Zendaya will voice Shrek's teenage daughter in 'Shrek 5': Here's what to know
- A new trailer confirms that Zendaya will voice Shrek's teenager daughter Felicia in "Shrek 5."
- Zendaya joins the cast alongside returners Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz.
- "Shrek 5" is expected to hit theaters on Dec. 23, 2026.
Twenty-five years after a stinky, burly green ogre first debuted on the big screen, he will be joined by his teenage daughter, voiced by none other than Zendaya.
On Thursday, Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation shared a new trailer for "Shrek 5," more than six months after announcing the fifth film in the popular animated series. The 30-second trailer features Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Pinocchio and Shrek's teenage daughter Felicia − sporting deep green lipstick, a half-up-half-down hairdo and a nose ring. The trailer confirms Zendaya's casting as Felicia.
In the trailer, the quintet look into the magic mirror, which has made appearances in other "Shrek" movies, to see a TikTok-style slideshow of memes, including Shrek sporting pink sunglasses and a shirtless six-pack. In traditional teenage daughter fashion, Felicia bursts out with an, "Ew!" while Fiona swoops in with, "Oh, momma like."
As part of the announcement, Universal Pictures re-shared a 2017 X post from Zendaya that reads, "I watch Shrek too often in my adulthood."
Adolescent ogres were introduced in the 2007 release of "Shrek 3," when Shrek and Fiona gave birth to triplets: Fergus, Farkle and Felicia. Up until now, the triplets have only been seen as babies in the franchise.
What are people saying about the new trailer?
The new trailer shared on Thursday has received mixed reviews − not because of Zendaya, but because of the animation style.
Understandably, the new animation appears cleaner and brighter than the first "Shrek" movie from 2001, but not everyone is happy with the final result.
"Please tone down the animation," one Instagram user commented on the trailer. "You can upgrade quality without making them look airbrushed and overly polished. They all somehow look younger."
Others compared the trailer to Paramount's "Sonic" movie franchise, which had received criticism for its too-realistic computer-generation animation. After hearing complaints, Paramount and the film's director Jeff Fowler delayed the first "Sonic" released to redo the main character.
"If we can collectively bully the producers of 'Sonic' to fix that movie, we can try to fix this! This looks like the Temu version of 'Shrek.' This is embarrassing," another Instagram user commented on the trailer.
Jumping on the animation bandwagon, TikTok user Roger G questioned the purpose of the new film in the franchise's lineup.
"First and foremost, this should have been the last 'Shrek.' No doubt about it," Roger G commented. "Why are we going from '(Shrek Forever After:) The Final Chapter to 'Shrek 5'?"
When will 'Shrek 5' be released?
"Shrek 5" is slated for a theater release on Dec. 23, 2026, according to the Universal Pictures website.
Watch the 'Shrek 5' trailer
Who makes up the 'Shrek 5' cast?
In addition to Zendaya, Universal Pictures has confirmed that some of the original cast is returning to for the film, including Mike Myers (Shrek), Eddie Murphy (Donkey) and Cameron Diaz (Fiona).
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at Paste BN. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.