‘Shrek 5’ Won’t Be Released For Another Two Years, But The First Teaser Came Out Today
Shrek 5 is going to be huge. You know that, I know that, and Universal Pictures knows that.
Even so, it’s still somewhat remarkable — and possibly unprecedented — to see a teaser with animation released nearly two years ahead of a film’s actual release.
The Shrek 5 teaser released today showcases the updated designs of the Shrekiverse stars, as well as introduces Shrek’s daughter, voiced by Zendaya. The film is being directed by Conrad Vernon and Walt Dohrn, with Brad Abelson as co-director.
One of the most commented-upon aspects of the teaser is the streamlined redesigns of the main characters. Some online trolls are calling for it to be redesigned (it shouldn’t), while others are saying its looks like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (it doesn’t). But what is clear is that sometime between the last Shrek film and this one, Dreamworks Animation doubled down on the one animation principle that has often been lacking from the studio’s efforts — appeal — and that Shrek 5 is going to be a lot more aesthetically pleasing than the earlier films.
A lot can still happen between now and the release of Shrek 5 (at the current rate, it could become the first Shrek film released under a dictatorship in the United States), but right now, it’s safe to say that the stars are aligned for a huge success. When Shrek 5 releases, it will have been 16 years between films, enough time for people who grew up with the earlier films to be able to introduce the character to their own children. Also, as we’ve pointed out, the earlier Shrek films continue to attract and grow audiences on streaming — this isn’t a franchise that’s lacking awareness.
But this new film also has a secret weapon that the earlier films didn’t: producer Chris Meledandri, who runs NBCUniversal’s sister company Illumination Entertainment, has the best track of any animation producer in the modern era. (He was no. 1 on our power list last year.) With the Despicable Me and Minions films, as well as The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Melendandri has executive produced six of the twenty highest-grossing animated features of all time, and better than any other producer, he has a keen understanding of global audience expectations for American animated features.
It’s worth noting that before the recent eye-popping success of Ne Zha 2 in China, Shrek 2 was the only non-Disney animated film to have held the title for highest-grossing animated feature of all-time, a record that it held for six years. Perhaps with this new film, Shrek can reclaim his throne, or at least become the first American animated film to top $2 billion.
