The child inside us all let out the biggest scream this morning when the horrific news came out that Shrek 5 has been pushed back to 2027 – absolute agony. It’s been a hideous amount of years since the world got a new film about everyone’s fave Scottish ogre, and the world yearns for more adventures with Shrek, Fiona and Donkey. All we’ve had so far is a teaser trailer which lowkey got dragged because of Shrek and Fiona’s gen z daughter. But perhaps it’s for the best that it got pushed back, since people online think they’ve cracked the real reason Shrek 5 has actually been delayed and honestly it kind of makes sense.
Shrek 5 was originally set for release in December 2026
The first look trailer for Shrek 5 first got released in February of this year, and it’s safe to say the response was mixed. Many thought the animation style update to the film made it lose a lot of its charm, and the addition and appearance of Zendaya’s role as Felicia – Shrek and Fiona’s daughter – was critiqued quite heavily. The film was getting comparisons to the Sonic films, which is not good at all let’s face it.
Because of this backlash, people think the real reason Shrek 5 has been delayed is because when that trailer dropped the entire internet was not only dissatisfied with the vibe but very quick to “guess” the entire plot.
Whilst there’s no official word on why Shrek 5 has been delayed, the sleuths of Twitter have a theory that the reason the film got pushed back is because everyone guessed the full plot. The guesses at the time basically assumed a “predictable plot for Shrek 5: Shrek as an overprotective dad to teenage daughter Felicia, who rebels and seeks independence from the swamp. Conflicts arise, Shrek gets in trouble, she saves him, leading to lessons in acceptance—with Donkey jokes, pop songs, and pop culture nods.”
Whilst there’s no evidence that suggests this is the concrete reason why Universal delayed the film, it will be interesting to see if there are any major changes to the vibe of Shrek 5 when it does come out after reflecting on all the criticism the first looks of the movie got this year.
