Shrek, Donkey, and the rest of the gang are back for Shrek 5, the next mainline film in DreamWorks’ blockbuster animated franchise. But this time around, they are a lot more detailed and life-like, and it’s not working for me.
On June 16, DreamWorks released the first real trailer for Shrek 5, which is set to hit theaters about a year from now in summer 2027. Here’s the trailer, but be warned, there is some gumdrop twerking:
I’ll fully admit that a few jokes in here worked for me. That snowman joke in particular feels like a perfect Shrek joke; taking a Disney-like character and making it gross or gritty is classic Shrek, baby. And I’m intrigued to see what these knucklehads have been up to in the 15+ years since Shrek Forever After‘s 2010 release. But…I wish these characters didn’t look so damn detailed.
Eddie Murphy’s Donkey, in particular, seems so extra furry and fluffy now that he looks like an Unreal Engine 5 tech demo come to life. And Mike Myers’ Shrek is looking more tired than ever and features a lot more facial crevices and wrinkles. I miss smooth Shrek. Where is smooth Shrek? I don’t want to see all of Shrek’s nose pores and bumps. A few, sure, but all of these seem too much.
I guess this was always going to be the case. As technology moves forward, characters can be made more detailed and life-like. And unlike the toys and dolls that star in Pixar’s long-running Toy Story series, which are literally smooth and plastic, Shrek’s characters are, within the world of the films, real creatures and beings made of flesh and fur. Artists and designers making a new movie in 2026 with these characters were always going to end up making them look a bit more real. It breaks my brain a bit, but I’ll manage. Probably.
Shrek 5 arrives in theaters next summer. Also, credit to DreamWorks for just calling this movie Shrek 5. No subtitle, no trying to hide the number. I respect that a lot.