The first look is dividing fans.
The Shrek 5 teaser trailer dropped today, with the return of all our favourite characters and classic Shrek features. The film is set to release on June 30, 2027, after being pushed back from December 23, 2026, due to the competitive slate of releases around that time.
Adult humour, typical of the franchise, is sprinkled throughout the trailer, with the Gingerbread Man twerking his gumdrop behind and saying he is ‘caked up like a fricken bakery’, while a snowman smokes a pipe and creepily inquires, ‘Wanna date a snowman?’
Plus, there’s Donkey’s reference to his ‘ass’ — the joke they somehow get away with every time.
Hearing the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy flood through my ears, accompanied by ‘All Star’ by Smash Mouth, makes me nostalgic and feels reminiscent of my childhood.
Plus, we get some familiar names as new additions to the cast, playing Shrek and Fiona’s now-adult children: Zendaya as Felicia, Skyler Gisondo as Farkle and Marcello Hernández as Fergus.
Reviews are mixed, with humorous comments from fans of the original movies, alongside reflections on past criticisms of Shrek the Third, which copped a bit of noise at the time of its release.
One commenter on Instagram used the famous Godfather meme: ‘Look how they massacred my boy.’ Other commenters questioned the new animation style, with some saying it resembled AI and others simply asking for a return to the original look.
Personally, I think that despite the change to the nostalgic animation style — perhaps the saddest part of this new Shrek era — the trailer didn’t look bad, and I actually giggled.
If we walk into the movie with an open mind, and a gentle reminder that nothing can compare to the legendary originals, it might just make us laugh and feel like a kid again.
