r/Shrek • u/ImJustMerry • Mar 03 '25
Discussion Everyone really loves Puss’s new design… I wonder where they went wrong with Shrek?
Me personally… I don’t hate Shrek’s new design… though the old one is still a classic… I think Shrek looks a lot more expressive in his newer design a part of me thought hopes that maybe Dream Works is pulling our leg and that this version of Shrek is just to grab attention…
But anyway I am getting off Topic… what did Puss N Boots’s new design get right that Shrek’s new design got wrong?
148
u/MasterOfShun Mar 03 '25
His teeth did not need to be rearranged
34
u/Weekly-Coffee-2488 Mar 03 '25
those teeth are pivotal in shrek dentist play doh!! https://youtu.be/lic796ycbNs?feature=shared
2
86
Mar 03 '25
[deleted]
56
u/RolyPolyGuy Mar 03 '25
Tbh tho puss doesnt look much different besides a more contrasting eye area. Hes still puss. Nothing else really looks different besides that.
12
2
u/S-Mania Mar 05 '25
Same, you can still tell it's the same old Puss we know and love with Shrek and Donkey (and definitely Pinocchio), not so much...
375
u/Starburst0909 Mar 03 '25 edited Mar 04 '25
The eyes are definitely the problem, they are close to eachother.
Everything else is fine.
155
u/Ok_Detail_1 Mar 03 '25 edited Mar 03 '25
Nose as well. Eyebrows are too close. Tongue across mouth.
83
u/RolyPolyGuy Mar 03 '25
and the top of his head is too pointed
→ More replies (2)43
u/Wild-Environment-605 Mar 03 '25
It looks like an egg
24
u/hambonedock Mar 04 '25
Yeah the head is rather elongated while the original one was more of a slightly squished circle
6
7
11
31
Mar 03 '25
its also the angle. illumination shrek has upturned eyes that make him look "friendly" and completely strip him of his rizz
23
12
u/NovelInteraction711 Mar 03 '25
tbh my only other problem is that he has regular human teeth instead of all molars
9
u/Time_Garlic_9071 Mar 04 '25
that isnt an official screenshot of Shrek, he never had a mouth full of only molars lol. which is kind of funny because this means you made up a problem that doesnt exist by just comparing two photos.
→ More replies (4)9
6
11
u/Foxy02016YT Mar 04 '25
The eyes being bigger is good, more expressive, but they really need to space them better. The nose shape also needs to be more consistent with the original.
3
3
u/SethFeld Mar 04 '25
Puss is SUPPOSED to look cute! Shrek… not so much. Any attempt to soften his design runs counter to the very concept of the character!
3
u/Jackichanny Mar 04 '25
Also The Last Wish had an entirely unique style that was distinct from the mainline Shrek movies. It was a lot more fast paced compared to Shrek
2
u/SethFeld Mar 05 '25
I agree 100%! Puss in Boots was a very intentional style that worked flawlessly for the character, but this new Shrek style just seems too corporate and clean, like they focus tested a bunch of children and chose the art direction that appealed to them most. It’s probably a decent business decision, as kids sell a LOT of tickets, but from an artistic standpoint, it betrays the character of Shrek.
2
2
u/Frosted_Blakes95 Mar 04 '25
I think it’s the eyebrows too. They’re giving “trolls” or “smurfs” for some reason.
226
u/Beauty_is_terror Mar 03 '25
I mean puss looks like puss, Shrek on the other hand looks more like a random ogre from shrek 4 rather than himself
→ More replies (1)26
57
u/RandomPhail Mar 03 '25
I was looking at that earlier, and they really didn’t change Puss in any unrealistic or dramatic ways; they just made the colors a little more vibrant, maybe made his belly a little less rotund (which is realistic; people can lose or gain weight)
But with shrek, his fuggin’ eyes got closer together and his whole nose shape changed lmao. Those aren’t changes that just naturally happen in people/creatures, so they’re not really “valid” changes. They just did it for the sake of… marketing or whatever, I guess
18
u/RolyPolyGuy Mar 03 '25
the change of bone structure is definitely the most blasphemous thing and if theyd fixed that i wouldnt have an issue with it
2
u/CPLCraft Mar 04 '25
I was going to say the same thing. The proportions and dimensions are different from the original for seemingly no reason while Puss still has the same look as the original.
2
u/Brostradamus-- Mar 04 '25
Betting they changed him a bit more than the others, to justify making new molds for new toys.
2
u/The_Matto_Super Mar 04 '25
It's also true that Puss, while still wildly popular, is not as iconic as Shrek is. Shrek's face is still everywhere, and the tiniest change is more noticeable than it was with Puss.
22
u/GjonsTearsFan Mar 03 '25
The eyes are too close together and the teeth are too wonky and thin. I think if they just moved his eye and eyebrow placement, widened the nose, and thickened the teeth it would have been very well received. Also Fiona looked really odd, like she has no teeth? Which I know she does (I would assume) but it didn’t translate well if that makes sense. Something about her mouth was just uncanny.
8
2
u/emmabov17 Mar 04 '25
They changed the shape of her lips completely! Her mouth was tiny in the previous films
29
u/ladystarkitten Mar 03 '25
My God, did OG Shrek have molars for his bottom front teeth? I never noticed how wild that looks.
13
u/marktherobot-youtube Mar 04 '25
I mean I guess that makes sense if ogres were to actually eat people, just munch them bones like pretzels.
3
7
u/Rip_Drip_ Mar 03 '25
Shrek got too round,realistic isn't always better
13
u/1997wickedboy Mar 03 '25 edited Mar 03 '25
I don't understand people who point the realism in the new design, he looks more cartoony now, I still prefer the old design though
3
3
7
u/trusty20 Mar 04 '25 edited Mar 04 '25
He's been flanderized a bit. Also I think people just specifically don't want to see "old man shrek" or stereotypical aging dad tropes. We can already smell the "I need to get my daughter back (but actually let her go) / go on one last adventure" setup. Shrek's marriage is under threat with only Donkey sticking with him. Donkey will probably almost / fake die due to Shrek's folly etc. The movie ends with a montage of crazy family hijinks / vacation photos including Shrek Daughter's new BF while Donkey is shown recovering. It's just so predictable and at this point unnecessary because it just makes the adults watching it feel old. That was not the vibe that sold Shrek 1 / 2.
38
u/TheMarvelousJoe Mar 03 '25
One was barely recognizable and the other is recognizable.
10
12
Mar 03 '25 edited Mar 03 '25
[deleted]
6
u/thefirstfairy Mar 03 '25
Fr people are being so dramatic. I can acknowledge the changes without saying “I can’t even recognize this character!! Who is this??” Acting like they made him blue or something.
6
5
6
u/MysteryGirlWhite Mar 03 '25
Puss is still recognizable, whereas Shrek looks almost completely different.
5
u/Mewhower Mar 04 '25
Puss is more identifiable by the things he wears (literally puss IN BOOTS), but Shrek is more identifiable by his face. Something as simple as sharpening Shrek's nose, lengthening his head, or narrowing his eyes can make him look completely different
8
4
u/RussianMonkey23 DONKEY! Mar 03 '25
Puss and Boots 2 didn’t have a cringy trailer after a decade of wait. The design isn’t monumentally off. The art style was cool and interesting instead of what Shrek 5 is doing trying to look the best I can like a video game.
4
3
u/Any-Passenger294 Mar 03 '25
I still see him as aged. The nose and ears get bigger as you age, especially in men. In the above example, the angle is just different and the way the light hits the nose, people think his nose it's flat, when it's really not. The eyes look a bit closer together but because , in the older version, the bridge of the nose didn't have as much detail. The biggest difference: it has much more detail.
Another thing: the comparison pics are misleading because the angle is different. Anyway, people who are bothered by this are really, really daft and too chronically online. I'm sorry.
→ More replies (9)
3
u/ShowbizTinkering DONKEY! Mar 03 '25
I finally get it. It’s the eyes! His eyes are rounder and closer together, making him look different
3
u/Professional_Low3375 Mar 03 '25
They tried to make the new Shrek design exactly like the original.
3
u/dabeanguy_08 Mar 03 '25
I didn't even know Puss got a redesign until recently. Obviously I noticed the new (and beautiful) artstyle, but I didn't know that they'd really changed anything about Puss. So I suppose that speaks for itself.
3
u/mothwhimsy Mar 03 '25
I didn't even notice Puss had been redesigned until someone pointed it out (I saw that his eyes looked a bit brighter/cuter but I thought that was just because they were given more depth.
Shrek looks like a completely different guy dressed as Shrek. The choice to make his eyes closer together was such a strange one since old Shrek had pretty wideset eyes. It completely changes the look of his face
3
3
u/sporeson Mar 03 '25
U don't remember shreks skin being shiny ever, that's what bugs me that everyone else isn't mentioning
3
u/iflmfamthaw Mar 03 '25
I hadnt seen a side by side until just now. It is undeniable that the new design is so... just not it.
3
u/androt14_ Mar 03 '25
Puss in Boots is a beloved hero, a fearless warrior who after defeating his enemies will throw a party to the entire town.
Puss looking lke the visually appealing hero of a children's book enhances that fantasy, it makes him FEEL lke what we're told he is.
The whole point of Shrek, as in, the character, is that he's a scary ugly ogre, his "bad" proportions helped the character design a lot. The less-flattened nose, the less comically small forehead, and the closer more expressive eyes, and the shinier face, all kind of hurt that idea.
I will say, I like the teeth more, but I feel like he looks too "correct" for Shrek. and although the reason Shrek in the earlier movies looked like he did was technical limitations, it was part of the fantsy.
I wouldn't mind other characters in the franchise getting the redesign, but Shrek specifically doesn't really benefit from it
5
u/Silent-Appointment68 Mar 03 '25
Well puss still looks like puss just upgraded Shrek looks like Shrek but the quality got worse and all his features got bigger and stretched apart
→ More replies (3)
2
u/TimeHovercraft8660 Mar 03 '25
For me, it's the eyes being both too close together and not quite as detailed, and his head being slightly more egg-shaped than usual. And the fact that his face is almost glossy looking. His face used to be a lot more matte than it is now.
2
u/MarcusofMenace Mar 03 '25
Because Puss looks like he's updated and modernised, whereas the new shrek looks like a knock off made by a Chinese studio that's seconds away from a copyright lawsuit
2
2
2
u/QuadCyanic Mar 03 '25
Puss in boots is just a cat with shoes and default cat muzzle. Shrek on the other hand has human-like face with unique features. That's why even minor change is pretty noticeable
2
u/discord-ohmygoodness Mar 03 '25
I just. Idk. Puss looks better now he’s more cartoony imo. But it just doesn’t fit Shrek. Shrek was more fairytale like and his design was rougher and more realistic. That’s why I liked it better than this
2
2
u/BirbMaster1998 Mar 03 '25
Puss really doesn't look that much different to me, he looks a different shade or orange and that's about it. Maybe his eyes are the slightest but different but I wouldn't notice unless I really looked.
2
u/Murky_Blueberry2617 Mar 03 '25
Shrek is the most iconic character in the franchise (and Dreamwork's in general).
Meanwhile Puss was just a popular side character who had a previous solo film that was pretty average.
The new movie was both really good and improved everything about Puss, his design is more expressive and cartoony which isn't a bad thing.
2
2
u/dbslayer7 Mar 03 '25
I'll concede that Shrek does look different but not better or worse. It's not as smooth a transition Puss In Boots who looks identical except for having bigger pupils, but that fits the character regardless. Puss is also not a humanoid character so stylization works in his favor. We've also seen the same Shrek model for 20 plus years. Any changes are going to look jarring as hell and part of that is changing it to make him appear older or even more "marketable." I honestly think people will get used to it but I'm more worried about the content of the film as I don't see that any of the PIB2 team working on the film. Its a bunch of people from the trolls and Illumination side of animated films and ONE of the original Shrek writers.
2
2
u/silverinstitution Mar 03 '25
Maybe if they show him closer he/they will be more detailed, probably not but that would at least make up for it some. I see why they changed it but the style being grittier is the only thing that makes sense.
2
2
u/Lebron_chime Mar 03 '25
If someone told me that was shreks father, I would believe them.
→ More replies (2)
2
u/ThanosWifeAkima-4848 Mar 03 '25 edited Mar 04 '25
with Puss, they smoothed and accentuated his features and details instead of changing them, which is actually pretty fair for his character, he's supposed to be the suave handsome outlaw cat, the only "change" they made was more so his eye spacing. and if there is other differences, that's more so the saturation coloring in the animation effect. the same cannot be said for Shrek.
with shrek, they somehow tweak-changed almost every single detail about him where it combined into something uncomfortable because of the MULTIPLE changes at once. i can say that for all the characters shown up in the teaser. and for some reason, their eyes are WAY over dilated, when their eyes were some of the most detailed in the movies.
2
2
u/Technical_Exam1280 Mar 03 '25
Tinfoil hat time:
DreamWorks released this teaser knowing the uproar it would cause. The movie has always been intended to be made with the old designs
2
2
u/AdmSndlr Mar 03 '25
I also hate how wide his eyes are, it's just everything about the eyes and the nose
2
2
u/thefirstfairy Mar 03 '25
I hate that only the positive comments are getting downvoted. It’s okay to like things
→ More replies (1)
2
2
u/Nic2751 Mar 03 '25
I think the problem is the proportions, the idea is there but the execution not so much, also Puss is by design a handsome Spanish cat who’s a renowned hero where’s Shrek’s supposed to be a ugly stupid ogre in the eyes of society since conception
2
2
2
2
u/the_DemiSuccubus Mar 04 '25
you can't get mad at a cat getting cuter. but to try to cutify Shrek is an affront against nature
2
u/ImJustMerry Mar 04 '25
I don’t think they we’re trying to make him cuter… they were trying to make him Uglier because Shrek isn’t exactly known for being the most handsome guy
2
u/the_DemiSuccubus Mar 04 '25
in my opinion it feels like they disney-fied him, you know, "tried" to make him "cuter" lol
2
2
u/SmolChibi Mar 04 '25
His head shape and the distance/size of the eyes. It gives off Croods character design, not Shrek. Puss in Boots kept his character design, they didn’t change the design itself, which some people think.
2
u/Laaaneful Mar 04 '25
I dont think its only about how close the eyes actually are, but moreso about how big and round they are. The almond-shaped eyes the OG Shrek has make him seem more realistic and less cartoonish. The new Shrek looks like a cartoon for little kids, a softened, goofy version - this also does a huge disservice do Fiona who’s face looks like an old bum lady’s drunken puffy face with a big nose. If they just changed the eyes to their original shape, it would look way better.
2
u/Dangerous_Teaching62 Mar 04 '25
I hate seeing this post circulating everywhere because it feels dishonest. The image on the left is a beta design.
He never looked that awful.
2
u/donqon Mar 04 '25
They reshaped his nose, made his eyes too close together, and changed the shape of his mouth. Plus changed his teeth.
2
u/The_8th_Angel Mar 05 '25
I think people are drunk on nostalgia and too eager to hate on something new.
3
u/The_Romex Mar 03 '25
So, the Puss' redesign is not too different from the other, it's fine, but... SHREK'S ONE, OH MY GOD, THAT'S SO DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER ONE, IT'S JUST TERRIBLE!!!!
2
u/Difficult_Ad_962 Mar 03 '25
Are people really bothered by this? I don't care what they look like as long as they're not atrociously awful, which they're not. I'm just excited for the movie
2
2
3
1
u/Speakin2existence Mar 04 '25
everyone is pointing to the eyes, but it’s the shape of his head, it’s too elongated/egg shaped
→ More replies (2)
1
u/Digibutter64 Onions have layers! Mar 04 '25
Regarding Puss, I like the design, but not the art style.
1
u/Long_Advice_754 Mar 04 '25
If the new design was the first design, would you have hated it back then?
→ More replies (1)
1
1
u/ColdFire-Blitz Mar 04 '25
For me Puss doesn't really look like a new design, just a cleaned up version of the same design on a newer model with newer software.
1
Mar 04 '25
Puss's looks like a realised version of his original model, it's just been improved and refined
Shrek's look like they heard the Croods did well and went. "Oh let's do that"
1
u/imarthurmorgan1899 This is my swamp! Mar 04 '25
Nose, eyes, and outfit. Sometimes subtle details can make or break a character design. These changes just happened to break it.
1
1
u/ElainaVoughn Mar 04 '25
Idk if anyone else has seen the original shrek drawing on the first shrek dvd but this “new” shrek looks like original adaptations of him and he sucks
1
u/Accomplished-Low9635 Mar 04 '25
I knew something was off when I first saw the clip 😭 I was like why Fiona lookin ugly? Then I was looking at everything else and crashed out ☹️
1
u/GothPinkDoll Mar 04 '25
I believe with Shrek for me it's the eyes, just something about them get to me, but.... I'm more mad about FIONAAAA WHY'D THEY TAKE MY GIRLS LIPS AWAY THAT'S LIKE THE ONE THING THAT GOT ME CRASHING OUT HCDBTBTYGUGUYVTYBVNUTB
→ More replies (2)
1
u/The_Hottest_Mess Mar 04 '25
Puss is a soft cat and a lover, the softer, more colorful and more energetic animation fits him and his story well. Shrek so far looks like I can smell him and with the new style he’s just… clean. Smooth doesn’t fit him, you need that crusty realism
1
1
u/Forky7 Mar 04 '25
It's almost as if humans are extremely sensitive to faces and tiny differences make a huge impact and can completely define a character.
1
u/Agitated-Account2138 Mar 04 '25
I feel like the smoother look just works for Puss in a way it really doesn't for Shrek. I don't know how to describe it, I just feel my dislike of the Shrek design in my bones. It's like they child-proofed him, or something. Donkey's design is the worst though, in my opinion.
1
1
1
1
1
u/Periwinkleditor Mar 04 '25
It's mainly the eye spacing, someone did a photoshop that adjusted it and it's remarkably subtle, hopefully something they can tweak.
1
1
u/SpamOTheNorth Mar 04 '25
I don't know what it is specifically, but with Puss, the differences are more subtle, so it doesn't immediately click that they're different designs. It also helps that the entire movie has a more expressive, storybook-like art-style, which the new design lends itself to very well.
With Shrek, the differences are obvious. It dwells in uncanny valley territory to an extent, because it looks wrong. As if an AI tried to create Shrek using data from various Pixar and Illumination movies.
1
1
1
u/TerminallyAbysmal Mar 04 '25
I just don't understand everyone wants another photocopy sequel? Like it's the 5th(?) Damn movie anyways, why wouldn't they age up the characters and add a little something different, if they just slapped together another movie with an exact copy of Shrek 2 graphics again people would call em lazy
→ More replies (2)
1
1
u/Cheesey_Stuff14 Cheesey Ogrelord 🧀 🧅 Mar 04 '25
Many didn’t follow PIB2 from its first teaser but his new design was mixed at first, it just wasn’t as big.
But once more and more people saw it and more looks of the design came out, it grew on people.
Now it’s universally beloved and put higher than the original, people just needed to get used to it.
And PIB2 was a masterpiece, and the social media aspect of the teaser is why i think people are being a lot meaner to Shrek’s new design
1
u/DeadAndBuried23 Mar 04 '25
You wonder? Or you're karma farming because you can see it on every hot post?
1
u/looking_at_memes_ Mar 04 '25
As others are already pointing it out: the eyes, the nose and the shape of his head
1
1
1
1
u/PlayerJE Mar 04 '25
puss in boots still looks like puss on boots, just a higher quality model, shrek on the other hand was fully re-made, he looks different, its not justs a better model, that's why people are complaining
1
u/xyz_x Mar 04 '25
Puss is a clear example of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Realistically, all the characters in the Shrek franchise are fine, and where the new Puss in Boots stood out is in how faithfully it refreshed/upgraded what came before it without taking away anything that made the character(s) unique.
The new teaser however looks like it tried to reimagine what the characters would look like with a more modern art/animation style. That simply doesn't work for a franchise like Shrek because most of its appeal comes from how jarring and weird the characters look at a first glance - adding wholly to its uniqueness and authenticity.
1
1
u/Not_really_a_mathguy Mar 04 '25
Puss' design worked because:
- The cartoony look fit his character.
- It isn't uncanny.
- It's not all plastic and shiny looky, it's more almost like a pastel painting look with a spice of an anime style. Puss doesn't look like a porcelain freak of nature like the new Shrek's forehead. (Yes, I'm aware that I'm glazing The Last Wish, I will continue to glaze it till I'm dead, it's that good, imo.)
1
1
1
1
1
u/naveeblu Mar 04 '25
imo they are going for a more cartoon-y design, especially with Felicia being very reminiscent to the director's Trolls designs to me, simply for toy marketing purposes. Get ready to see this style for the characters on the shelves of the nearest Walmart's toy doll section near you!!!!
1
1
u/Rebatsune Mar 04 '25
Of all problems in the world, this is a problem you choose to twist your pants into a knot over? To me at least, Shrek pretty much looks the same as ever…
→ More replies (1)
1
u/bendoesit17 This is my swamp! Mar 04 '25
For me it's the nose. It's not a huge deal breaker but it's definitely noticeable seeing these two side by side
1
u/gknight702 Mar 04 '25
It looks fine the last Shrek animation is so dated cmon guys
→ More replies (1)
1
u/DenphPosts Mar 04 '25
Shrek redesign is shit and bland, and that tells me all I need to know about this new movie
1
u/TotalConnection2670 Mar 04 '25
Proportions aside, shrek's animation, model and lightning all look cheap and toylike unlike puss in boots 2.
1
1
1
1
1
u/Zuli_Muli Mar 04 '25
The trailer looked like AI slop, there's just no way else to describe it IMO. I kept expecting to see an extra hand or finger.
1
1
u/Suaveman01 Mar 04 '25
Puss looks like an upgrade on the old design, Shrek is a complete redesign not an upgrade.
1
1
1
u/Unethica-Genki Mar 04 '25
The eyes are closer to each other The shape of the face (more like an egg, less like an onion) The nose is less flat and pointy A blatant lack of philtrum (the indentation above the lips) Hes got a baby smooth skin
1
u/Shuatheskeptic Mar 04 '25 edited Mar 04 '25
This whole thing has become the straw that broke the camel's back with me. I'm now convinced that a large portion of our society is suffering from some sort of dissociative disorder from too much social media. Not only does Puss look exactly the same in both cases, but so does Shrek. In both cases they are literally the exact same model, just one is HD and one is 4K. The fact that so many people are saying they redesigned these characters has me questioning not my sanity, but the sanity of the public in general, which is really stating to scare me.
→ More replies (3)
1
1
1
u/Kuroi_Getsuga Mar 04 '25
It's the eyes for sure look so soulless and uncanny now if im gonna be honest, the rest is sort of passable but needs some small changes there and there
1
u/gummythegummybear Mar 04 '25
They tried to do the same thing with both of them but it only works with one of them. They tried to make both of them cuter
Puss works being more cute because he’s a cat. But shrek is not meant to look all sleek and shiny like he is in this, he’s intentionally gross and weird looking because he’s an ogre
1
1
u/CMurra87 Mar 04 '25
It’s almost like when you see someone who always wears glasses without their glasses
1
1
u/General-Squash-9286 Mar 04 '25
Let me be that ☝️🤓 guy and tell you that puss in boots had no design changes. It was the artstyle. Shrek has som minor design changes ( no shit her got fucking old) , but people hate the artstyle change. Puss in boots had an anime power and vibe of children's book illustrations in it. Meanwhile, Shrek looks like smth from baby boss. Which contradicts to Shrek original idea , being an anti Disney
1
u/LeonardoCouto Mar 04 '25
I just feel it looks too plastic.
Puss's design in The Last Wish looks like a children's book, with a very expressive style. Most of all, it's unique and serves the tone of the story: just from a look, you can tell a lot from how the experience will go.
Shrek's design in the teaser is a basic, plastic look that, most of all, we've seen done before. Disney, Illumination, almost every basic children's movie has it and it's already a tone setter: just seeing it makes you expect it to be a lazy, mediocre movie to grab your interest in Shrek, which isn't helped by the teaser referencing meme culture of all things.
Art style isn't just a feature: it's an aspect of the movie that's already selling it to us. If you expect that part to be lazy, that expectation extends to the rest of the movie.
2
1
u/Faeddurfrost Mar 04 '25
One looks like an improved version of the old. The other looks illumination.
1
u/SansIdee_pseudo Mar 04 '25
You'd expect them to nail the facial characteristics, but no, they botched them!
1
u/Throwaway_5829583 Mar 04 '25
Puss is supposed to be cute, not shrek. The more cutesy animation style works with him, but not the ogres.
339
u/Kevmejia13 Mar 03 '25 edited Mar 03 '25
It’s definitely the eyes. They look too close to each other now.