Donkey At Universal Theme Park Makes Fun Of Shrek 5 Trailer: "It Looked Rough!"

The Universal theme park version of Shrek's Donkey roasts the Shrek 5 trailer. After the main franchise has been on hiatus for years, Shrek 5 is currently in development. The film's teaser trailer was recently released, revealing a look at the new character designs, including Shrek and Fiona's daughter, Felicia. Along with this trailer release, Universal announced Zendaya has been cast as Felicia. The movie is currently set for release on Christmas 2026.

Now, a TikTok video from epicfamilyquests has revealed a Universal Studios Donkey experience that pokes fun at the Shrek 5 trailer.

The video shows an animatronic version of Donkey interacting with the theme park's Fiona actor, along with park guests. Donkey mentions that Fiona's "husband is embarrassed" to show his face because he "doesn't want to get questions about the new trailer." Donkey continued on, saying "Felicia looked 15." Donkey also mentioned his own design, saying "It look rough" and "Donkey looks homeless."

What This Means For Shrek 5

The Shrek Team Is Listening To Its Audience

The characters in Shrek 5 looking at memes

This Universal theme park experience comes after the Shrek 5 trailer was released to significant criticism. The teaser featured aged-up versions of Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey, as the ogres are now middle-aged parents. Viewers were surprised and aghast with how DreamWorks had treated the revised animation for the characters. Some even felt like the animation quality had diminished from the original, which came out over two decades ago.

A custom image of Donkey, Shrek, and Puss in Boots from the Shrek franchise

Why Shrek & Donkey's Animation Looks Different in Shrek 5

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Instead of rejecting the backlash, it seems that Universal is leaning into it. This could be a smart marketing tactic, as it shows that the studio is listening to its fan base, a reactive strategy that was already evident in the trailer's incorporation of viral online Shrek memes. Poking fun at themselves through theme park characters like Donkey could be a way to make fans feel heard and spark further discourse. If coupled with actual improved animation where necessary, this could greatly increase Shrek 5's success potential.

Our Take On The Donkey Universal Theme Park Roasts

Felicia's Age Might Be Kind Of Correct

The Shrek dancing filter in the Shrek 5 trailer

While the animatronic Donkey roasts are undeniably hilarious, I take issue with one particular design critique. Donkey notes, seemingly criticizingly, that Shrek 5's "Felicia looked 15." While her exact age has not been determined yet, Felicia and her brothers were still infants when Shrek Forever After came out in 2010. If the upcoming sequel portrays a similar passage of time in-universe as happened in the real world, this age estimate would not be that off for the character. Of course, her voice actor, Zendaya, is much older than 15, but that particular Shrek 5 diss may be less valid than other concerns.

Source: TikTok/epicfamilyquests