Delays are never fun, especially for franchises as beloved as DreamWorks’ Shrek, though this time around there is a silver lining. Today it has been revealed (via Deadline) that Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek 5 has been delayed from July 1st of 2026 to Wednesday, December 23rd of 2026, so while it will still happen during the year it will now take place at the tail end of it. There is some good news though, as there was also the announcement that Illumination’s Minions 3 will now move up to earlier in the year.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Minions 3 was originally slated to release June 30th of 2027, but now it’s moving up almost an entire year earlier to Shrek 5’s previous date of July 2026. For fans of the Minions (which there are many, including the person writing this very article), this is great news, so it will end up being a pretty big year for DreamWorks animation overall now.
As for the reasoning behind the move, the report credits that to the box office power of the Minions, which fall under the incredibly profitable Despicable Me franchise. The franchise has had strong showings during the Independence Day timeframe in the past, and Despicable Me 4 only continued that trend with its impressive $230 Million worldwide box office during its opening weekend.
There’s also one other shift of note, which is an untitled Illumination movie moving from March 19th of 2027 to Wednesday, June 30th of 2027. Not the biggest shift, and we don’t know yet what this project actually is, but hopefully we’ll know more details soon.
[RELATED: Shrek 5 Officially Announced, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz Returning]
Shrek 5 was announced last year, and will be bringing back franchise stars Mike Myers (Shrek), Cameron Diaz (Fiona), and Eddie Murphy (Donkey). While it’s not official yet, it is also expected that Antonio Banderas will reprise the role of Puss in Boots in the project, especially after the success of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
As for Minions, the film will be written by Brian Lynch (Minions, Big Helium Dog) and directed by Pierre Coffin (Despicable Me), and will be produced by Chris Meledandri and Bill Ryan. No details have been revealed regarding the story or which characters outside of the Minions will be involved, though the last film featured the Minions finally meeting a young Gru, so it could end up picking up right from there.
Are you excited for Shrek 5 and Minions 3? You can talk all things movies and animation with me on Bluesky @KnightofOA!
