The first look at Shrek 5 has been revealed in a short casting announcement video, and although it’s a very brief video, it supports the biggest theory about the movie’s plot and Shrek’s past. The trend of long-awaited sequels is no longer surprising, but it has given studios a good reason to revisit some of their most popular and beloved franchises. Joining this in 2026 (over a decade after its last movie) is Shrek, with a fifth movie simply тιтled Shrek 5, at least for now.

Directed by Walt Dohrn and Conrad Vernon, Shrek 5 reunites the audience with Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers), Fiona (Cameron Diaz), and Donkey (Eddie Murphy). Joining them is Felicia (Zendaya), Shrek and Fiona’s now teenage daughter, and so far, there’s no sign of her siblings also being present in this movie. The first Shrek 5 teaser was released to announce Zendaya’s casting, and even though it’s a very brief video, it hints at the biggest theory about the movie’s story being true.

Shrek 5’s Teaser Hints At The Movie Being A Story About (Ogre) Family

Felicia’s Presence Is A Big Clue

The first look at Shrek 5 is less than 30 seconds long and doesn’t reveal plot details – not explicitly, at least. The teaser shows Shrek and Donkey asking the Magic Mirror who is the fairest of them all. The Magic Mirror replies that it’s Shrek, and shows some of the most viral Shrek memes of recent years. Shrek and Donkey are then joined by Fiona and Felicia, one of Shrek and Fiona’s now-teenage children. Pinocchio pops up when Shrek asks who has been making the memes, and he lies saying that he didn’t.

Leaving aside the different animation style in Shrek 5, which has sparked a lot of debate and early backlash for the movie, the short teaser hints at the movie being a story about Shrek’s family. Shrek 3 first touched on this topic as Fiona’s pregnancy was revealed, and later Shrek Forever After revolved around Shrek’s wish to have some time for himself after being overwhelmed with his duties as a father.

However, none of them are full-on family stories, instead focusing on Shrek’s inner struggles. With Felicia having a main role in Shrek 5 (confirmed by Zendaya’s casting), Shrek 5 could be a lot more focused on this ogre family and Shrek’s family story, thus supporting the most popular theory about the movie’s plot.

Shrek 5’s Biggest Theory Claims Shrek’s Father Will Return

Shrek’s Father Could Finally Make An Appearance

A theory shared on Reddit suggests that Shrek 5 will go into Shrek’s backstory, explaining what happened to his parents and exploring his relationship with him. This theory suggests Shrek’s parents will be like he was at the beginning of the saga, meaning they will be ogres who hate humans and don’t want to socialize with any other creatures. Shrek’s parents would be pleased to know Shrek now has a family, but not when they learn that Shrek has become softer, kinder, and has befriended many other creatures, as have his children.

Shrek’s parents could see this as Shrek renouncing his ogre nature, creating conflict between the families, as Shrek and Fiona have raised their children based on empathy. Felicia and her siblings could side with their grandparents, making the tension between both families even bigger. Now, another Reddit theory has a different idea of how Shrek 5 can explore the family backstory of Shrek, and it suggests introducing his father.

Shrek once mentioned that his father tried to eat him when he was little, pointing to a complicated relationship with him. Shrek could bond with his father over their struggles as parents, but linking to the theory above, Shrek’s father would surely have very different ideas about how ogres should be and how Shrek should be raising his kids. The presence of their grandfather could be greatly influential on Felicia and her siblings, bringing trouble for their parents.

The Shrek Movies Haven’t Addressed What Happened To Shrek’s Family (& Other Ogres)

Shrek’s Biggest Mystery Is About The Ogres

The biggest mystery in the Shrek movie series is what happened to Shrek’s family and other ogres. Since the first movie, Shrek has been the only ogre around, and it’s important to remember that Fiona is a human who was turned into an ogre. Shrek’s family hasn’t appeared in any of the movies and the only mention of them has been when Shrek said his father tried to eat him once. However, there were many ogres in the alternate timeline of Shrek Forever After.

This is the timeline where Shrek was never born, making way for the theory that Shrek was the only ogre who survived the ogre killings in Far Far Away. When Shrek returns to his correct timeline, the ogres are nowhere to be seen, and even though they appear in the musical number right at the end of the movie, these aren’t considered canon. Shrek 5 is the best chance to finally address what happened to Shrek’s family, more so now that his children are older and will surely have questions about their family and why there aren’t more ogres around them.

Shrek 5 Solving His Family Mystery Would Be The Saga’s Perfect Ending

Shrek 5 Can Give A Satisfying Ending To The Movie Series

Although Shrek Forever After gave closure to Shrek’s story by having him go through a very intense experience so he would learn to appreciate his family, it still didn’t quite feel like an ending. The mystery of Shrek’s family and the rest of the ogres is part of why the fourth movie never felt like a proper ending for me, but Shrek 5 can be that fitting ending. In addition to that, this would continue the saga’s trend of Shrek’s character development and growth, as he would be facing his trauma and healing a key chapter in his life.

I’m not expecting a happy ending in which Shrek and his parents reconcile and they all become a big happy ogre family (though I’m not opposed to that at all), but the saga definitely needs to address the mysteries of Shrek’s family past in Shrek 5. It’s even more important after the backlash the movie is already getting after the brief teaser. The different animation, which makes the characters look too strange, has led to some asking for the movie to be scrapped if the animation isn’t changed, so Shrek 5 now has even bigger challenges to overcome.

While the quality and style of the animation will be key to Shrek 5’s success or failure, the story will obviously be very important, too. The wait for Shrek 5 has been too long, so it will have to have an engaging, entertaining, and funny story that also has emotional depth, and the family path is its best option.

Source: Reddit.