all at once.
CSomething grand and weighty — a film that makes me feel the full scale of what I'm watching. DSomething formally daring — a film that pushes what cinema can even do. ESomething lean and relentless — pure tension with no wasted frame.
NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 2 / 10THEME 02 Which idea grabs you most in a film? Great films are driven by a central obsession. What's yours? AClass, inequality, and what people are willing to do when desperation meets opportunity.
BIdentity, family, and the chaos of trying to hold your life together when everything is falling apart. CGenius, moral responsibility, and the catastrophic weight of a decision you can never take back. DEgo, legacy, and the terror of becoming irrelevant while you're still alive to watch it happen. EEvil, chance, and whether moral order actually exists or if we just tell ourselves it does.
NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 3 / 10STRUCTURE 03 How do you like your story told? Form is content. The way a story is shaped changes what it means. AGenre-twisting — I want it to start in one lane and migrate into something completely different.
BMaximalist and genre-blending — comedy, action, drama, sci-fi, all in one ride. CEpic and non-linear — cutting between timelines, building a mosaic of cause and consequence. DA single unbroken flow — I want to feel like I'm living it in real time, no cuts to safety. ESpare and precise — every scene doing exactly what it needs to do and nothing more.
NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 4 / 10VILLAIN 04 What makes a truly great antagonist? The opposition defines the protagonist. What kind of opposition fascinates you? AA system — invisible, structural, and almost impossible to fight because it has no single face.
BThe self — the ways we sabotage, abandon, and fail the people we love most. CHistory — the unstoppable momentum of events that no single person can stop or redirect. DThe industry — the machinery of culture that chews up talent and spits out irrelevance. EPure, implacable evil — a force so certain of itself it becomes almost philosophical.
NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 5 / 10ENDING 05 What do you want from a film's ending? The final note is the one that lingers. What do you want it to sound like? AShock and inevitability — a conclusion that recontextualises everything that came before it.
BEarned emotion — I want to cry, laugh, and feel genuinely hopeful, even if the world is a mess. CDevastation and grandeur — an ending that makes me sit in silence for a few minutes after. DAmbiguity — something that leaves enough open that I'm still thinking about it days later. EBleakness — an honest refusal to pretend the world is tidier than it actually is.
NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 6 / 10WORLD 06 Which setting pulls you in most? Where a film takes place shapes everything — mood, stakes, what's even possible. AA gleaming modern city with a hidden underside — beauty masking rot, wealth masking desperation. BA collapsing suburban life that opens onto something infinite — the multiverse of a single ordinary person.
CThe corridors of power and science at a world-historical turning point — where decisions echo for decades. DThe grimy, alive chaos of New York and Hollywood — fame as both destination and trap. EVast, indifferent landscape — desert and highway where violence arrives without warning or reason.
NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 7 / 10CRAFT 07 What cinematic craft impresses you most? Every great film has a signature — a technical or artistic element that makes it unmistakable. AProduction design and mise-en-scène — every frame composed to carry meaning beneath the surface. BEditing and tonal control — the ability to move between registers without losing the audience.
CScore and sound design — music that becomes inseparable from the dread and awe of what you're watching. DCinematography as performance — the camera not recording events but participating in them. ESilence and restraint — what's left unsaid and unshown doing more work than any dialogue could.
NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 8 / 10PROTAGONIST 08 What kind of main character do you root for? The protagonist is the lens. Who you choose to follow says something about you. ASomeone smart and resourceful who makes increasingly dangerous decisions under pressure.
BSomeone overwhelmed and ordinary who turns out to be capable of something extraordinary. CA brilliant, tortured figure whose gifts and flaws are inseparable from each other. DA self-destructive artist whose ego is both their superpower and their undoing. EA quiet, principled person trying to make sense of a world that has stopped making sense.
NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 9 / 10PACE 09 How do you feel about a film that takes its time? Pace is a choice. Some films sprint; others let tension accumulate slowly, deliberately. AI love a slow build when I know the payoff is going to be seismic — patience for a devastating reveal.
BGive me relentless momentum — I want to feel breathless and emotionally spent by the end. CEpic runtime doesn't scare me — if the material demands three hours, give me three hours. DI want it to feel propulsive even when nothing is technically happening — restless energy throughout. EDeliberate and unhurried — I want dread to accumulate in the spaces between the action.
NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 10 / 10AFTERMATH 10 What do you want to feel walking out of the cinema? The best films leave a mark. What kind of mark do you want? AUnsettled — like I've just seen something I can't fully explain but can't stop thinking about.
BMoved and energised — like the film reminded me what actually matters and gave me something to hold onto. CHumbled — like I've been in the presence of something genuinely important and overwhelming. DExhilarated — like I've just seen cinema doing something it's never quite done before. EHaunted — like a cold, quiet dread that stays with me for days.
REVEAL MY FILM → The Academy Has Decided Your Perfect Film Is… Your answers have pointed to one Oscar Best Picture winner above all others. This is the film that was made for the way your mind works. BEST PICTURE 2020 Parasite You are drawn to films that operate on multiple levels simultaneously — that begin in one genre and quietly, brilliantly migrate into another.
Bong Joon-ho's Parasite is a film about class, desire, and the architecture of inequality that manages to be darkly funny, deeply suspenseful, and genuinely shocking across a single extraordinary running time. Your instinct is for cinema that hides its true intentions until the moment it's ready to reveal them. Parasite is exactly that — a film that rewards close attention and punishes assumptions, right up to its devastating final image.
BEST PICTURE 2023 Everything Everywhere All at Once You want it all — and this film gives you all of it. The Daniels' Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the most maximalist films ever made: action comedy, multiverse sci-fi, family drama, existential crisis, and a genuinely earned emotional core that sneaks up on you amid the chaos. You are someone who responds to ambition, who doesn't want cinema to choose between being entertaining and being meaningful.
This film refuses that choice entirely. It is overwhelming by design, and its overwhelming nature is precisely the point — because the feeling of being crushed by infinite possibility is exactly what it's about. BEST PICTURE 2024 Oppenheimer You are drawn to cinema on a grand scale — films that understand history not as a backdrop but as a force, and that place their characters inside that force and watch what happens.
Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is a film about the terrifying gap between what we can do and what we should do, told with the full weight of one of the most consequential moments in human history behind it. You want your films to feel important without feeling self-important — to earn their ambition through sheer craft and the gravity of their subject. Oppenheimer does exactly that. It is enormous, complicated, and refuses easy comfort.
BEST PICTURE 2015 Birdman You are drawn to films that foreground their own construction — that make the how of the filmmaking part of the what it's about. Alejandro González Iñárritu's Birdman, shot to appear as a single continuous take, is cinema examining itself through the cracked mirror of a fading actor's ego. You respond to formal daring, to the feeling that a film is doing something that probably shouldn't be possible.
Michael Keaton's performance and Emmanuel Lubezki's restless camera create something genuinely unlike anything else — a film that is simultaneously about creativity, relevance, self-destruction, and the impossibility of ever truly knowing if your work means anything at all. BEST PICTURE 2008 No Country for Old Men You are drawn to cinema that trusts silence, that refuses to explain itself, and that treats dread as a form of meaning.
The Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men is a film about the arrival of a new kind of evil — implacable, arbitrary, and utterly indifferent to the moral frameworks we use to make sense of the world. It is one of the most formally controlled films ever made, and its controlled restraint is what makes it so terrifying. You want your films to haunt you, not comfort you. You are not interested in resolution if resolution would be dishonest.
No Country for Old Men is honest in a way that most cinema never dares to be. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ Like Follow Followed How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World PG Animation Adventure Action Release Date February 22, 2019 Runtime 104 Minutes Director Dean DeBlois Writers Cressida Cowell, Dean DeBlois Cast See All Powered by Expand Collapse
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