Shrek 5 teaser trailer debuts with new cast and animation, dividing fans ahead of 2027 release

The trailer arrives

The first teaser for Shrek 5 was released by DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures on June 16, 2026, a year ahead of the film's planned arrival. The one-and-a-half-minute preview gives a glimpse of Shrek, Donkey, and Princess Fiona embarking on a new journey, this time joined by their three children, Felicia, Fergus, and Farkle.

Donkey interrupts a storybook recap to announce a makeover, a meta nod to the altered visual style. The footage then cuts through a series of set pieces, including a creepy snowman parody of Disney's Frozen, a train made of barrels, and a fairy-powered police wagon, before ending with the family (minus Felicia) locked in a jail cell while Donkey hums Baby Come Back and Roxanne.

Visual overhaul splits opinion

The most discussed element is the new animation. DreamWorks has moved away from the deliberately unpolished, angular style of the early 2000s films to a more detailed, textured look that several critics described as resembling Illumination's Mario movie or AI-generated knockoffs.

“Cette première bande annonce offre un aperçu du relooking extrême des personnages principaux opéré par Dreamworks. Pour coller à l'évolution de la technologie, le studio a abandonné l'animation 3D très lisse et épurée des premiers volets pour un style beaucoup plus détaillé, texturé et réaliste.”

Reactions were mixed. Some outlets praised individual creative touches, while others argued the revamp loses the "genuinely strange and thoughtfully ugly" quality that distinguished the original.

Cast and crew confirmed

Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz all return to their iconic roles. Zendaya joins as daughter Felicia, with Saturday Night Live's Marcello Hernández and Skyler Gisondo (Superman) voicing sons Fergus and Farkle. Directing are Walt Dohrn and Conrad Vernon, alongside co-director Brad Ableson. Michael McCullers wrote the script from a story by Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri, who produces with Gina Shay.

Eddie Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter last year that recording Donkey is physically demanding: "You have a headache after a Shrek session. The donkey has a lot of singing. You're on 10, and you're doing it over and over again."

Release date puzzle

Most outlets list Shrek 5 for June 30, 2027, targeting the Fourth of July weekend. One report, however, cites a December 23, 2026 release date. DreamWorks had previously teased the project on social media in 2024, and the film endured delays before settling on the mid-2027 window.

The franchise's four theatrical films have earned more than $2.9 billion worldwide, according to Universal, and spawned the Puss in Boots spin-offs. The original Shrek premiered in May 2001; the last main entry, Shrek Forever After, arrived in 2010.

Humour and cultural jabs

True to the series' DNA, the teaser packs in fairy-tale satire and pop-culture barbs. A standout moment features the Gingerbread Man declaring "I'm caked up like a freaking bakery" after two gingerbread ladies slap his gumdrop-filled backside, a gag that quickly circulated on social media. A snowman with a deep voice asks in Spanish, "¿Quieres salir con un muñeco de nieve?" ("Do you want to go out with a snowman?"), a direct dig at Frozen.

“It's really happening. Shrek and Donkey, two stalwart friends off on another whirlwind, big-city adventure.”

The teaser ends on an uncertain note with the jail scene, leaving the plot largely under wraps beyond the promise of a chaotic family road trip.