On Feb. 27, the first-look cast announced the Shrek 5 trailer release. The original Shrek series has been one of the most beloved movies of all times. The trailer revealed that the movie will be having a more modern approach: involving the magic mirror revealing social media and all the memes that have occurred with Shrek. It also reveals their daughter, played by Zendaya, is grown up and DreamWorks is using a new animation for the movie.
However the trailer has received many negative reviews from unhappy fans. Most fans are unhappy about the redesigns of the characters. Many fans have already compared the old character design to the new one stating that “DreamWorks animation has ruined the characters.” Currently, there are swell’s of people online making memes and making jokes about how distasteful they find the trailer to the point where some fans are pressuring DreamWorks animation to restore the characters original designs. Many may be wondering why there is so much hate towards the trailer: it is because of the effect of childhood nostalgia on brand loyalty. Researchers have found empirical evidence on the correlation between childhood nostalgia and brand loyalty. They have found that when people are exposed to something young, they develop a deep attachment to it that lasts through adulthood. This often occurs with television and movies.
With Shrek 5 breaking away from tradition, it is expected for people to have sense of wrongness arising even as it is as though a memorable bit of childhood that is twisted and altered. The creators of Shrek 5 are aware of the risk of stepping away from tradition, as the movie is being made to take advantage of the nostalgia. The point of the sequel is to try to leverage people’s connections to the earlier movies so they pay and see the latest ones. The cracking of jokes helps shift the negative reactions from one of frustration into an entertaining pile on. In the end, Shrek 5 is made for the appeal of the newer generations of young people.
However, there are some social media fans/users defending the redesign, calling it “inevitable” given that the original Shrek (2001) release and advancements in animations technology has developed since then. The movie is highly anticipated to hit theaters on Christmas 2026.
