It’s been almost 25 years since the first Shrek hit theaters, which is yet another thing that makes me feel old. I took my kids to see Inside Out 2 this past weekend and because I’m now officially just one year away from having a middle schooler, I’m suddenly feeling the feels with all of these animated movies in different ways. Anyway, two years ago, the most recent film in the Shrek franchise, Puss in Boots 2, came out. My kids loved that movie so much that after we saw it as a family of four, they asked my parents to take them to see it again. That is rare and high praise for them. Puss In Boots basically crushed it at the box office, making $485.2 million globally.

Naturally, this ignited interest in reviving more of the Shrek franchise. Even though it’s been 15 years since we last had Shrek, Princess Fiona, and Donkey on our screens in Shrek Forever After, Hollywood crunched the numbers and now thinks it’s the time to bring the franchise back. In an interview with Collider, Eddie Murphy, who plays Donkey, revealed that there are two new Shrek movies in the works. The first one is another Shrek film while the other one is a long-awaited movie centering around Donkey.

We are nearing the twenty-fifth anniversary of when Shrek first graced our screens, and it has been nearly 15 years since the last outing of Shrek, Donkey and Princess Fiona. The good news? It won’t be long until you see them again. In an interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub for his upcoming film Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Eddie Murphy revealed some exciting news for fans of the beloved Shrekfranchise. Not only is a new Shrek movie currently in production, but Murphy also confirmed that Donkey—one of the franchise’s most beloved characters—will be getting his own standalone film.

During the interview, Weintraub touched on the recent successes of animated films like Kung Fu Panda 4 and the latest Puss in Boots movie, both of which have reignited interest in the Shrek series. Kung Fun Panda 4 grossed $545.3 million worldwide following its release this year, taking the total global cume of the franchise to over $2.3 billion, while Puss in Boots: The Last Wish pulled in a barnstorming $485.2 million globally, which was over 5x its reported production budget. Both films, helpfully, were also critically praised.

In his response, Murphy revealed, “We started doing Shrek 4 or [Shrek] 5 months ago. I did this, I recorded the first act, and we’ll be doing it this year, we’ll finish it up. Shrek is coming out, and Donkey’s gonna have his own movie. We’re gonna do Donkey as well. So we’re gonna do a Shrek, and we’re doing a Donkey [movie].” Murphy, who has voiced the lovable and hilarious Donkey since the original Shrek film debuted in 2001, elaborated on the plans for his character’s solo film. When asked if he was recording for both projects simultaneously, he clarified:

“No, not at the same time. I started recording Shrek, I think it’s coming out in 2025, and we’re doing a Donkey one next.”

[From Collider]

As a parent and fan of the Shrek franchise, I say let’s f-cking go. At this point, they’re basically making these movies for Gen X and Millennial-aged fans to show to the kids in their lives, right? I really liked the most recent Puss in Boots movie and am totally willing to give the benefit of the doubt that a movie starring Donkey will be just as much fun. Or hell, to watch on our own! I think most of us have fond memories and know that these franchises are better than YouTube-as-entertainment, so we’re more inclined to take our kids to see these movies. While we’re waiting for Toy Story 5 to come out, let’s enjoy two more movies in this franchise. We did it, guys, we lived long enough to see Shrek become a full-on franchise. That’ll do, Donkey, that’ll do.

Photos credit: United Archives/Impress / Avalon, Dreamworks Pictures / Avalon, Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon, BroadImage/Look Press / Avalon