Despite being considered an “ugly duckling” by DreamWorks during its development, the Shrek saga has transformed into one of the company’s most successful franchises, with four movies (five soon) and various spin-offs. However, the character’s potential in the theme park realm has not been fully exploited. After several mediocre attempts in this universe, Universal has announced that, in 2026, Shrek will join other iconic characters like SpongeBob and the Minions at the new Universal Kids Resort in Texas, a family park aimed at the little ones
Despite being considered an “ugly duckling” by DreamWorks during its development, the saga of Shrek has transformed into one of the company’s most successful franchises, with four movies (five coming soon) and various spin-offs. However, the character’s potential in the theme park realm has not been fully exploited. After several mediocre attempts in this universe, Universal has announced that, in 2026, Shrek will join other iconic characters like SpongeBob and the Minions at the new Universal Kids Resort in Texas, a family park aimed at the little ones.
Shrek, second chance!
The decision to include Shrek in a park designed for a child audience has raised questions, especially considering that the character’s connection has primarily strengthened with the millennial audience. In fact, recent events like Shrek Retold, a fan remake that garnered over 11 million views and was created by around 200 artists, evidence that its greatest appeal lies with adults, many of whom are in their thirties. Shrek parties have proliferated, including unusual contests centered around the ogre figure, which contrasts with the family image that Universal wants to project.
Shrek’s journey in the theme parks has been marked by controversies. In 2022, Universal removed the popular Shrek 4D attraction in Florida, which generated strong discontent among fans and experts, who felt disappointed by the lack of ambition in related attractions. Similarly, other facilities in various parks have closed over the years, reinforcing the perception that the franchise has not received the treatment it deserves.
With the future of the new park in Texas still up in the air and no further details about its future attractions, Shrek fans are in a state of uncertainty. Some rumors suggest that Universal may be waiting to assess the reception of the upcoming Shrek movie before making more concrete announcements about its lineup at the new resort.
December 18, 2026 is shaping up to be a date of great competition in the film calendar, as the premieres of three titans of cinema will coincide: ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, ‘Dune: Part III’, and ‘Ice Age 6’. In light of this, Universal Pictures has made the strategic decision to postpone the highly anticipated release of ‘Shrek 5’, moving its debut from December 23, 2026, to June 30, 2027. Strategic moves The change in the release date is due, in part, to the intense competition anticipated during that holiday season. Additionally, the decision seems to be related […]
December 18, 2026, is shaping up to be a highly competitive date in the film calendar, as the premieres of three titans of cinema will coincide: ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, ‘Dune: Part III’, and ‘Ice Age 6’. In light of this, Universal Pictures has made the strategic decision to postpone the highly anticipated release of ‘Shrek 5’, moving its debut from December 23, 2026, to June 30, 2027.
Strategic Movements
The change in the release date is partly due to the intense competition anticipated in this holiday season. Additionally, the decision seems to be related to the need for improvements in the film, following the negative critical reception of the teaser released earlier this year. This first look was mocked on social media, where users criticized the character designs, even describing it as an AI interpretation of what ‘Shrek 5’ could be. The situation generated a flood of memes and requests for a redesign similar to what happened with the controversial ‘Sonic’ in its live-action adaptation.
‘Shrek 5’ will be directed by Walt Dohrn, Conrad Vernon, and Brad Ableson, and will feature a cast of iconic voices including Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and Zendaya, who will play the daughter of the famous ogre. Although details about the plot are still scarce, the movie is shaping up to be a potential box office hit for the summer of 2027.
With the new release date, Universal has the opportunity to strengthen the production of the film. We will be on the lookout for any news related to the development of ‘Shrek 5’ and its return to the beloved universe of the franchise.
If you ever wondered how Super Mario would fare in a 1-on-1 game with LeBron James, you need to read this.
Crossovers and gaming have a long history with each other. Some of the most successful franchises in gaming today are based on unlikely crossovers. Who would’ve ever thought we’d see Mario fight Sonic and Mega Man in Super Smash Bros? Or seeing Cloud Strife fight alongside Donald Duck in Kingdom Hearts?
While Smash and Kingdom Hearts are two beloved games that everyone loves, here are some really weird crossovers that may have flown under your radar.
5 most bizarre crossovers in gaming history
5. The guest characters in Tony Hawk
Can he shred? Listen bud, he’s got radioactive blood
The Tony Hawk series is acclaimed for its fast-paced arcade skateboarding gameplay, iconic soundtrack, and innovative combo system. The megapopular series exemplified skating culture in the late ’90s to early 2000s and helped to popularize extreme sports.
What you may or may not remember, however, is just how many weird guest characters hopped on board. While you had access to basically every major pro skater you could imagine, you could also choose from more colorful characters from popular culture. You could pop ollies as Marvel superheroes like Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Iron Man, grind along rails as Shrek, and hit 1080 melons with Darth Maul and Jango Fett. Even Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5, which is a horrible game, included guests like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Lil Wayne, and Tyler the Creator.
Unlocking all of these characters required searching every inch of every level for secrets, but the novelty of seeing Wolverine skate past Darth Maul was totally worth it.
4. Fortune Street/Mario Hoops 3-on-3
While mashing together Mario characters and Square Enix characters may sound strange at first, it’s really no weirder than Kingdom Hearts. However, when you mix both franchises with a Monopoly-style board game you get the bizarre stitched-together game Fortune Street. Like Monopoly, Fortune Street has players rolling dice and traveling a board to buy property. Instead of playing as a boot or a top hat, players can take control of Mario, Dragon Quest’s Slime, and other mismatched characters. The series is popular and enduring in Japan but has yet to achieve the same success overseas.
Mario Hoops 3-on-3, another collab between Square Enix and Nintendo, makes slightly more sense. For the most part, the game is your standard arcadey Mario sports game, complete with exaggerated gameplay and crazy power-ups. What makes this game unique among Mario sports games is the inclusion of Final Fantasy characters like Cactuar, Black Mage, and Moogle. If, for whatever reason, your dream is to see Waluigi get dunked on by the White Mage, then this is the game for you. The music is also incredibly infectious.
3. Mario meets LeBron
Mario should get scouted by the Cavs soon enough
In the most unlikely basketball crossover since “Space Jam,” Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach face off against NBA superstars in NBA Street Vol 3. Giving LeBron the humbling he deserves as Mario himself was an amazing feeling back in the day, but don’t hold your breath on the Mario crew appearing in the next 2K. The Mario crew appearing in the NBA Street series is all the more hilarious as the game features a much grittier art style and aesthetic than the more pristine NBA 2K series.
The inclusion of Mario and friends was part of a licensing agreement between EA and Nintendo. The agreement also saw the Mario Bros. as playable characters in SSX On Tour, letting the brothers pull off radical midair snowboarding stunts. The most bizarre crossover to come out of this agreement, however, was the inclusion of Punch-Out boxer Little Mac in EA’s Fight Night Round 2. Little Mac is the only cartoonish boxer in the game, and his 3-D model looks absolutely horrifying.
Mac really went downhill after taking down Mike Tyson
2. Dream Mix TV: World Fighters
Want to see Solid Snake fight Optimus Prime? What, you’ve never even thought of that? Even so, make it happen with Dream Mix TV: World Fighters. Dream Mix is a Smash-like fighting game released only in Japan. Developed through a collaboration between Konami, Hudson, and Takara (a popular Japanese toy company), Dream Mix presents its fights through the lens of an intergalactic TV show. Desperate to boost ratings, a bunch of TV executives summon heroes from across the universe to do battle, including Bomberman, Simon Belmont, Megatron, and Tyson (yes, from Beyblade).
The game is a side-scrolling platform fighter like Smash. Instead of racking up damage percent, fighters in Dream Mix knock hearts out of their opponents. If you collect enough of your opponent’s hearts, their soul will leave their body and fly around. If you can collect their soul before they do, you eliminate them from the match. The game is something that needs to be truly seen to be believed, so here you go.
1. Monster Hunter and literally everything
If you’re a fan of the long-running series Monster Hunter, then you probably know that the games have plenty of crossovers. You may not realize the staggering amount and sheer variety of crossovers involving Monster Hunter, so I’ll list them some of them out for you:
Hello Kitty
Metal Gear
Inyusha
Dead Rising
Attack on Titan
Hatsune Miku
Zelda
Mario
Metroid
Star Fox
Animal Crossing
Fire Emblem
Street Fighter
Mega Man
Devil May Cry
One Piece
Neon Genesis Evangelion
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Sonic the Hedgehog
Pizza Hut
Resident Evil
Yu-Gi-Oh
Ace Attorney
Sailor Moon
Hunter x Hunter
Marvel vs Capcom
Super Smash Bros
The Witcher
Is there anything Monster Hunter hasn’t crossed over with? The answer, of course, is no. The Pizza Hut collab has to be the greatest crossover in gaming history.
