With ‘Shrek 5,’ Zendaya Returns to Her Roots
Zendaya is set to join the cast of the highly anticipated Shrek 5, marking a return to her early career roots in voice acting. While the Emmy-winning actor is best known for her breakout roles in Euphoria and Spider-Man, her journey on screen began behind the microphone.
What was Zendaya’s first movie? A voice role
Zendaya’s first-ever film credit came in the 2013 Disney movie Super Buddies. At the time, Zendaya was 17 years old and already had an established professional relationship with Disney. Her sitcom Shake It Up had already been on the Disney Channel for three years.
In Super Buddies, Zendaya lent her voice to the character Lollipop, a horse who appears for all of 30 seconds. The family-friendly Disney movie went straight to DVD but marked the start of what would become a dynamic and diverse acting career for Zendaya.
How Zendaya built her animated resume
Though Zendaya is better known for her live-action performances, she has steadily built an impressive animated résumé. Super Buddies may have been a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it role, but things only got better from there.
In 2018, she voiced Chi in Duck, Duck, Goose. Zendaya was arguably the biggest star in the film, which co-starred Lance Lim, Jim Gaffigan, Natasha Leggero, and Carl Reiner.
That was followed by the role of Meechee in Smallfoot, where she showcased her singing talents alongside Channing Tatum and Common. The animated feature earned positive reviews on the way to grossing over $200 million.
In 2021, Zendaya brought Lola Bunny to life in Space Jam: A New Legacy, offering a modernized take on the iconic character. The LeBron James-led film turned out to be a box office bomb. But Zendaya had her reasons for taking on a beloved character in the reimagined version.
She told Entertainment Weekly her desire to work with producer Ryan Coogler and her family’s history with basketball influenced her decision to join Space Jam: New Legacy.
‘Shrek 5’ brings things full circle
Returning to voice acting with Shrek 5 is not just another role for Zendaya — it’s a full-circle moment. Playing the daughter of Shrek and Princess Fiona, Zendaya joins an established franchise and will help bridge the gap between generations of fans.
The role also brings the possibility of a new song from Zendaya, who hasn’t released a song since 2022’s “Elliot’s Song” for Euphoria Season 2. Eddie Murphy famously sang in the previous Shrek installments, so perhaps a duet is on the horizon.
The actor has consistently proven her versatility across genres, from superhero blockbusters to high-stakes drama. Her latest casting highlights how her career has come full circle, showing that even Hollywood’s brightest stars never forget where they started.
With Shrek 5 set to bring new life to the beloved franchise, Zendaya’s return to animation adds another layer of excitement for fans eagerly awaiting the film’s release.
