Shrek fans are making same demand after seeing ‘ugly’ design of characters for new sequel

Fans have been left less than impressed after watching a teaser for Shrek 5 and they all seem to have the same complaint.

The first three instalments of Shrek were recently re-added to Netflix, with the films comfortably sitting in the streaming platform's top 10 in the UK earlier this month.

It's not hard to figure out that the franchise is incredibly popular among viewers, with people of all ages enjoying the adventures of the ogre, Fiona and Donkey.

But when a first look at Shrek 5 was revealed yesterday (27 February), it didn't get the reaction that you'd expect.

If you haven't seen the teaser yet, have a look:

The whole gang is coming back to Never, Never, After, but the characters have all received redesigns, with Zendaya confirmed to be joining the cast alongside a returning Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy.

It's not clear yet if Antonio Banderas will return as Puss In Boots after his performance in The Last Wish, but he was not mentioned in the teaser.

A lot of time has passed in the Shrek world since the fourth film, and Dreamworks has made the decision to switch the designs of the characters up slightly - likely to age them.

In the teaser, the family can be seen using the mirror on the wall as a way to scroll through what looks like TikTok, or a fairytale version at least.

Fans will still look forward to its Christmas 2026 release, with the franchise returning after 15 years, though they took to social media to complain about the new look.

The trailer for Shrek 5 has received a lot of backlash (Dreamworks)

One wrote: "Can we bully Dreamworks to change the Shrek 5 animation like we did to paramount to change Sonic’s animation?"

Another suggested: "Shrek and Donkey got the Ugly Sonic Treatment y’all," while a third agreed: "If we can bully them to fix sonic we can bully them to fix this!"

However, some others weren't as bothered, as a different user said: "They've just made them look older right? What's the issue here?"

A fifth wrote: "It's been 15 years since the last one. I never expected the new one to look the same, especially as the old ones started showing their age."

The mention of Sonic was significant, as the reveal of the famous hedgehog's design in their first trailer received such brutal backlash that Paramount changed his look, giving him his iconic big eyes back.

Is this look too much to ask for? (Dreamworks)

Despite this, Shrek 5 appears to be full steam ahead, and of course, fans will be hoping that Puss makes an appearance too.

The return also comes as Cameron Diaz returned to the world of acting after quitting Hollywood for nine years.

She said on her reason for returning to acting in the Netflix film Back In Action: "I thought that if I was going to come back and do a movie, the only person I’d come back and do it with would be this guy (Foxx).

“Seriously. I had other opportunities along the way and I was always saying: ‘No. I’m not doing it, I’ve told you... What? Jamie asked? Jamie? Oh, I can do a movie with Jamie!’”

Shrek 5 is releasing in cinemas Christmas 2026.