After the first look at Shrek 5 was released, fans noticed one weird change to Shrek's daughter, who will be played by Zendaya.
Shrek's Daughter Looks a Little Different in New 2026 Movie
Universal Pictures recently revealed the first look at Shrek 5 with a cast announcement video, confirming the returns of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy, along with the addition of franchise newcomer Zendaya.
The 27-second teaser stirred up controversy for the redesigns of Shrek and the gang, all of which look rather different from their last appearances.
One freshly revealed face in the trailer was Zendaya, who will be voicing Shrek's daughter Felicia in the 2026 movie. That said, the studio has seemingly made one weird change to Felicia from when she last appeared 15 years ago.
When Felicia last appeared, she was one of three ogre triplets alongside Shrek's two sons Fergus and Farkle. But now, going into Shrek 5, she will be all grown up and ready to play an important role in the next movie.
Putting Felicia's Shrek Forever After design side-by-side with Shrek 5, her eye color has notably changed from blue to brown while her hair has also shifted from blonde to red as Zendaya takes over the role.
Exactly why Felicia has seemingly been changed so drastically is unclear, but as this first look only comes from a cast announcement video and the movie is still over a year away, there's always time for her design to change.
Now that A-lister Zendaya is stepping into Felicia's ogre boots for Shrek 5, the design changes may have been made to closer resemble the actress. Putting Shrek's daughter side-by-side with the Spider-Man: No Way Home star, the pair's eye colors do seem to align and Zendaya has rocked dyed red hair before.
As Shrek's fairytale realm is, obviously, fictional, there's always the chance that changing eye colors over the years is simply part of Ogre Biology 101. As it is humans can experience shifts in eye color over the years due to sun exposure and aging, although it usually isn't quite as drastic as this seems to be.
Shrek's daughter is the only of the ogre triplets to be cast for the franchise's next installment, spurring one grim theory about Fergus and Farkle's fates. But perhaps their castings are still to come or maybe they just won't be as pivotal to Shrek 5.
Shrek 5 hits theaters on December 18, 2026.
