First ‘Shrek 5’ Trailer Horrifies Some Fans
Shrek
Dreamworks has now debuted the first trailer for Shrek 5, which has introduced Shrek and Fiona’s daughter voiced by who else, Zendaya.
That, and other aspects of the not-even 30 second trailer have fans up in arms about both the content and the animation. First off, the bulk of the trailer is Shrek and company scrolling through fantasy TikTok courtesy of the magic mirror, which shows dancing Shrek, shirtless Shrek and other nonsense, apparently posted by Pinocchio. It’s…not exactly funny, and if this is what the movie thinks is entertaining, that may not bode well for the final product.
But the most commentary I’m seeing is about how Shrek and Donkey specifically look different than their original animation. I’m less sure this is a valid complaint than the other stuff as:
1) Shrek 1 came out in 2001 and even Shrek 4 was in 2010. Obviously animation has changed just a bit in in the last 15-24 years.
2) The story is meant to be a time jump to follow an older Shrek, Fiona and Donkey. If Zendaya’s character is say, 15, that would mean they’ve aged a bit and may look different.
3) On the technical side, this is using a new animation engine called MoonRay that Dreamworks introduced with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, back in 2022, so that alone will bring some changes.
Regardless, it’s pretty easy to see why this trailer has not landed very well. As I write this, it currently has an underwater like/dislike ratio on YouTube on the official Universal Pictures channel (28K to 31K as I write this) which is not what a studio wants to see regarding their 15 years-in-the-making sequel. That said, I cannot imagine Shrek 5 not making a billion dollars no matter what at this point.
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Next installment in the popular DreamWorks Animation franchise will welcome Zendaya as Shrek’s daughter
Shrek 5 has officially announced a release date in a first-look teaser, but a strange new animation detail has left fans perturbed.
On Thursday, Universal Pictures released the first trailer for the next installment in its iconic Shrek franchise, which will see Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy reprise their respective roles as Shrek, Donkey and Princess Fiona.
It will also welcome Zendaya as Felicia, one of Shrek and Fiona’s triplets. The couple’s three ogre children were first introduced in the third movie, Shrek the Third (2007).
In the clip, Shrek, Donkey, Princess Fiona, and Felicia gather around a magic mirror to ask, “Who’s the fairest of them all?”
“Why Shrek, of course,” the mirror responds, going on to show a series of images of Shrek in a pair of glasses making a duck face, dancing in a skintight body suit, and a doctored image of him with abs.
The last picture causes Shrek and Donkey to shriek in fear while Felicia reacts in disgust, saying, “Ew, dad.”
“Oooh, mama like,” Fiona adds.
“Who’s making this stuff?” Shrek asks, to which Pinocchio pops in to say, “Not me,” causing his nose to grow.
It’s been 15 years since the last Shrek movie, Shrek Forever After, was released in 2010. And while the news of Shrek’s revival has left fans ecstatic, some viewers found the details to make the characters appear older, including Shrek’s forehead wrinkles and Donkey’s greying fur, disturbing.
“Eyo why does Shrek look so old,” one fan questioned on X. “What’s up with their faces?” a second noted.
“Bro has seen enough,” another quipped of Donkey’s tired look.
Others took issue with the new art style of the characters, which gave them a more rounded look than in previous iterations of Shrek.
“Did they get botox why are they like that?” one questioned. “Why did y’all change the animation? it looks cheap,” a second wrote.
“Please change the animation style,” a third begged. “Don’t make us sonic you,” they added, referring to Paramount and SEGA’s redesign of its Sonic character for its 2020 movie Sonic the Hedgehog following fan backlash.
“wtf is this art style,” another demanded, with someone arguing: “I can’t even tell if this is actually real this s*** looks strange as hell.”
News of the long-awaited sequel first broke last June when Murphy told Collider: “We started doing [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.”
Shrek 5 is expected to arrive in theaters on Christmas 2026. It will be directed by Walt Dohrn, who has a long history with the franchise. He was a writer and artist on Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third and served as head of story on Shrek Forever After. He also voiced Rumpelstiltskin in the latter film.
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Get a first look at Zendaya in Shrek 5 as the ogre’s daughter
Say hello to Felicia.
KRISTY SPAROW/GETTY; DREAMWORKS
Zendaya is heading to the swamp in a land far, far away.
The Emmy winner has joined the Shrek franchise as Felicia, the daughter of the titular ogre (voiced by Mike Myers) and his wife Fiona (Cameron Diaz), in the upcoming fifth movie, Universal Pictures announced Thursday. Eddie Murphy also returns as the voice of Donkey for Shrek 5, which arrives in theaters Dec. 23, 2026.
“Ew, dad!” quips the teenage ogre at the sight of a topless photo of Shrek in the teaser.
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Plot details remain hidden under Shrek’s moss-covered swamp, but the upcoming animated feature hails from directors Walt Dohrn and Conrad Vernon, both franchise veterans. Dohrn worked on the second and third Shrek films as a writer and artist, and also voiced Rumpelstiltskin in the fourth film. Vernon directed Shrek 2 and also voiced various characters in the franchise, including the Gingerbread Man.
The first film from directors Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson released in 2001 and followed the titular ogre whose life of blissful solitude is interrupted by an invasion of fairy tale creatures, who were recently banished from the kingdom by the evil Lord Farquaad (voiced by John Lithgow). Shrek cuts a deal with Farquaad, agreeing to set out to rescue Princess Fiona to be Farquaad’s bride in exchange for a creature-free swamp.
UNIVERSAL PICTURES
The Christmas-time release of the upcoming Shrek 5 coincides with the 25th anniversary of the hit DreamWorks franchise, which has collectively grossed $2.9 billion worldwide and spawned several attractions — as well as an award-winning Broadway musical that earned eight Tony Award nominations and one win, for best costume design.
Zendaya is known for her work in Jon Watts’ Spider-Man franchise and Euphoria, the hit HBO drama that earned her two Emmys. Recent projects include Denis Villeneuve’s blockbuster Dune franchise and Luca Guadagnino’s celebrated sports romance Challengers. Next up, the in-demand star will appear in Christopher Nolan’s star-studded The Odyssey and A24’s The Drama, a romance dramedy also set to star Robert Pattinson,
