'Shrek 5': Universal drops trailer a year before release as Shrek, Fiona, and kids embark on a wild journey
Universal released the first proper teaser trailer for 'Shrek 5' more than a year ahead of the upcoming film's release date on June 30, 2027. The trailer shows Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey embarking on a new, fantastical adventure together. Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy all return to lend their voices to the characters of Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey. Joining the leading trio are Zendaya, Skyler Gisondo of 'Superman' fame, and 'Saturday Night Live' comedian Marcello Hernandez as Shrek and Fiona's offspring Felicia, Fergus, and Farkle.
The trailer begins with a storybook recapping of the original story of Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey from the 2001 movie. While the recap is in motion, Donkey abruptly halts the narration and, in a meta-narrative moment, points out that it's time for a makeover. This narrative thread might come in handy while explaining the slightly different animation style for DreamWorks' favorite ogre and the other characters, as compared to the original 2001 movie. The trailer moves forward as the friends travel to a new magical kingdom known as 'Further, Further Away,' which is a much rougher version of the kingdom from 'Shrek 2.'
While traveling together, Shrek and his friends encounter a giant, law enforcement officers, and a creepy melting snowman. The snowman poses the question, "You wanna date a snowman?" from a creepy alleyway. Moving on, the three friends are reunited with Gingy, and they find that Gingy has somehow got two gumdrop buttons attached to his rear, declaring that he's "caked up like a friggin’ bakery." Towards the end of the trailer, Shrek, Fiona, their children, and Donkey are imprisoned together in a jail cell. Donkey is heard singing 'Baby Come Back' and 'Roxanne' while Shrek becomes increasingly frustrated.
A notable feature of the 'Shrek 5' trailer is that Zendaya's absence may suggest she has been captured or is away from the group for another reason. Her absence inside the jail cell might hint that she has already been captured against her will. Elsewhere, 'Shrek 5' will bridge the major gap since the last film in the franchise, marking the franchise’s first installment in 17 years since 'Shrek Forever After' was released in 2010. While both Dreamworks and Universal have been striving for years to bring about more 'Shrek' films, the franchise has time and again run into roadblocks created by production delays. On the other hand, the franchise has remained relevant through spinoffs such as 2011’s 'Puss in Boots' and its 2022 sequel 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,' widely considered one of the best animated works of recent years.
