Shrek in the Shrek 5 teaser trailer
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Shrek 5 turns off comments after new trailer sparks backlash over ‘terrible’ animation

People are now saying #NotMyShrek

Daisy Phillipson
16th June 2026, 17:02
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The Shrek 5 teaser trailer is here, but while there’s plenty to be excited about, Universal Pictures and the Shrek YouTube account have turned off the comments – and there’s a fresh wave of criticism about the animation. 

Look, we’re stoked we’re getting more adventures from Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey, but it’s hard to ignore the many, many comments, which ramped up in February last year when a brand new look of the film was revealed. 

The picture – which showed our fave trio alongside Pinocchio and Zendaya’s character, Felicia – received similarly mixed responses. Critics were dissatisfied with the overall difference in animation style, reminiscent of the ‘Ugly Sonic’ debacle, while others said they predicted the entire plot. 

Then, the release date got pushed back from December 2026 to June 2027, leading to speculation that the creators were working on improving the look. 

Whatever the case, the film is moving ahead, and the new teaser trailer promises plenty of fun to be had. As well as the leading gang, we see Zendaya’s Felicia – Shrek and Fiona’s daughter – as well as their sons Fergus (Marcello Hernandez) and Farkle (Skyler Gisondo). 

Perhaps Universal didn’t want to deal with the backlash for another round, but for whatever reason, the comments have been switched off. 

However, that hasn’t stopped the criticism – at the time of writing, the teaser trailer has 839 likes and 540 dislikes. And on social media, people are letting their grievances known. 

Taking to X, one wrote, “Bro who the heck is that?! That’s not Shrek, he looks so weird. Man I can’t believe y’all about to ruin Shrek’s legacy bruh this looks terrible. Modern audience stench all over it.”

“It looks absolutely awful… Was it so hard to go back to classic designs?” said another, while a third added, “They didn’t fix the animation.”

A fourth shared a screenshot of Shrek’s face mid-grimace, writing, “Tf even is this… #NotMyShrek.” And a fifth chimed in, “Changed so much the animation it looks like AI.”

Not everyone disapproves, however, including this person who said, “Guess I have four more years to perfect my swamp dance moves.” Another commented, “It’ll take time getting used to the new animation style but this does feel like Shrek.”

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Featured image credit: Universal Pictures