Dreamworks+Animation



(Time Frame: 1990s- present day)

News Story: Here To Stay Don't look now, but the animated movie industry is slowly being changed day by day. One of the companies that are contributing to this change is the company DreamWorks. DreamWorks was a company that was started by a “dream” from big shot movie producers Stephen Speilberg, Jeffery Katzenberg and David Geffen. They wanted to take their collective minds and put them together to form a successful company. At first the company shied away from the animated films and stuck to action movies including //Gladiator// and //A Beautiful Mind//. These movies were a great success as the company won three academy awards with these movies, as each of the movies won best picture in 2000 and 2001, respectively. DreamWorks then wanted to expand to the animated department to compete with Disney and Pixar, and they hit a home run with one of their first animates movies, //Shrek.// //Shrek// captivated audiences with its combination of its traditional fairytale setting and also its irreverent, pop-culture oriented humor that kept the audience in tune throughout the entire film. DreamWorks tried to rival the plot of old Disney films but they put their own twist on it. Instead of a prince chasing a princess, it was an ugly, scary ogre that wanted to marry the princess. Joe Dziemianowicz of the //New York Daily News// said that “The Movie had fun poking at old Disney classics, which works.” This was something that the public had never seen before, another classic fairytale that a company other than Disney could successfully produce. //Shrek// was also the first animated film to with the “Best Animated Film” Oscar in 2001. //Shrek// was the launching point that set them up for every movie that they have had since then. Including in 2005 where they won their second “Best Animated Film” Oscar in 2005 when they won it for the movie //Wallace and Gromit and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.// //Shrek// was so successful that it has come out with a series of sequels in the years since the original was released. These movies include //Shrek 2, Shrek The Third,// and, //Shrek: Forever After.// These movies have been compared to the //Toy Story// series and have grossed very well. Really the second movie that comes to mind after //Shrek// is the movie //Madagascar//. //Madagascar// is a 180 degree turn from the kind of movie that //Shrek// is. //Madagascar// is about animals that have lived in a zoo their entire life but have always had a dream of being able to see what it was like in “The Wild.” They are eventually taken by ship to be transferred to a different zoo. However that boat crashes and the animals get exactly what they wanted. On that island however, there are new creatures that the zoo animals are unfamiliar with and they wish that they could leave. Eventually a boat driven by penguins from the zoo comes to rescue them and they leave the island. This film, more than any other DreamWorks film, produced the most revenue outside of the movie itself. From all the stuffed animals made to the spinoff TV show //The Penguins of Madagascar//, the movie has been a huge hit to people of all ages. This growing company is knocking on the door of Pixar to be the greatest animated film maker that there is today. It has used a different approach to Pixar by releasing 3 or 4 movies a year (compared to the usual one movie per year by Pixar.) DreamWorks also tries to go for the laughs more than the sentimental approach that Pixar tries to reach. Some of these movies are //How To Train Your Dragon, Bee Movie, and Monsters vs. Aliens// which have won Golden Globes for best feature film and best animated film. DreamWorks also has a knack for getting great actors that make their movies unique. They have gotten legends such as Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Jerry Seinfeld, and Chris Rock. In animated films, the voices of the characters are very important because what the general public identifies the character by is the voice. Due to the awards that DreamWorks has recently won, they are quickly becoming a force on the movie stage. They may not have as much recognition as Disney or Pixar but they are gaining respect by the day. They are here to stay.

Editorial: DreamWorks vs. Pixar…which is better? There is a hot debate in the animated world at the moment. That debate is which animated company is better, Pixar or DreamWorks. Both companies definitely have their pros and cons on which studio is better. Both companies have produced legendary movies that will stand the test of time. So let the debate begin. The Pixar Company made its first big claim to fame by making the movie //Toy Story// in 1995. Since then every year Pixar has been producing great, legendary movies every year, including //Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo,// and //A Bug’s Life//. All of these movies are must see movies among children as most it is considered not normal if a child has not seen any Pixar movies. Pixar movies have had a knack for taking home major awards in the movie industry. Every single Pixar movie ever released has received at least one award. Some of these include best picture, best soundtrack, and best animated feature. Pixar tries to go for the sentimental approach to movie making and tries to leave the viewer with an emotional connection to the characters. This is why movies such as //Finding Nemo// and //Toy Story// are so successful because people fall in love with Nemo and Woody respectively. People are so in love with the //Toy Story// series that the third installment, //Toy Story 3//, was the highest grossing animated film of all time. DreamWorks, however not as successful financially as Pixar, can be argued to have as much success over the years as their counterparts. Their first movie was //Antz//, made in 1998, conveniently at the same time as //A Bug’s Life// was being premiered by Pixar. This is really what started the movie rivalry between the two companies. Contrary to how Pixar approaches their movies, DreamWorks usually releases 2-3 movies per year and aims to make their movies more on the comedic side than the sentimental approach that Pixar goes with. For example, the DreamWorks production, //Bee Movie//, is not really known for the plot of the movie itself, people more remember it as a comedic animated movie that featured Jerry Seinfeld as the main character. Still there are lots of DreamWorks films that are very well liked among people and are also award winners. The first movie that comes to your mind with DreamWorks is //Shrek//. //Shrek// has been known as the DreamWorks answer to Pixar’s //Toy Story//. It is a greatly successful movie with three sequels and the first movie grossing over $484 million. Fans and critics alike show a more favorable preference for Pixar movies over DreamWorks. As mentioned before, //Toy Story 3// was the highest grossing animated movie of all time and no DreamWorks movie has come close to that. Also even though Pixar has released 10 movies, they have been nominated for seven Oscars. While DreamWorks has been nominated for only four in 14 movies. As with which company is better, it is a matter of personal preference. If a person wanted to see a sentimental, soon to be legendary movie, than Pixar would be the choice. While if a person wanted to get a bunch of laughs in and find the hidden adult humor in all the movies, then DreamWorks would be the movies of choice.

Links: [] This feed shows clips and previews from upcoming DreamWorks movies and also has a link to the DreamWorks web site. Book Review: [] This book tells the story of Stephen Spielberg and all the other founders of DreamWorks and how their "dream" became a great success.

By Kyle Wert