Please Change Shrek Back to Normal for Shrek 5
The Issue
I do not believe that I stand alone in feeling that the original image and animation style of the "Shrek" film series and - and by extension, its respective protagonist - hold an immensely significant place in my heart. Speaking from a sincere place outside of any ironic realm, Shrek was a comfort zone for many generations of children that simply sought the warm embrace of familiarity that can only be given by an ogre on the silver screen.
As a society progressing through an era of necessary problemitization and social awakening, we understand that changes must be made in order to maintain relevancy and to avoid harm. However, I do not believe that reanimating the image of Shrek is a viable way to represent this ideology. In point of fact, I find that these visual changes may indirectly take away from the progressive, body-positive ideologies with which Shrek (2001) broke cinematic and social ground.
When the trailer for the original "Sonic the Hedgehog" film dropped, an uproar ensued. Tried and true fans of the Sonic franchise felt betrayed by a strange decision made by non-fans and studio executives in an effort to humanize Sonic in a way-past-literal sort of fashion. I fear that Shrek is now undergoing a similar treatment.
I firmly believe that it is up to the dedicated members of this multi-decade audience to express dissent, and to urge Universal to turn this product back into the hands of its animation studio, and insist on a ground-up rebuild.
In a world of complete uncertainty, there are only so many things that we can hold onto before they return to nothingness and are only whispered breaths of memories that will too, eventually dissolve into inaudible echoes. I must also purport that legacy is not maintained by the powers that be, but by those who benefit from a functional system. I would be remiss not to fight for Shrek to be a part of such a system.
Shrek deserves for his likeness to be preserved, and we deserve that from Universal. You would not be making millions off of this project if it were not for us. Treat us with respect and we will buy tickets.
15
The Issue
I do not believe that I stand alone in feeling that the original image and animation style of the "Shrek" film series and - and by extension, its respective protagonist - hold an immensely significant place in my heart. Speaking from a sincere place outside of any ironic realm, Shrek was a comfort zone for many generations of children that simply sought the warm embrace of familiarity that can only be given by an ogre on the silver screen.
As a society progressing through an era of necessary problemitization and social awakening, we understand that changes must be made in order to maintain relevancy and to avoid harm. However, I do not believe that reanimating the image of Shrek is a viable way to represent this ideology. In point of fact, I find that these visual changes may indirectly take away from the progressive, body-positive ideologies with which Shrek (2001) broke cinematic and social ground.
When the trailer for the original "Sonic the Hedgehog" film dropped, an uproar ensued. Tried and true fans of the Sonic franchise felt betrayed by a strange decision made by non-fans and studio executives in an effort to humanize Sonic in a way-past-literal sort of fashion. I fear that Shrek is now undergoing a similar treatment.
I firmly believe that it is up to the dedicated members of this multi-decade audience to express dissent, and to urge Universal to turn this product back into the hands of its animation studio, and insist on a ground-up rebuild.
In a world of complete uncertainty, there are only so many things that we can hold onto before they return to nothingness and are only whispered breaths of memories that will too, eventually dissolve into inaudible echoes. I must also purport that legacy is not maintained by the powers that be, but by those who benefit from a functional system. I would be remiss not to fight for Shrek to be a part of such a system.
Shrek deserves for his likeness to be preserved, and we deserve that from Universal. You would not be making millions off of this project if it were not for us. Treat us with respect and we will buy tickets.
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Petition created on February 28, 2025