Shrek 5 Must Stay Away From The Internet In Order To Succeed

Shrek 5 is set to be released in theaters on Christmas 2026, with fans of the iconic franchise already excited to head back to the swamp with their favorite characters from these beloved movies. Shrek is one of the most successful animated franchises of all time, and it has done wonders for DreamWorks and Universal Pictures. It has also taken over the internet.

Throughout the last decade, Shrek has been kept alive by becoming a meme, as a strange internet subculture obsessed with deconstructing and reconstructing everything related to Shrek has risen. While that has kept the franchise popular and a buzz about the character going, that’s not necessarily something that Shrek 5 needs to focus on.

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Shrek Has Become A Meme Over The Last Decade

Shrek might seem like a family-friendly animated franchise on the surface, but a quick Google search will take people down a slippery path from silly and absurd memes to some downright disgusting NSFW content, all inspired by the ogre. It showcases how the internet can grow things once it has gripped onto it, and is one of the reasons Shrek fans were upset about the animation changes, as they no longer fit what they’ve had in their mind for the character. However, in many ways, the obsessive fandom of Shrek has turned this franchise into something rather creepy, with a lot of the content created being unsuitable for younger eyes – who Shrek is actually intended for. That is why it’s best that Shrek 5 completely ignores it. This underground ogre world is one giant joke DreamWorks wishes they could make disappear with a spell from the Fairy Godmother.

Shrek 5’s Trailer Provides A Worrying Sign

There has only been a small teaser trailer for Shrek 5 at this point, and the purpose of that was purely to create some initial buzz, reveal the release information, and announce that Zendaya is part of the cast. Given that it has been viewed 13 million times on YouTube, it’s fair to say that it achieved all of those goals. However, the teaser itself provided a worrying outlook on whether or not the movie will lean into the internet’s love of the big green ogre. In the trailer, the magic mirror showcases Shrek posing with glasses on, a video of him as a giant dancing over houses in a latex outfit, which had been a hit on TikTok, and then a picture of his body being modified to look ripped. It’s obviously heavily hinting at how obsessed the internet has become over Shrek and how bizarre some of the content surrounding the character is.

Shrek himself asks, “Who’s making this stuff?” Hopefully, that is Universal Pictures getting the internet joke out of the way immediately, giving a nod to how Shrek has become a subgenre all to itself, and then it can be left behind so the movie can tell an actual story. The jokes in the trailer felt quite cheap, lazy, and ultimately weren’t very funny. Therefore, if that’s going to be the standard of content for Shrek 5, then it is a truly worrying situation.

Shrek 5 Must Focus On Quality Over Anything

It could be very tempting for Shrek 5 to lean into the internet subculture that surrounds the franchise at this point, as that would gain plenty of laughs from audiences in the know. However, multiple problems could impact the movie as a whole. The first is that the target audience should be families and, most prominently, children. They aren’t spending all their time on the internet looking for the latest meme about Shrek, and they aren’t aware of everything that’s going on with that world; therefore, pushing that into the movie would be lost on them. Potentially alienating the target audience who simply wants a fun animated movie that’s simple to follow along and provides some comedy would be a significant risk that isn’t worth taking. On top of that, it would mean that this movie is stuck in time. The greatest animated films are timeless and can be watched repeatedly without confusion, but if Shrek 5 pushes the internet narrative, then it will instantly be stuck in this era. The jokes and internet lore of Shrek aren’t going to be remembered in 10 years, which means many of the jokes that would be put into Shrek 5 would either no longer make sense or simply wouldn’t be funny.

The world of Shrek is also supposed to be a fantasy; therefore, pushing some of the internet’s wacky ideas into the movie might be complex to do. The idea of this kingdom having its own internet where things can be shared wouldn’t fit the tone that has been set out in the previous four movies and would only further damage the quality. Instead, the focus needs to be on telling an entertaining story in any way possible, and there are numerous angles that can be taken with that. However, it’s crucial that all of them avoid the internet so Shrek 5 can simply be a great animated film.

Shrek 5

Release Date

December 25, 2026

Director

Walt Dohrn, Brad Ableson

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  Cameron Diaz

  Princess Fiona

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