The Shrek Movie Worth Watching Right Now (It Isn't Shrek 5)

If you searched for the newest Shrek movie hoping to plan a family movie night, here's the honest situation. Shrek 5 is real and in production, but it has been delayed twice and now carries a release date of June 30, 2027. All that exists so far is a short teaser. There are no critic scores, no audience verdicts, no box-office numbers — every one of those is genuinely awaited.

So if you want a Shrek-universe film that actually delivers tonight, the answer is the spin-off that already came out and quietly became the best-reviewed entry in the entire franchise: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Below is a balanced look at why it works, where it stumbles, and a clear parents' guide — plus a quick read on why the Shrek 5 teaser has fans arguing.

The Shrek 5 wait, and the teaser fight

Let's clear the air on the sequel first, because the chatter is loud and the facts are thin. The teaser introduced redesigned characters with softer contours, rounder faces and larger eyes. A vocal section of longtime fans pushed back hard, arguing the new look strips away the rough, slightly grotesque texture that made the 2001 original feel handmade. Comparisons to generic studio animation flew around freely.

The reaction is genuinely mixed, not a clean pile-on. Plenty of viewers defended the change, saying the designs read better in motion and that DreamWorks deserves credit for not flinching. Zendaya has been cast as Shrek and Fiona's teenage daughter, reportedly named Felicia, though recent trailer footage has leaned heavily on Shrek and Donkey and kept her largely out of frame. Until the film is finished and reviewed, treat every plot and quality claim as unconfirmed.

Why The Last Wish is the one to watch now

Here is the part that isn't speculation. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish holds a 97% critics score and a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which makes it the highest-rated film in the Shrek series by that measure. It earned a Best Animated Feature nomination at the Oscars, and also at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Critics' Choice Awards. Commercially it pulled in roughly $484 million worldwide, comfortably one of 2022's biggest animated hits.

Those numbers matter because they line up with what audiences actually felt rather than nostalgia talking. This was the rare late sequel that critics and ordinary viewers agreed on.

What genuinely works

The praise centres on a few specific strengths, and they hold up:

• The visuals. The film blends a painterly, comic-book style with traditional animation, and the action sequences have a snap and weight that most family films don't attempt. It looks expensive and inventive at once.
• A real villain. The antagonist is a personification of Death, a wolf voiced by Wagner Moura, and he is treated as a genuine threat rather than a comic foil. The character is patient, menacing and memorable — and the dread he carries is what lifts the film above standard kids' fare.
• An honest theme. Puss, down to his last of nine lives, has to confront mortality, fear and what makes a life worth living. The emotion is earned, not slapped on for a third-act tear.
• The voice work. Antonio Banderas returns as Puss with that familiar swagger, and Salma Hayek brings warmth and bite as Kitty Softpaws. Their chemistry anchors the story.

The combination of slapstick, sincerity and a touch of genuine fright is what reviewers responded to. It's a comedy that respects its audience enough to scare them a little.

Where it stumbles

No film is flawless, and an honest read has to note the softer spots. The plot leans on a fairly familiar structure — a magical quest, a map, a race against rivals — and the middle stretch packs in several side characters who compete for screen time. A trio of crime-family antagonists provides comic relief that some viewers found a little broad next to the sharper menace of the Death subplot.

The tonal range is also a double-edged sword. The film swings from goofy gags to real existential weight, and a small number of viewers felt the lighter material undercut the heavier scenes. These are quibbles rather than damning faults, which is exactly why the scores stayed so high, but they're worth flagging so you go in with clear eyes.

A short parents' guide

This is the bit families most need, because The Last Wish is not as gentle as its cuddly-cat marketing suggests.

• Rating and length. It's rated PG, with a runtime of about 100 minutes (1 hour 42 minutes). The PG covers action, violence, some scary moments and rude humour.
• How fun is it for kids? Very. The pace is brisk, the jokes land for both children and adults, and the animation alone will hold young attention. Older children and tweens tend to love it.
• The fear factor. This is the key caution. The villain being Death is not a metaphor kept off-screen — he is genuinely frightening, with intense, suspenseful build-ups. Several family-review services flag panic-attack imagery and themes of mortality as too much for the youngest viewers.
• Age suitability. As a practical guide, it suits children around 7 and up well. For 6 to 8 year-olds, watch alongside them. For under 6, the scares and themes are likely too intense, and many guides advise against it for that age.
• Other content notes. Cartoon violence is frequent but mostly played for laughs, there's mild rude humour, and the emotional stakes around death and anxiety may prompt questions from sensitive kids — which, handled well, can be a good conversation rather than a problem.

The short version: this is a smart, beautiful, funny film that treats children as capable of handling real feelings, but it is meaningfully scarier than a typical animated comedy. Pick the age right and it's a standout.

What comes next

For anyone tracking the bigger picture, DreamWorks has plenty riding on Shrek 5, and the teaser debate shows how protective audiences still are of these characters two decades on. Whether the new art style wins people over will only be settled when the film arrives in 2027 and the real reviews land. Until then, treat the hype cautiously.

If you want the genuine article right now — the Shrek-universe film that critics, awards bodies and ordinary viewers all rated highly — Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is the easy recommendation, with the one honest caveat that you should mind your child's age before pressing play.