10 Fairy Tale Characters Shrek 5 Can Introduce To The Franchise

Shrek 5 is the highly anticipated next installment of the Shrek franchise, and in the spirit of its predecessors, it’s only right that plenty of new fairy tale characters get added to the universe. At this point, almost every famous fairy tale has been represented in, and subverted by, a Shrek film, including the Puss in Boots spin-offs. However, there are some lesser-known fairy tales with darker elements that few mainstream films have adapted, as well as classics that deserve just as much praise as their counterparts.

The Shrek films are best known for questioning the traditional fairy tale format of heroes and happily ever afters, and humanizing the romantic figures in these stories. Beginning in 2001 with the first film, Shrek, the movie makes Shrek (Mike Meyers) the hero of the story, even though his being an ogre usually makes him the monster. Since then, each film has gotten bolder in subverting fairy tale tropes, and exploring how these characters would behave if they were more like regular people.

Related

Shrek 5: If It’s Still Happening, Cast & Everything We Know

It’s been a while since fans have seen a new Shrek movie and they’re getting impatient for Shrek 5. When’s the release date? Here’s what we know.

10 Kai & Gerda

The Snow Queen

The story of The Snow Queen was written in the 1800s by Danish fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen but was popularized by Disney’s loose adaptation of the legend in Frozen. Originally, the tale follows two children who are tricked by the Snow Queen, but eventually find each other and escape. Like most fairy tales, the adventures of Kai and Gerda are an allegory for growing up and discovering themselves as adults. Introducing the characters of the children would differentiate Disney’s adaptation, and the icy landscape of the story would be a new setting for Shrek 5 to explore.

9 Aladdin

One Thousand and One Nights; Aladdin

Within the book One Thousand and One Nights there is a rich collection of stories told through the frame of a narrator. Aladdin is one of these stories, and though it has been adapted into animation, live-action, and on stage, the tale never gets old. It’s true that Robin Williams’ Genie is a large part of Aladdin‘s legacy, but younger audience members might be less familiar with the Disney film. Additionally, Shrek has been known to take plenty of lost young men under his wing, and Aladdin would be the perfect character to follow this trend.

8 The Little Red Hen

The Little Red Hen

Outside the human realm, there are many stories about anthropomorphic animals that have made their way into the cultural landscape through their expert morality tales. The Little Red Hen is a lesser-known work that features the long-suffering Little Red Hen, whose friends refuse to help her and then expect to share the fruits of her labor. The Little Red Hen probably wouldn’t be the best protagonist, as she is more concerned with making bread than going on adventures, but she could be a hilarious bit part of the film that teaches the characters a lesson along the way.

7 Selkies

Scottish Folklore

Though not a character precisely, the Scottish and Irish legends of the selkie would be an enchanting addition to the next Shrek film, especially if the characters spend any time by the sea. Most prominently featured in the animated film, Song of The Sea, selkies are similar to mermaids, except they are seals who can take human form. Mermaids are a fun element of many films, but they have been adapted so many times they aren’t as exciting as they once were. Shaking up the mer-creature format by using a selkie instead is just what the Shrek films would do.

6 The Sister

The Six Swans

Stories like The Six Swans have been passed down through oral tradition for many generations, but the most popular version was written by the famous Brothers Grimm, who penned so many versions of fairy tales still relevant today. In the story, a young princess must work to save her brothers who have been turned into swans and cannot speak a word for six years. This is a harsh punishment and a dark story, making it the perfect opportunity for the sister to get the Shrek treatment and call into question her fate in the story.

Princesses in particular suffer rough treatment in fairy tales, but films like Shrek draw attention to this unfairness and show that these female characters are just as nuanced as the heroes who rescue them. The sister goes through much more than taking a vow of silence in the story and allowing her to break out of her fate and do something for herself in a film format could be an exciting development. Additionally, the six swan brothers would make for hilarious sight gags and physical comedy.

5 Karen

The Red Shoes

The balletic iteration of The Red Shoes did much to popularize the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen and is one of the best movies about ballet and ballerinas. In the story, a young woman is entranced by a pair of beautiful red shoes that take control of her body and force her to dance continuously when she puts them on. The shoes may be inanimate objects, but they’re one of the scarier villains in fairy tale history, and the Shrek films have often included magical artifacts that hold symbolic power, much like the shoes.

4 The Princess

The Princess and the Pea

In The Princess and the Pea, a young lady must prove that she is truly a princess and worthy of marrying a prince. The story is also by Hans Christian Andersen and is another example of a young woman being forced into a difficult position to achieve power and status. She proves that she is a princess by showing how delicate she is, claiming that a pea under her mattress is too uncomfortable. In newer versions, the princess goes to increasingly extreme lengths to show her demure nature, which would be a comical element for Shrek 5 to include.

3 The Twelve Princesses

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

The Twelve Dancing Princesses is included in Grimm’s Fairy Tales and features not just one princess, but the titular twelve, who all disappear each night to a magical kingdom where they dance with handsome princes. They keep their nighttime activities a secret, but eventually, it’s uncovered. What stands out the most about the story is the influence of dance on the women and the opportunity it presents for musical numbers. There have been several musical numbers throughout the Shrek films, and twelve princesses who dance every night is too easy a plot device to not take advantage of.

2 Scheherazade

One Thousand and One Nights

Aladdin may be one of the stories told in One Thousand and One Nights, but none of the stories would be possible without the narrator, Scheherazade. For one thousand and one nights she tells story after story to keep herself alive, each more intriguing than the last. She’s an epic figure in the fairy tale world, and having her serve as a narrator once again in a frame story for Shrek 5 would be a revolutionary move. This tactic could even make the next Shrek film be told in an anthology style, breaking the formula of the past movies.

1 Alice

Alice in Wonderland

Alice is one of the best fairy tale characters who isn’t a princess and, since Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is rotten on Rotten Tomatoes, a new adaptation of the story and characters is imminent. The animated Disney film is the most synonymous with the story, but Alice’s tale of adventure and transformation is one that many people know well. As the protagonist, Alice is smart, funny, and curious about the world around her. Transporting Shrek and his companions to Wonderland to meet Alice and interact with a new setting could spice up Shrek 5 and draw in audiences.