DreamWorks Animation
Company type | Public (NYSE: DWA) |
---|---|
Industry | Animated films |
Founded | 1997 |
Headquarters | , |
Key people | Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer Roger Enrico, Chairman Lew Coleman, President |
Website | dreamworksanimation.com |
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (NYSE: DWA) is an American animation studio, producing primarily feature animated films, most notably Shrek (2001), Shark Tale (2004), Madagascar (2005) and Over the Hedge (2006). 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.
Its films are currently distributed by Paramount Pictures (in turn owned by Viacom) who acquired the rest of DreamWorks SKG in February of 2006. DreamWorks Animation maintains two studios: the original DreamWorks feature animation studio in Glendale, California and the PDI studio in Redwood City, California in the Silicon Valley region.
History
Early years
In 1980, Pacific Data Images was founded in 1980 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 Geffin, 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.
Today
Since 2004, DreamWorks Animation is dedicated solely to producing CG animated films in-house. 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 produciton 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 3rd, 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.
Board of Directors
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Dreamworksanimation.jpg/220px-Dreamworksanimation.jpg)
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 Myhvrold, Chief Executive Officer of Intellectual Ventures
- Howard Schultz, Chairman and Chief Global Strategist of Starbucks Corporation
- Meg Whitman, 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.
- The Prince of Egypt (December 18, 1998)
- The Road to El Dorado (March 31, 2000)
- Joseph: King of Dreams (November 7, 2000) (direct-to-video)
- Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (May 25, 2002)
- Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (July 2, 2003)
Stop-motion films
Note: All stop-motion films were produced by Aardman.
- Chicken Run (June 23, 2000)
- Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (October 7, 2005)
Computer-animated films
- Antz (October 2, 1998) (PDI) Rating:PG
- Shrek (May 18, 2001) (PDI) Rating:PG (part of the Shrek series)
- Shrek 2 (May 19, 2004) (PDI) Rating:PG (part of the Shrek series)
- Shark Tale (October 1, 2004) (Glendale) Rating:PG
- Madagascar (May 27, 2005) (PDI) Rating:PG (part of the Madagascar series)
- Over the Hedge (May 19, 2006) (PDI/Glendale) Rating:PG
- Flushed Away (November 3, 2006) (Aardman/Glendale) Rating:PG
- Shrek the Third (May 18, 2007) (PDI) Rating:PG (part of the Shrek series)
- Bee Movie (November 2, 2007) (Glendale, in production) Rating:?
- Kung Fu Panda (June 6, 2008) (Glendale, in production) Rating:?
- Madagascar 2: The Crate Escape (November 7, 2008) Rating:? (PDI, in production) (part of the Madagascar series)
- Monsters vs. Aliens (May 22, 2009) (in development) Rating:?
- How to Train Your Dragon (November 20, 2009) (in development)Rating:?
- Shrek 4: The Royal Engagment (May 2010) (in development) Rating:? (part of the Shrek series)
- Crood Awakening (2010) (in development) Rating:?
- Puss in Boots: The Story of an Ogre Killer (2011) (in development) Rating:? (part of the Shrek series)
- Punk Farm (2012) (unknown status) Rating:?
- Shrek 5 (2012) (PDI) Rating:? (part of the Shrek series)
- Mr. Peabody and Sherman (2013) (unknown status) Rating:?
Canceled films
- Shark Tale 2 (Glendale)
- Tusker (PDI)
TV Specials
- Shrek the Halls (2007)
Short films
- Shrek 4-D (2003) (PDI, ride film for Universal Studios)
- Far Far Away Idol (2004) (November 5, 2004)
- The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper (October 7, 2005) (PDI)
- First Flight (May 19, 2006) (Glendale)
- Hammy's Boomerang Adventure (October 17, 2006) (Glendale)
Traditionally-animated television series
- Toonsylvania (February 7, 1998-December 1, 1998)
- Invasion America (June 8, 1998-July 7, 1998)
Computer-animated television series
- Father of the Pride (August 31, 2004-May 27, 2005)
- Untitled Kung Fu Panda Project (under development)
- Untitled Madagascar Penguins Project (under development)
Sources
History
- History of Pacific Data Images
- DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. 2004 Annual Report (PDF file)
- Template:DreamWorks animated films