Shrek is back — and his new look has all of Duloc, and the internet, talking.
After a lengthy hiatus for the Shrek franchise, a new trailer for Shrek 5 dropped on Feb. 27, showing the return of Mike Meyer’s Shrek and Cameron Diaz’s Fiona as well as their pal Donkey (Eddie Murphy). Despite the reveal that Zendaya will voice Shrek and Fiona’s daughter Felicia, many fans on social media have been more focused on how the characters from the magical land of Far Far Away have aged.
In the trailer, Shrek and Fiona return as middle-aged parents, watching as the Magic Mirror plays a “Shrek” montage (even including a viral TikTok gif of Shrek dancing in black leather).
Since the trailer dropped, fans have taken to social media to make memes from the trailer or express surprise over the ogre and his family’s new looks.
On X, one user wrote “What did they do to him” along with crying face emojis.
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Another user shared an image from The Simpsons of Lisa and Bart Simpson’s doppelgangers Brandon and Eliza along with the caption “The Shrek 5 trailer.”
One fan defended the apparent changes, noting Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, a spin-off from the Shrek films, featured well-received animation.
Some others disagreed, though, referencing The Last Wish as a good change and Shrek 5‘s animation style as a not-so-welcomed shift.
There have even been suggestions to encourage Dreamworks and Universal, who produce and distribute the film respectively, to make changes to Shrek 5’s animation.
Anything is possible, as fan criticism over the first Sonic movie and its original design for the blue hedgehog actually got a response from director Jeff Fowler. That movie was delayed for three months while “design changes” were made, as Fowler shared.
The Sonic movies’ TikTok account has even reacted to Shrek 5’s backlash, posting a video saying “Any green ogres looking for advice, take notes” while showing a transition from the highly-criticized original design for Sonic to the revised design of the speedy blue hedgehog that made it to theaters.
While there are not many details about the plot of Shrek 5, given the franchise’s history, audiences can expect a continuation of Shrek’s adventures paired with humor and plenty of pop culture puns.
Shrek 5 hits theaters Dec. 23, 2026.
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