The release of Shrek 5 has been delayed until summer 2027.

The upcoming DreamWorks movie — whose teaser was slammed by fans — has been pushed back six months, moving from December 23, 2026 to June 30, 2027.

After the news broke, initially reported by Variety, fans online speculated that they ‘know why’ the release of the beloved franchise’s latest sequel has been postponed.

‘We all know why,’ Instagram user @taco_chacos wrote, while @solomon_br0 demanded, ‘Fix that animation.’

Eagle-eyed viewers called out the studio earlier this year after they noticed changes to Shrek’s appearance.

They accused animators of giving the titular character ‘rhinoplasty, lip filler, cheek implants, and a jaw shave’ among other tweaks.

The release of Shrek 5 has been delayed until summer 2027

The upcoming DreamWorks’ movie has been pushed back six months, moving from December 23, 2026 to June 30, 2027

Fans expressed online that they ‘know why’ the latest installment of the beloved franchise has been delayed, following the initial report from Variety.

Another person reacted, ‘Good! Hope that means they’re fixing the animation and writing.’ 

Someone else addd confidently: ‘They’re changing the character design, we all know that.’

‘Hopefully this means they’re changing the character design,’ another moviegoer echoed.

And @zenskittles contributed, ‘Still time to change the character designs,’ with crossed fingers. 

@emilyjeffri wishfully wrote that the delay is to ‘hopefully make the animation look somewhat similar’ to the previous movies. 

Others urged the studio to take its time while making adjustments to the project. 

‘Take your time DreamWorks. Take your time,’ @maxhechtman advised.

@adamcanterbury94 shared a GIF that read: ‘That’s okay, I’ll wait!!’

Variety mentioned that ‘the studio didn’t provide a reason for the delay,’ while Deadline suggested it could be because the summer is a ‘better’ time for the release.

Another person reacted, ‘Good! Hope that means they’re fixing the animation and writing’

@emilyjeffri wishfully wrote that the delay is to ‘hopefully make the animation look somewhat similar’ to the previous movie 

It’s the second delay for the film, which was originally slated for a July 2026 release. 

The new Shrek flick will be the first film in the main series since Shrek Forever After was released in 2010 and sees Zendaya join the cast as the titular ogre’s daughter Felicia.

Meanwhile, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz will return to lend their voices to Shrek, Donkey and Fiona respectively.

Eddie has suggested that Shrek 5 will be packed full of comedy just as the preceding films have been.

The 64-year-old actor told Extra in June: ‘I’ve recorded some great stuff. You know, we don’t get a full script when we do the Shrek movies. We get the dialogue that we’re doing for each session. And I know I’ve been doing some really funny stuff.’

Eddie explained that he will only get to see his co-stars at the premiere of the movie as all of his voice work for the picture was done alone.

He said: ‘At the end of the movie or when the movie comes out, we see each other at the premiere, but we don’t see each other the whole movie.

‘It’s all just you by yourself and a microphone.’

The Shrek 5 teaser was slammed in February, with fans accusing animators of giving the main character ‘rhinoplasty, lip filler, cheek implants, and a jaw shave’ among other tweaks

The February 2025 trailer featured a reimagined Shrek with six-pack abs and sculpted pecs

The Hollywood fixture revealed that Donkey is getting his own standalone film that will begin production in September.

Asked if Shrek 5’s animation is being worked on now, he told ScreenRant in July: ‘No, they’re still doing voiceover stuff. We’re still in the booth, and literally, we’re still doing Shrek.

‘We start in September on Donkey. We’re doing a Donkey one, and that’ll be three years from now, but we’re about two years into Shrek 5. Still in the booth and about to start Donkey in September.’

The Beverly Hills Cop star confirmed that Donkey will be getting in his own film in the same way that Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) has previously and that the picture will see him have his ‘own little story with his dragon wife.’

‘They’ve written this funny story. We’re doing that, starting that in September,’ he reiterated.

The prospect of Shrek 5 was first discussed by Illumination founder Chris Meledandri in 2023 as he expressed hope of reuniting the original cast for the movie.

The film producer told Variety: ‘We anticipate the cast coming back. Talks are starting now, and every indication that we’ve gotten is there’s tremendous enthusiasm on behalf of the actors to return.’