For the first time in 15 years, Shrek will be stepping out of his swamp and into “Shrek 5.” Theaters and fans alike are anticipating the release in Christmas 2026. However, after a wave of negative feedback regarding the modernized animation style and the clichéd tropes rumored to appear, Shrek might have been better off staying in his swamp.
This animation shift followed the success of “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” a major box office hit that grossed $481.76 million worldwide for Universal. Inspired by this success, “Shrek 5” has moved away from the original hand-drawn and early CGI aesthetic, adopting smoother frame rates instead.
Alongside the updated animation, the main characters underwent subtle and striking redesigns. The animators tweaked Shrek’s facial features: his eyes sit closer; his nose seems enlarged and his green complexion is darker. The new film also includes notable changes to Donkey’s design, featuring a shiny coat and more expressive eyes.
In “Shrek: Forever After,” Shrek and Fiona have three children, yet only one appears in the sneak peek. Many speculate that the child shown is Felicia, the only daughter of the triplets. However, her brown eyes, which contrast with the triplets’ blue eyes in the fourth movie, sparked questions.
The daughter sports a classic emo teenager look: a nose ring, dark lipstick and a wavy half-up, half-down hairdo. Viewers predict her personality will mirror Eep from “The Croods,” complete. We might see lines such as, “Mom, you have no idea what it’s like to spend your entire life locked up,” embodying the overused trope of the rebellious teen.
Frustrated fans urged studios to stop pandering to modern audiences. Instead, they suggested that studios focus on crafting multi-faceted characters. Yet some, such as freshman music major Thomasyn Kamm, expressed a different view.
“I actually love that trope so much, and it feels sort of queer-adjacent, which I think is a cool and an important thing to see,” Kamm said. “I will say it is probably getting repetitive, but in this case, I think it fits the story.”
While speculation about clichés and changes casts a shadow over “Shrek 5,” evidence exists that the film might defy early expectations. After all, the franchise built its legacy on flipping fairy tale tropes on their heads. The typical fairy tales see a handsome prince rescuing a delicate princess. In the original “Shrek” films, the franchise gave us Shrek, a gruff, unrefined ogre, and Fiona, a princess who was anything but a damsel in distress. Both characters combated stereotypes, proving that unconventional heroes could be deeply relatable.
The only way to know if “Shrek 5” will fall short or live up to the franchise’s legacy is to see it in theaters next year.
