Somebody once told us the world was going to roll us.
Apparently, it rolled us straight back into the swamp.
Twenty-five years after audiences first met a grumpy green ogre who just wanted everyone to leave him alone, “Shrek” is heading into another major era. With “Shrek 5” now less than a year away, Universal is expanding the DreamWorks Animation franchise across EMEA with new retail partnerships, fan experiences, events and more planned on the road to the film’s summer 2027 release.
And judging by everything happening around the franchise, Shrek’s swamp is getting pretty crowded again.
A new generation has already been given the chance to physically step into Shrek’s world at Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas. DreamWorks’ Shrek’s Swamp brings the characters to life through family-friendly attractions, interactive play areas, character encounters, themed food and merchandise designed for kids and the grown-ups accompanying them.
Now that momentum is expanding across Europe.
Beginning this Q4, Universal is preparing locally focused “Shrek” retail campaigns, experiences and partnerships across EMEA. In the U.K. and Ireland, that includes campaigns with ASDA, The Entertainer and The Works, while additional activations are planned throughout the region.
Fans are also getting considerably more than another trip down the toy aisle.
“Shrek” has been part of San Diego Comic-Con Málaga, the original film is receiving a 25th anniversary theatrical re-release in Italy and “Shrek The Musical” is bringing the characters to the stage in Paris. Additional retail and shopping center activations are also planned, including appearances at Klépierre Malls in France.
Put everything together and it becomes increasingly clear that Universal isn’t simply waiting for “Shrek 5” to arrive.
It’s rebuilding the world around it.
The next theatrical adventure will reunite Mike Myers as Shrek, Eddie Murphy as Donkey and Cameron Diaz as Fiona, with Zendaya also joining the film. Universal plans to support the movie across film, television, streaming, consumer products, theme parks and digital experiences, creating plenty of opportunities for families to encounter these characters before and after they return to theaters.
That’s especially interesting for a franchise like “Shrek.”
The kids who first watched Shrek and Donkey head off to rescue Fiona in 2001 aren’t exactly kids anymore. Many now have children of their own, while Shrek, Donkey and Fiona have continued finding younger audiences long after that original theatrical run.
So when Universal puts Shrek inside a new children’s resort while simultaneously celebrating the original movie’s 25th anniversary, those two audiences aren’t really separate.
They’re generations of the same fandom.
Parents can return to characters they grew up laughing with while their children discover why an ogre, a talking donkey and a princess completely changed what a fairy tale could look like.
And “Shrek 5” isn’t even the end of what Universal has planned.
In 2028, Eddie Murphy’s Donkey will finally move from sidekick to leading man with his first spin-off movie, which is set to explore the origins of one of the franchise’s most beloved characters.
After spending decades talking his way through everybody else’s adventures, we’d say he has earned it.
For now, though, the road leads back to the swamp.
With new experiences, retail partnerships, theatrical celebrations and live entertainment already building toward “Shrek 5” next summer, Universal isn’t simply bringing one of DreamWorks Animation’s biggest franchises back for another movie.
It’s making “Shrek” feel like an event again.
And after 25 years, generations of fans are being invited along for the ride.
Just don’t forget the waffles.