William Steig
Writer · Died October 3, 2003, aged 95
William Steig (/ˈstiːɡ/; November 14, 1907 – October 3, 2003) was an American cartoonist, illustrator and writer of children's books, best known for the picture book Shrek!, which inspired the film series of the same name, as well as others that included Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Abel's Island, and Doctor De Soto. He was the U.S. nominee for both of the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Awards, as a children's book illustrator in 1982 and a writer in 1988.
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Biography from TMDB.
- November 14, 1907
- October 3, 2003 (aged 95)
- Writer
- 13 on MovieCove · 23 credits in all
What are William Steig's films like?
Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 2 · Earnest 8
Light 12 · Serious 0 · Dark 0
Grounded 1 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 4
Gentle 8 · Charged 4 · Intense 0
Steady 9 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 11
Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 2
Casual 11 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 11 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 0
Resolved 11 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy11
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch William Steig's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Peacock (4).
Subscription and free streaming for William Steig's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
23 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page.
Donkey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2028)
Shrek 5 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)
Shrek the Musical(2013)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Shrek's Thrilling Tales(2012)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Thriller Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Scared Shrekless(2010)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Shrek Forever After(2010)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
DreamWorks Shrek's Swamp Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Shrek the Halls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Shrek the Third(2007)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Far Far Away Idol(2004)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Shrek 2(2004)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Shrek(2001)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Pete's a Pizza (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Brave Irene (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Abel's Island(1988)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
The Amazing Bone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Doctor De Soto (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Career shape
A full career of 22 titles, 20 of them dated from 1984 to 2013.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do William Steig's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
8 of their 13 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser8
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the dialogue 61/100 and the plot and story 47/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is William Steig's work okay for kids?
Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does William Steig work with?
People who share at least 2 of William Steig's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Cameron Diaz shares the most, 9.
Directors
- Andrew AdamsonShared titles: Shrek Forever After (2010), Shrek the Third (2007), Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek (2001), Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party (2001)See all 5 shared titles with Andrew Adamson
- Gary TrousdaleShared titles: Shrek's Thrilling Tales (2012), The Pig Who Cried Werewolf (2011), Scared Shrekless (2010)See all 3 shared titles with Gary Trousdale
- Raman HuiShared titles: Donkey's Caroling Christmas-tacular (2010), Scared Shrekless (2010), Shrek the Third (2007)See all 3 shared titles with Raman Hui
- Simon J. SmithShared titles: Shrek's Thrilling Tales (2012), Shrek: The Ghost of Lord Farquaad (2003), Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party (2001)See all 3 shared titles with Simon J. Smith
Writers
- Joe StillmanShared titles: Shrek the Musical (2013), Shrek's Thrilling Tales (2012), Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek (2001), Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party (2001)See all 5 shared titles with Joe Stillman
- Roger S.H. SchulmanShared titles: Shrek the Musical (2013), Shrek's Thrilling Tales (2012), Shrek (2001), Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party (2001)See all 4 shared titles with Roger S.H. Schulman
- Ted ElliottShared titles: Shrek the Musical (2013), Shrek's Thrilling Tales (2012), Shrek (2001), Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party (2001)See all 4 shared titles with Ted Elliott
- Terry RossioShared titles: Shrek the Musical (2013), Shrek's Thrilling Tales (2012), Shrek (2001), Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party (2001)See all 4 shared titles with Terry Rossio
Actors
- Cameron DiazShared titles: Shrek's Thrilling Tales (2012), Donkey's Caroling Christmas-tacular (2010), Scared Shrekless (2010), Shrek Forever After (2010), Shrek the Third (2007), Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek: The Ghost of Lord Farquaad (2003), Shrek (2001), Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party (2001)See all 9 shared titles with Cameron Diaz
- Mike MyersShared titles: Shrek's Thrilling Tales (2012), Donkey's Caroling Christmas-tacular (2010), Scared Shrekless (2010), Shrek Forever After (2010), Shrek the Third (2007), Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek: The Ghost of Lord Farquaad (2003), Shrek (2001), Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party (2001)See all 9 shared titles with Mike Myers
- Eddie MurphyShared titles: Shrek's Thrilling Tales (2012), Donkey's Caroling Christmas-tacular (2010), Shrek Forever After (2010), Shrek the Third (2007), Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek: The Ghost of Lord Farquaad (2003), Shrek (2001)See all 7 shared titles with Eddie Murphy
- Christopher KnightsShared titles: Shrek's Thrilling Tales (2012), Donkey's Caroling Christmas-tacular (2010), Scared Shrekless (2010), Shrek: The Ghost of Lord Farquaad (2003), Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party (2001)See all 5 shared titles with Christopher Knights
Composers and editors
- Harry Gregson-WilliamsShared titles: Shrek Forever After (2010), Shrek the Third (2007), Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek: The Ghost of Lord Farquaad (2003), Shrek (2001), Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party (2001)See all 6 shared titles with Harry Gregson-Williams
- Matt MahaffeyShared titles: The Pig Who Cried Werewolf (2011), Donkey's Caroling Christmas-tacular (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Matt Mahaffey
- Michael AndrewsShared titles: Shrek the Third (2007), Shrek 2 (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Andrews
- Sim Evan-JonesShared titles: Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Sim Evan-Jones
Producers
- John H. WilliamsShared titles: Shrek Forever After (2010), Shrek the Third (2007), Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek (2001)See all 4 shared titles with John H. Williams
- Chad HammesShared titles: The Pig Who Cried Werewolf (2011), Donkey's Caroling Christmas-tacular (2010), Scared Shrekless (2010)See all 3 shared titles with Chad Hammes
- David LipmanShared titles: Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek: The Ghost of Lord Farquaad (2003), Shrek (2001)See all 3 shared titles with David Lipman
- Jeffrey KatzenbergShared titles: Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek: The Ghost of Lord Farquaad (2003), Shrek (2001)See all 3 shared titles with Jeffrey Katzenberg
Mixed roles
- Robert PorterShared titles: Shrek's Thrilling Tales (2012), Scared Shrekless (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Porter