The first official teaser trailer for Shrek 5 has dropped but fans seem to have been left extremely confused and disappointed after viewing the highly anticipated trailer. It’s been 15 years since the release of Shrek Forever After (2010) but the end of the wait is in sight for Shrek fans as the fifth instalment of the franchise is set to release on December 23, 2026.
The fifth movie will see Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy reprise their respective roles as Shrek, Princess Fiona and Donkey. Universal Pictures has posted the trailer on its social media channels.
Shrek and Donkey gather around the magic mirror in the clip to ask, “Who’s the fairest of them all?” The mirror gleefully responds: “Why Shrek, of course.”
The mirror then flashes clips of generated memes that went viral online. One image shows Shrek in a pair of glasses making a duck face; another shows the ogre dancing in a skintight body suit, and, lastly, a doctored image of him with abs, looking shredded.
A grown-up Felicia, Shrek’s daughter, who is now voiced by Euphoria and Spider-Man star Zendaya, appears on the screen to react in disgust: “Ew, Dad.” Cameron Diaz’s Fiona quickly joins, exclaiming: “Oooh, mama like!”
Shrek then asks: “Who’s making this stuff?” to which Pinocchio joins in to say, “Not me,” causing his nose to grow. Despite what should have been a happy reaction to the trailer, fans took to social media to complain about the new animation style.
On X, one person said: “what’s up with their faces?” another said: “What happened to the animation? The animation was fantastic with the previous versions. Hopefully they improve it before release.” A third chimed in and commented: “The art style looks horrible.”
Zooming in on Fiona, another quipped: “WHO TF PUT THAT SYNTHETIC WIG ON MY GOOD SIS ?????” Someone else simply put: “This is not Shrek.”
The new Shrek movie is directed by Walt Dohrn, who has a long history with the franchise. The film is expected to be screened in cinemas from December 23, 2026.