With so much competition, its hard to have consistent success. And even with Pixar, Illumination and Sony sitting out the animation race in 2014, DreamWorks Animation just can't seem to catch a break. The former "Pixar's main competitor" is now not so much. Thanks to 4 of their last 5 movies under-performing, the high-quality studio has reorganized their schedule, in addition to laying off 500 employees.
Originally, there were set to be 12 movies debuting between now and December 18. Now, that's been trimmed to 7. Some are surviving and will remain in production, while some have been put back in development or possibly cancelled.
Rumors of major changes at the studio started when 2013's 3-picture line-up turned into just 2 at the end of 2012. Since then, Rise of the Guardians caused the studio a $87 million write-down after only earning just over $100 million domestically. Turbo hit a low for the studio, in the face of opening in the middle of a animated movie-filled summer, pulling in just $83 million. Amazingly, the home entertainment division pulled in enough to keep the write-down at a lighter $13.5 million. Then came Mr. Peabody and Sherman. which earned just over $110 million, but overseas grosses were disappointing. Another $57 million write-down.
Penguins of Madagascar opened over Thanksgiving to disappointing numbers, and is set to close at the same level as Turbo ($82-$85 million). However, overseas numbers are strong, and with some markets left, it seems likely to finish near or just over $400 million worldwide. In the end, the spin-off, while falling far from the previous Madagascar movies, may end up breaking even.
The studio hasn't always had misfires in the last couple years. The Croods was a huge success, earning $185 million stateside and another $500 million overseas. The Chris Sanders movie also scored Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted was the biggest-grossing movie of the studio during the last 2 1/2 years. The threequel earned $215 million stateside and nearly $750 million worldwide in the face of strong competition such as Brave and Ice Age 4.
Then there's the news-maker that is How To Train Your Dragon 2 from this past summer. The movie opened disappointingly ($50 million), but held up solidly for a summer release, ending up near $180 million. That's $40 million off from the original movie, but it fares well against the previous 2 and following DreamWorks movies. Plus, it got critical acclaim (92% on Rotten Tomatoes), won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature, and may take the Oscar as well (thanks to The LEGO Movie's unexpected snub, however, Big Hero 6 could still win though). Overseas grosses were terrific too, adding in nearly $450 million overseas ($620 million worldwide), ranking in line with Kung Fu Panda 2.
So, what survived and what got cancelled? Lets start with the survivors.
Kung Fu Panda 3 (March 18, 2016): This was moved back to its original 2016 date a month ago, which further boosted rumors of major change. But, considering the first two were Oscar nominees and the TV series was a success also, why would they cancel this? However, eight years between first and third movies makes some child fans of that movie almost outgrown here. Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, and others return, while Rebel Wilson and Bryan Cranston join the cast.
Trolls (November 4, 2016): This is somewhat of a surprise, as it was struggling with some director and screenplay changes. This will apparently be a musical, as it is based on the Troll dolls. The cast is solid, with Anna Kendrick, Chloe Moretz and Jason Schwartzman all set. At least two of them have had singing experience (for Into the Woods and Saving Mr. Banks, respectively). Out of all upcoming DreamWorks movies, this sounds the most odd and yet intriguing.
Boss Baby (January 13, 2017): With Kevin Spacey and Alec Baldwin set to lend their voices, this may be interesting. Tom McGrath of the Madagascar movies as well as directing MegaMind helms this. Despite an odd release date (it may move to the Spring), the concept is somewhat reminiscent of Jimmy Neutron to a degree.
The Croods 2 (December 22, 2017): The Croods was a huge hit, so its no surprise that this sequel remained on the calendar. The first movie had amazing animation, so I'm interested in how the animation will be this time around.
Larrikins (February 16, 2018): I don't know much about this one. All I know is that its an outback-themed adventure of sorts and will be a musical involving animals.
How To Train Your Dragon 3 (June 29, 2018): Moving back another year (to give the team more time obviously to make the visuals even more extravagant), this one obviously stays from the previous movie's solid numbers and Golden Globe win. I'm interested in seeing what happens last (this is supposedly the last movie), but then again, I'm not sure (complexity can have its issues, as I've said in the past).
In the middle (kind-of unsure), we have Captain Underpants, which DreamWorks said it will be released in 2017, but it will be produced outside the official DreamWorks Animation studio. Kevin Hart is a notable voice actor on the list.
And which ones were shoved back into development and possibly cut?
B.O.O. Bureau of Otherworldly Operations: Considering it was set originally to open between Monster Trucks and Inside Out, this isn't much of a surprise. Despite some solid voice actors (Seth Rogen, Melissa McCarthy, Bill Murray), this just hasn't reached the finish line yet. The same could be said for Me and My Shadow, which got into production then was shelved.
Mumbai Musical: This is the biggest disappointment, in my opinion, as it had Enchanted's director Kevin Lima and lyricist Stephen Schwartz on board to write the songs. Hopefully DWA will find it a new date soon, as I was getting excited about it. It was originally set for March 2017.
Madagascar 4: This is probably due to the disappointing performance of Penguins of Madagascar. How do you expand the franchise, anyway? Especially considering when you left them off in a good place?
Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves: The first Puss in Boots wasn't a huge success domestically (though it did great overseas). I guess the studio has too many sequels in the development pipe to really focus on this right now.
Some may say I have forgotten to mention Home, which is nearly complete for a March 27 release. As of now, the film's prospects are surprisingly good, with it opening comfortably nearly two months after Spongebob and not facing much animated competition over the rest of the Spring season (Underdogs opens in April but may be more of a less-appealing choice). Plus, it has a good cast with Rhianna, Jim Parsons, Jennifer Lopez and Steve Martin lending their voices to the project. Look for this to improve on DreamWorks' recent efforts.
So, is their hope for DreamWorks? I will say that this new strategy is better, especially considering that animated movies are oversaturating the market. But its not like their movies have gotten worse. The competition's just gotten better. But, while some I have looked forward to may not get their time in the spotlight, I am hopeful that things will get better for the studio.
