What to Know
When the first trailer for Shrek 5 came out and fans had issues with the animation, DreamWorks seeped to take those critiques to heart. Because in the trailer that dropped in June 2026, things look a little different…including Fiona. So much so that people aren’t really sure what to make of her now. In a TikTok that one user shared with their own commentary about the character in the franchise, you can see a big difference between the OG Fiona and the Fiona in the fifth Shrek movie.
In the TikTok, the user, Risa, asks why they gave Fiona a total makeover to make her look more conventionally attractive by today’s standards. The point of the first movie was to show that Fiona is an ogre and that it doesn’t matter what’s on the outside, because she chooses Shrek, from the swamp, over the handsome prince who turns out to be a total jerk. But now, with Fiona’s makeover, the message was kind of lost along the way.
Fiona looks different in ‘Shrek 5.’
@hoarderprincess Shrek 5 animators did Fiona so dirty. At least Gingy looked good bouncin that thang #greenscreen #shrek #women #fiona #film ♬ Creepy and simple horror background music(1070744) – howlingindicator
In the TikTok, Risa describes the changes she noted in Fiona from the original movies to the 2026 installment in the franchise.
“Can anyone tell me why they gave Fiona from Shrek buccal fat removal, a chin transplant, a nose job, and airbrushed collarbone?” She questions in her video. “Just to remind you, this is a character who chose to remain an ogre because that was her true love, real self.”
She then points to how Shrek looks and how the animators chose to age him, but seemingly make Fiona look even younger.
“That is not the same character,” Risa adds. “This is such an indicator of where we are as a society. Why won’t y’all let her look like that? She literally was like, ‘this is me, and this is how I look, and you like it, and I like it, and we like it, we are ogres.'”
At face value, sure, Shrek and Fiona look like who they are supposed to be. But this seems to go beyond animation changes in general or different artists working on the movie, if that’s the case. Fiona’s makeover, so to speak, is just so obvious.
Someone commented, “And they made her SMALL. No! She was big and strong and an ICON.”
Another user pointed out, “The point of Shrek was to go against Disney’s super pretty princess trope…”
There are also thoughts on the animation in ‘Shrek 5.’
Nothing is going to compare to the original Shrek or even to the original sequels. But after the trailer was released, fans discussed on Reddit how they feel about the changes that came with advances in technology from Shrek Forever After which was released in 2010.
“Idk how to describe it, but it feels more detailed and graphically better while also looking more cartoonish than the prior films,” one Reddito noted. “It’s kinda uncanny to me if I’m being honest.”
Someone responded, “Agreed, I wouldn’t say it’s bad. It’s just not Shrek in my opinion, feels a lot like what AI would think an older Shrek looks like.”
“It’s much better than the first teaser we got, but that was a low bar,” another user commented.
People were already skeptical about the fifth ‘Shrek’ movie.
The plot for Shrek 5 involves Shrek and Fiona raising their three teenage kids and going on a journey to another magical city. But things go awry when Shrek and his sons, along with Donkey, find themselves in jail. Other details aren’t totally clear, but when the first announcement dropped in January 2025 on the official YouTube account for DreamWorks, the characters looked a little off and people were quick to discuss that.
Eventually, however, the comments were turned off. Apparently, DreamWorks took note of the issues, because animators set to work seemingly altering the characters yet again. Fiona, for example, looks different in the official trailer than she does in that teaser. But still, fans are just not too happy.
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