DreamWorks’ Shrek is one of the most anticipated animated films, but fans are deeply concerned about the drastic changes in its animation style. That’s a rough 15 year gap since the release of Shrek Forever After (Shrek 4)

Like Shrek and this petition has one thing in common. Onions. Now you know what you do with onions? Onions have layers. You peel them back, and what do you find? More layers!

The recent official video released by Dreamwork themselves of what seems to be a sneak peak trailer released on 27th of February 2025.

Others could be frustrated with the modern social media angle, feeling like it's forced or out of place for Shrek. The tiktok muscular Shrek scene is getting mixed reactions—some find it funny, while others think it leans too much into meme culture instead of classic Shrek humour to keep up with today’s culture.  

A lot of fans were hoping for a return, but not this type of return. Dreamwork’s has me personally worried the franchise might be losing its original layers.

LINK ⬇️

Shrek 5 - Sneak Peak Trailer. - FB

Shrek 5 SP Trailer Cast Announcement  - YT

 

 

"Ogres are like onions… we have layers." — Shrek 

The trailer to show a departure from the beloved visual identity of the first four films, particularly Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek The Third & Shrek Forever After.

 

 

The art style, the very thing that made Shrek stand out from every other animated movie at the time. After the trailer dropped looks completely different.Instead of the rough, storybook opening style, textures and gritty fairy-tale world we grew up with, we’re getting something that looks overly polished, soft, and dare we say... Disneyfied.

Shrek was never meant to be sleek or modern. It was a rebellion against the standard fairytale formula—bold, messy, and full of personality. The characters weren’t flawless, airbrushed models; they were real (well, as real as an ogre and a talking donkey can be).

 

 

Now, instead of keeping that signature look, DreamWorks is leaning into meme culture, with deepfake muscular Shrek and a Magic Mirror that’s been turned into some weird social media screen. 

 

 

Look at this mess!

 

 

 Where’s the dirt? The grit? The ogre attitude? Not this 

This new style doesn’t feel like Shrek. It feels like they’re trying to make it fit into the same generic, overly clean animation style we see in too many modern movies.

Shrek was never supposed to fit in—it was supposed to stand out.

 

 

This is from Shrek 2 and just look at the detail:

 

 

We, the fans, want DreamWorks to respect what made SHREK special. We want the original art style back. We want the world to feel lived-in, not plastic. We want our imperfect, grumpy, swamp-loving Shrek—not some glossy, Disneyfied, AI-filtered version.

We respectfully urge DreamWorks to honor the franchise and bring back the classic Shrek animation style. Let’s ensure Shrek 5 stays true to what made it special for millions worldwide!  

Sign this petition if you agree.

DreamWorks, don’t change what isn’t broken!