DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (NYSE: DWA) is an independent American animation studio which primarily produce a series of critically and commercially successful computer animated films, including Shrek, Shark Tale, Madagascar, Over the Hedge, Bee Movie and Kung Fu Panda. It was formed by the merger of the feature animation division of DreamWorks SKG and Pacific Data Images (PDI). Originally formed under the banner of DreamWorks SKG, it was spun-off into a separate public company in 2004.
They are currently distributed only through Paramount Pictures (in turn owned by Viacom) who acquired the rest of DreamWorks SKG in February 2006. DreamWorks Animation maintains two studios: the original DreamWorks feature animation studio in Glendale, California and the PDI studio in Redwood City, California.
History
Early years
In 1980, Pacific Data Images was founded by Carl Rosendahl 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.
In 1997, 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 PDI to form subsidiary PDI, LLC (PDI owned 60% of PDI, LLC while DreamWorks SKG owned 40%). 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 using traditional animation techniques.
In 2000, DreamWorks SKG created a new business division, DreamWorks Animation, that would regularly produce both types of animated feature films.
The 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–present
Since its official launch in 2004, the studio is dedicated solely to producing CG animated films in-house and has committed itself to make two computer-animated feature films a year. No more traditional 2D animation is expected.
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. [1]
The logo, adapted from the parent studio's 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 an shortened adaptation of True Love's First Kiss (the Love Theme from the Shrek soundtrack), composed by John Powell.
Employees at Dreamworks get to enjoy breakfast and lunch for free, a perk not found at many other companies.
Partnerships
Dreamworks Animation has an on-going partnership with HP, and the studio exclusively uses HP workstations and servers. 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. [2]
see also InTru3D
Board of Directors
The PDI/DreamWorks Studio in Redwood City, California
The following executives are on the DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. Board of Directors:
- Roger Enrico, Chairman of DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.
- Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer of DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.
- Paul Allen, Chairman of Vulcan Inc.
- David Geffen, Co-Founder of DreamWorks
- Lew Coleman, President of DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.
- Mellody Hobson, President of Ariel Capital Management
- Nathan Myhrvold, Chief Executive Officer of Intellectual Ventures
- Howard Schultz, Chairman and Chief Global Strategist of Starbucks Corporation
- Meg Whitman, formerly President and Chief Executive Officer of eBay, Inc.
- Judson Green, President and Chief Executive Officer of NAVTEQ
- Michael Montgomery, President of Montgomery & Co.
- Karl von der Heyden, retired Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of Pepsico, Inc.
Films and series
Traditionally-animated films
Note: All traditionally animated films were made at the Glendale studio.
Stop-motion films
Note: All stop-motion films were produced by Aardman.
Computer-animated films
| Film |
Year |
Worldwide Gross |
Metacritic |
Rotten Tomatoes |
| Antz |
1998
|
$171,757,863
|
72
|
97
|
| Shrek |
2001
|
$484,409,218
|
84
|
89
|
| Shrek 2 |
2004
|
$919,838,758
|
75
|
88
|
| Shark Tale |
2004
|
$367,275,019
|
48
|
34
|
| Madagascar |
2005
|
$532,680,671
|
57
|
55
|
| Over the Hedge |
2006
|
$335,206,062
|
67
|
74
|
Flushed Away
(Aardman co-production). |
2006
|
$176,319,242
|
86
|
74
|
| Shrek the Third |
2007
|
$794,561,223
|
58
|
42
|
| Bee Movie |
2007
|
$287,076,833
|
54
|
51
|
Kung Fu Panda
Note: Kung Fu Panda has a traditionally animated opening and end credits. |
2008
|
$620,553,019
|
73
|
88
|
Upcoming computer animated films
TV Specials
Short films
Traditionally-animated television series
Computer-animated television series
Sources
History
References
External links
|
DreamWorks Animation |
|
| Computer-animated films |
|
|
| Traditionally animated films |
|
|
Films produced with
Aardman Animations |
|
|
| Future films |
|
|
| Direct-to-video |
|
|
| Shorts |
|
|
|
