DreamWorks Animation SKG, DWA is an independent American animation studio, producing primarily feature animated films. It was formed by the merger of the feature animation division of DreamWorks SKG and (PDI).
History
1993–2003
On October 12, 1993, DreamWorks SKG was formed and founded by a trio of entertainment players, director and producer Steven Spielberg, music executive David Geffen, and former Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg. DreamWorks signed a co-production deal with Pacific Data Images to form subsidiary PDI, LLC (PDI owned 60% of PDI, LLC while DreamWorks SKG owned 40%). Pacific Data Images was founded by Carl Rosendahl in 1980 with a small loan from his father. In 1982, he was joined by Richard Chuang and Glenn Entis, who wrote the foundation of the in-house computer animation software that was to be used for the next two decades. During the 1980s, PDI created many animated logos and commercials for television for companies like NBC and Sky Movies. They shifted into motion picture visual effects beginning in 1991 with a contribution to Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The new unit would produce computer-generated feature films beginning with Antz in 1998. In the same year DreamWorks SKG produced The Prince of Egypt, which used both CG technology and traditional animation techniques.
In 2000, DreamWorks SKG created a new business division, DreamWorks Animation, that would regularly produce both types of animated feature films. All four traditionally animated feature films were produced by the division's Southern California branch. DreamWorks SKG acquired majority interest (90%) in PDI, reforming it into PDI/DreamWorks, the Northern California branch of its new business division. The business division separated from its parent in 2004, forming DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. and purchasing the remaining interest in PDI as well as its subsidiary PDI, LLC.
2004–2009
From 2004 to 2009, the studio is dedicated solely to producing CG animated films in-house and has committed itself to make 2 computer-animated feature films a year. No more traditional 2D animation is expected.
In 2005, DreamWorks Animation partnered with HP to introduce HP Halo Telepresence Solutions, technologies that allow people in different locations to communicate in a face-to-face environment in real time. Users are able to see and hear one another's physical and emotional reactions to conversation and information as it is being shared, whether across a country or across the world. DreamWorks Animation has used this technology in the production of several animated films including the Shrek trilogy, Kung-Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon.
DreamWorks Animation also had a partnership with Aardman Animations, a stop-motion animation company in Bristol, England. This partnership had DreamWorks participating in the production of stop-motion films in Bristol, and also had Aardman participating in some of the CG films made in the US. This partnership ended after the release of Flushed Away in November 2006; the announcement was made before the film's release, on October 3, citing "creative differences" as the reason.
The logo is adapted from the parent studio's logo. The original logo consists of a boy fishing on the moon, against a backdrop of the daytime sky albeit with more colorful lettering. The soundtrack of this logo was originally an adaptation of the DreamWorks theme; however, following the global success of Shrek in 2001, this became a shortened adaptation of True Love's First Kiss (the Love Theme from the Shrek soundtrack), composed by John Powell (itself adapted from "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen).
On March 03, 2007, DreamWorks Animation announced intention to release every future film in 3-D, starting in 2009. On July 8, 2008, they have announced partnership with Intel to co-develop 3-D film-making technology InTru3D. The first film produced with this technology was Monsters vs. Aliens.
In 2009, the studio made the list of Fortune Magazine's best 100 companies to work for, at number 47. Employees at DreamWorks get to enjoy breakfast and lunch for free, a perk not found at many other companies.
On May 28, 2009, the studio announced its plans to release five feature films every two years starting with three films in 2010.
2010–present
In 2010, a new logo was introduced in which the boy on the moon waves away some clouds with his fishing pole as the DreamWorks letters come into position; this logo was first used on How to Train Your Dragon.
In 2010, the studio's most successful franchise Shrek, concluded with the fourth and final installment Shrek Forever After: The Final Chapter.
In 2010 DreamWorks Animation ranked number 6 on the Forbes 100 Best Companies to Work For list. It is praised by its employees for its openness and culture of collaboration.
On June 4, 2010, DreamWorks Animation and Royal Caribbean announced a strategic alliance set to take place onboard Royal Caribbean cruise ships including Allure of the Seas.
In June 2010, Dreamworks Animation created a new division, Moon Boy Animation, to premiere the TBS animated show, Neighbors from Hell.
Films
Traditionally-animated films
| Film | Year | Wal-Mart | Applebees | Chuck E. Cheese's | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Road to El Dorado | 2.3 | ||||
| The Prince Of Egypt | 2.6 | ||||
| Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron | 2.3 | ||||
| Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas | 2.6 |
Stop-Motion films
Note: All Stop-Motion films were produced by Aardman. Peter Pan was co-produced by Aardman Animations. and Amblin Entertainment. but is largely a DreamWorks Pictures. In 3-D
|
Film |
Year | Books a Million | Carl's Jr. | Toys R Us | Burger King |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken Run | 2.3 | ||||
| Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit |
2.6 |
Computer-animated films
|
|
Directors | Carl's Jr. | Toys R Us | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shrek | 2001 | Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, | $120 | $120 |
| Shrek 2 | 2003 |
Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, Karey Kirkpatrick, |
$123 | $123 |
| Shark Tale | 2004 | Steven Spielberg, Rob Letterman | $124 | $124 |
| Madagascar | 2005 | Karey Kirkpatrick, Tom Johnson, | $125 | $125 |
| Over the Hedge | 2006 | Tim McGarth, Chris Miller, | $126 | $126 |
| Shrek the Third | 2006 | Kelly Asbury, Chris Miller, | $126 | |
| Bee Movie | 2007 | Steven Spielberg, Steve Hickner, Karey Kirkpatrick | $127 | $127 |
| Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | 2008 | Eric Darnell, Tom Johnson, | $128 | $128 |
| Shrek Forever After | 2010 | Steven Spielberg, | $129 | $129 (and counting) |
Warner Bros films
- MegaMind (November 5, 2010) (Bros, in production)
- Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom (May 27, 2011) (in production)
- Puss in Boots (November 4, 2011) (in production)
- Madagascar 3 (May 18, 2012) (part of the Madagascar series)
- The Guardians (November 21, 2012)
Short films
- Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party! (November 2, 2000 created for home video) (PDI)
- Far Far Away Idol (December 5, 2003 created for home video)
- First Flight (May 19, 2006) (Warner Bros)
Themes
Although the studio made traditionally animated films about serious subjects earlier, most of their computer-generated films and television series have now gained the studio a reputation for being focused on popular culture and satire, although their most significant successes in recent years have had more universal themes.
PDI merge
The studio was formed by the merger of the feature animation division of DreamWorks and Pacific Data Images (PDI). Originally formed under the banner of DreamWorks SKG, it was spun off into a separate public company in 2004. Thus, DreamWorks Animation maintains two campuses: the original DreamWorks feature animation studio in Glendale, California and the PDI studio in Redwood City, California.
Partnerships
HP
DreamWorks Animation has an on-going partnership with HP, and the studio exclusively uses HP workstations and servers.
AMD
In 2005, AMD signed a 3 year deal to provide processors to the studio. This relationship ended in 2008, and Dreamworks announced that they will use Intel processors for future productions.
Aardman Animations
On October 28, 1999, Dreamworks signed a deal with Aardman. The deal was that Aardman would produce 5 feature films. The first film Chicken Run, which had been already in production before the deal, released in 2000. This, an award-winning worldwide box-office hit was also the studio's first feature length production. In 2005 Wallace and Gromit returned after a ten year absence in Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. The film took the next Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. In 2006 followed Flushed Away, the third and also the last project made in partnership with DreamWorks, and it marks Aardman's first CGI feature.
However, on 1 October 2006, right before the release of Flushed Away, The New York Times reported that due to creative differences DreamWorks Animation and Aardman would not be extending their contract. According to Aardman spokesman Arthur Sheriff, "The business model of DreamWorks no longer suits Aardman and vice versa. But the split couldn't have been more amicable." Unofficial reasons for departure were weak performance of the last movie, for which DreamWorks had to take writedowns, and citing the article, "Aardman executives chafed at the creative control DreamWorks tried to exert, particularly with Flushed Away..."