"Created in a hurry": A viral AR filter made by a Krasnoyarsk resident has been featured in the teaser for the animated film "Shrek 5."

Last week, DreamWorks Animation released a new teaser for the fifth installment of the iconic franchise "Shrek." Fans of the green ogre, who have been waiting for a continuation for over 15 years, finally got a glimpse of the film. The clip quickly garnered millions of views and sparked heated discussions across the internet: some disliked the new character designs, while others were excited about actress Zendaya portraying the grown-up daughter of the main characters.

The premiere of the fifth part is scheduled for the end of 2026 — there's plenty of time for discussions. However, many fans noticed another intriguing detail: the clip featured the viral TikTok filter Shrek in the Sky, showcasing a dancing ogre in a latex costume. The creator of this comedic mask is Maxim Kuzlin, a native of Krasnoyarsk.

We spoke with him to find out how the meme made its way into the teaser for the animated film.

Maxim, 30, graduated from the Institute of Philology and Language Communication at SFU and creates AR filters (Augmented Reality — a technology that overlays virtual elements onto real images using a smartphone camera) daily. He previously made similar effects for Russian companies, and now, while in France, he works with major international firms.

Photo: personal archive of the publication's hero

The Krasnoyarsk native began creating masks for social media back in 2019, focusing on humor from the start (prior to that, he worked as a photographer in Paris, a graphic designer, and was involved in social media marketing). By 2022, he had the "opportunity to do something fun" thanks to an invitation from TikTok.

– The idea for the mask came about by chance! I prefer creating meme filters, so I thought to use the sky and something that everyone on the internet knows, Shrek, but in a slightly different form. I made it quickly just to test how the "sky effect" works, – says the filter's creator.

Screenshot: video tiktok.com/@maximkuzlin

A couple of days after its release, his plan "suddenly succeeded": eight million posts worldwide, including from celebrities and brands.

In 2024, representatives from the American film company Universal Pictures (which owns DreamWorks — ed. note) reached out to him.

– They wrote to me and asked if they could use my filter in the future, – our interlocutor explains.

Screenshot: video tiktok.com/@maximkuzlin

Maxim started making masks for social media at a time when there were no instructions or video guides available online for their creation. He didn't limit himself to humor — he also worked on beauty filters that "enhanced but did not alter or drastically change" a person's appearance.

And the filter created "just for fun" featuring the ogre in the sky received a second wave of popularity.