Summary

Shrek 5 confirmed for Christmas 2026 with Zendaya joining cast, creating excitement.
Shrek 5 teaser surpasses 10M YouTube views, showing continued audience interest in the franchise.
Shrek 5 has the potential to develop into a more emotionally intelligent movie like Inside Out

Dreamworks recently dropped a tease trailer for Shrek 5 to confirm that the movie will be released on Christmas 2026, with Zendaya joining the cast. Given the popularity of the animated franchise and the fact that people had given up expecting more content, considering the last release took place over a decade ago in 2010, it instantly had people excited.

However, with the Shrek 5 teaser boasting over 10 million YouTube views already, it's clear that there is still an audience for the popular Ogre. It's a franchise that is deep-rooted in the world of cinema at this point, but the animation genre has moved on a long way since Dreamworks last took people to the swamp, and there are some key lessons that can be taken from that.

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By Matthew Wilkinson

Inside Out 2 Proved That Emotions Work In The Animated Genre

Pixar has been one of the most dominant and successful animation studios since it first opened, and that's something that has only continued in modern times. The success of Inside Out 2 has showcased that, with this incredible sequel having earned $1.699 billion worldwide at the box office. It became the highest-grossing animated film of all time until February 2025 and shattered all expectations of the movie heading into it, particularly since it was a sequel. However, the vibrant animation, charismatic characters, and genuinely heartfelt story proved to be a cocktail for success.

Pixar has never shied away from tackling serious topics in its movies, but Inside Out 2 took that to a new level. Deep-diving into teenage emotions and anxiety's impact on people, Inside Out 2 had a truly adult story that was told in an understandable and emotional way to audiences of all ages. There were lessons to be taken from this movie for everyone, regardless of their age, and that's not an easy feat to achieve. However, it did it by focusing on genuine emotions that people are impacted by in real life, tackling topics that this genre used to always avoid.

Shrek Has Previously Relied On Physical Humor

The Shrek franchise is an example of how most popular animated movies would avoid tapping into serious emotions that might be deemed too advanced for younger audiences. These movies have typically relied on slapstick and rather childish humor to entertain people; there's nothing wrong with that. The Shrek films have been incredibly successful, with this being the 18th highest-grossing film franchise of all time, showcasing just how popular the movies have been. Seeing situations such as Shrek wrestling the knights or the Fairy Godmother visiting a fast food restaurant has made people laugh, and that has

Even in the controversial teaser trailer, it was clear that the distinct humor that the Shrek franchise has been built upon is going to continue. However, that ended up being lost on the majority of people as the main focus was on the change in Shrek's animation style. Audiences will expect a certain style of tone and jokes that are brought into the movie based on what has happened in previous movies, but that doesn't mean things can't develop at the same time.

Shrek 5 Has The Chance To Develop The Franchise

After the significant gap between the last Shrek movie and the upcoming release, now is the perfect time to make a big change in the film's tone. Shrek 5 has the opportunity to develop the franchise and provide a slightly more emotionally intelligent movie, taking lessons from Inside Out 2 and how that film handled broader topics. From the teaser that Dreamworks revealed, Shrek 5 will be based around family and Shrek and Fiona's children, which instantly sets up an easy way for the film to be more emotional. Seeing how they balance life with grown-up children who have their own opinions and beliefs is an ideal setting to focus on far more mature topics. Shrek 5 can still provide the same goofy moments as the Inside Out franchise has done, but it's also the right moment to develop the story in a bid to keep the franchise feeling fresh and with the modern times for animated films.

Shrek 5 will also be interesting, considering the type of audience that will want to see this movie. The younger fans who the original Shrek movies were targeting are all now adults who could potentially have children of their own at this point. Therefore, they will connect with seeing Shrek and Fiona as parents to older children. That's where a more emotional storyline could be beneficial, as it will draw back viewers who already have deep connections to the characters, while the sillier moments can entertain younger audiences. Meanwhile, there can still be serious topics for children to start tackling within the movie if the tone of Shrek 5 is right, with this being Dreamworks' perfect time to prove they can respond to Inside Out 2 in terms of theme and emotion.

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