Hey now, all-stars – y'all gotta chill about Shrek 5.
Alright, now that the pun is out of my system, there's been a lot of talk about Shrek 5. The Shrek movies themselves have been a massive deal for many years. Over time, the franchise has grown more and more in popularity despite the last main Shrek film releasing fifteen years ago.
That's right.
Fifteen. Years.
Betcha didn't expect to feel old today, huh?
Aside from that, a new Shrek film is finally coming out in 2026 after years of waiting. Honestly, I would have loved to have it come out during the 2025 movie schedule, but after seeing the reaction to the first look of the film, I'm starting to wonder if it might need to wait even longer.
However, I'm here to tell you that this movie isn't going to be bad. Everyone here needs to relax, take a deep breath, and pick up what I'm putting down, because Shrek 5 is actually on the fast track to being great.
I've Waited Years For A New Shrek Movie, So I'm Down For Anything
First of all, I'm not coming at this as someone who isn't a fan of the movies. I freaking love the Shrek films. I grew up on them. I was pretty much raised on them – as are many people from my generation. And, of course, I watched the memes and everything else develop for the films over the last decade and a half.
Shrek was one of those DreamWorks Animation movies that indeed subverted expectations when it first came out. It made fun of the whole fantasy movie aspect by essentially turning Disney's princess stories into a parody. Then they just ran with it and had a successful ten-year run of films.
While Shrek the Third is arguably the worst out of all of them, the first two films are held in high regard, and honestly, the fourth isn't half-bad, either. Puss in Boots is alright, but Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is an absolute delight in cinema. These films have shaped a part of my brain.
Whether that's a good part or bad has yet to be determined, but either way, I love this series, so keep that in mind when I say that Shrek 5's first look isn't that bad.
The Animation Isn't Bad – It's Just Changed Immensely. It's Been Fifteen Years Since The Last Film
Y'all, the animation is not that bad for Shrek 5.
I know that, at first glance, it feels weird. They do look different. I won't try to gaslight you and say that they look the same, because they don't. There are differences in their hair, their eyes, and even the way they move.
But let's not forget that the last film was released fifteen years ago, and the first movie was released 24 years ago. Animation has changed drastically in those years, and especially in the previous fifteen.
Disney essentially switched entirely over to 3D animation and has created some of the most beautiful features out there (and some that are underwhelming, but we don't talk about those). Pixar has continued to advance its technology. Other animation studios have come (and gone) with their own interpretations of 3D animation.
DreamWorks has even had whole franchises come and go in the span of these fifteen years, like the How to Train Your Dragon movies, which have altered the course of their animation.
Of course, the animation will look different. It's an entirely different system, a completely new way of doing things, and it'll take some time to get used to.
Let's Not Even Get Into How This Is Just A First Look, Not Even A Full Trailer
I know what the first line of defense here will be – "Well, even if it's new animation, it still doesn't look good."
Okay, and? This is a first look. It's not even a full trailer like it was with the Sonic the Hedgehog release that caused them to redo the entire thing. This is a little snippet. Who's to say what the heck is going to happen over the next year and a half before the movie actually releases?
The animation could look completely different by the time the movie comes out, but it feels that people are acting like it's coming out tomorrow.
Movies In The Shrek Franchise Have Gotten A Redesign Before, And People Loved It
Another thing that I have to point out is that even if this is a complete redesign of the Shrek animation, the franchise has done this before.
As I said earlier, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is considered one of the best DreamWorks movies ever. It has one of the best DreamWorks villains ever. It has a fantastic story. It has a much different animation style from previous Shrek films. And it's gorgeous.
Is the little first look we got comparable to that masterpiece of a film? No, at least not yet – we haven't gotten enough of a preview to really understand what is going to happen with this film. But, we all liked The Last Wish and adored the animation. All I'm saying is that we need to give this a chance — or at least let the studio have some more time.
Let's All Take A Deep Breath And Let DreamWorks Cook
Guys. This is DreamWorks we are talking about.
Truthfully, this studio rarely fails with its animation. Sure, there are some outliers—like the Boss Baby franchise (good lord)—but most of the time, its animation is off-the-charts impressive, regardless of the story. Even Orion and the Dark, one of their lesser-known new projects, has excellent animation in it.
The Trolls franchise, even if it's just an overhyped jukebox musical, has some great animation and fun sequences.
Over the last fifteen years, we (again) have had the How To Train Your Dragon films and the Kung Fu Panda movies, all of which have fantastic animation. You think they're going to blow it with their most-known animated franchise?
There's literally no way I could see them messing this up in a horrendous way, and I think that if we just let DreamWorks Animation cook with what they're doing, we'll be delightfully surprised.
Until then, please, for the love of God, don't focus on how a green, fake ogre looks or how a talking donkey reacts. These are all pretend creatures, and we are just the viewers. I'm still eager to see what happens with this movie, no matter what people think about the first look.