Dreamworks Animation: What Went Wrong?

[forg]

I was so surprise how Penguins flopped, didn't expect it to gross under 100M especially that it had a good release date

[theultimatebiu]

I was so surprise how Penguins flopped, didn't expect it to gross under 100M especially that it had a good release date

 

It was released too late. The TV show had milked the penguins for all the stories they could.

[efialtes76]

I was so surprise how Penguins flopped, didn't expect it to gross under 100M especially that it had a good release date

Flopped... in Usa.

[cookie]

I was talking to some friends earlier this week and one of them mentioned Despicable Me and thought it was from Dreamworks. Like, a lot of toons not made by Disney people seem to automatically assume with Dreamworks and yet they probably couldn't name some of the more recent real Dreamworks flicks if I told them to. Dreamworks has been such a trendsetter for almost all CG animated films made in the last decade that it's actually working against them now.

Edited March 8, 2015 by C00k13

[BadAtGender]

Flopped... in Usa.

 

Surprisingly, it outgrossed The LEGO Movie overseas.

[Melvin Frohike]

But BH6 didn't break out big time. Do people now pay more attention to the studios behind the toons that they watch?

 

They're still usually blissfully unaware of who made what (aside from fans of specific studios), and even some animation fans get the studios mixed up, too.  If anything, the GA might take notice of "From the creators of" in trailers and posters, though.

 

 

I was so surprise how Penguins flopped, didn't expect it to gross under 100M especially that it had a good release date

 

I didn't expect it to flop so spectacularly at first, either, but as soon as I saw that OD (Wednesday) gross, I figured it would finish between $80-90M DOM, and sure enough, it did.  Originally I expected it to perform even better than it has OS, which I later revised downward because of the type of humor it has, so in the end it's actually doing better than I had predicted.

 

 

It was released too late. The TV show had milked the penguins for all the stories they could.

 

I'm a believer in this theory, although it's not the only factor.

 

 

I was talking to some friends earlier this week and one of them mentioned Despicable Me and thought it was from Dreamworks. Like, a lot of toons not made by Disney people seem to automatically assume with Dreamworks and yet they probably couldn't name some of the more recent real Dreamworks flicks if I told them to. Dreamworks has been such a trendsetter for almost all CG animated films made in the last decade that it's actually working against them now.

 

Even movies made by Disney (WDAS) are often mistakenly thought of as being made by Pixar, for comparison.  Some believe that Pixar replaced WDAS or bizarrely even that Pixar always was WDAS.  I don't know, it's kind of odd to think that the oldest feature animation studio, by far, and one that so dominated the field for decades would have so easily been forgotten by so many people, but it's what I see.  I agree with you about DWA in this respect, too--for a number of writers/bloggers in the news media Pixar and DWA together still are CGI animation.  Even with WDAS' resurgence, including Frozen, which I would think is quite difficult to ignore, I've read a number of recent articles that still only mention Pixar and DWA as the major players in CGI and feature animation in general.  To me this makes DWA's current decline even more shocking (which might well be the intention ).

 

 

Surprisingly, it outgrossed The LEGO Movie overseas.

 

By a pretty big margin, and it just edged past Wreck-It Ralph OS, too.  Even so, this is not quite enough to be considered a truly successful OS run at this budget level, and flopping big-time in NA only makes its overall performance worse, obviously.  I'm actually not too surprised about any of this, though, because Wreck-It Ralph and especially The Lego Movie seem to be geared more specifically for English-speaking markets than usual; this is actually more notable for the former because WDAS usually, with some exceptions, tries to avoid this, given that so much of their revenue has traditionally come from OS markets from the very beginning (their movies were pretty much the original high-budget international tent-poles).

Edited March 12, 2015 by Melvin Frohike

[Sir Tiki]

SunTrust Banks Inc., which agreed to buy DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.’s headquarters near Los Angeles for $185 million about two weeks ago, has put the property back up for sale.

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-11/dreamworks-animation-campus-back-on-market-after-2-weeks

 

I'm assuming this was their intention from the beginning. Still, it's like rubbing salt in the wound because I'm sure SunTrust is going to be asking a lot more for the property than what they paid DreamWorks for it.

Edited March 12, 2015 by Sir Tiki

[kowhite]

Disney should buy it.

They surround that building anyways.

[Melvin Frohike]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-11/dreamworks-animation-campus-back-on-market-after-2-weeks

 

I'm assuming this was their intention from the beginning.

Yes, this is a fairly safe assumption given how quickly this happened. They already had a pretty favorable deal going with DWA, though--I guess they don't expect DWA to be around for very long.

 

Still, it's like rubbing salt in the wound because I'm sure SunTrust is going to be asking a lot more for the property than what they paid DreamWorks for it.

 

Undoubtedly fetching a much higher price, if that is in the cards, would be a huge embarrassment for DWA.

 

Disney should buy it.

They surround that building anyways.

That's true--Disney already owns everything around DWA:

Disney's Grand Central Creative Campus + ABC Studio

Disney's main studio lot (including headquarters and WDAS) is just a couple of miles to the west in Burbank (follow Riverside Drive).

 

By the way, wouldn't it be something if the plan all along was for Disney to buy the DWA campus, using an intermediary for obvious reasons?    I'm sure that John Lasseter would love such a development--"This is a revenge story!" (Fred from Big Hero 6).

[Jonwo]

Yes, this is a fairly safe assumption given how quickly this happened. They already had a pretty favorable deal going with DWA, though--I guess they don't expect DWA to be around for very long.

 

 

Undoubtedly fetching a much higher price, if that is in the cards, would be a huge embarrassment for DWA.

 

That's true--Disney already owns everything around DWA:

Disney's Grand Central Creative Campus + ABC Studio

Disney's main studio lot (including headquarters and WDAS) is just a couple of miles to the west in Burbank (follow Riverside Drive).

 

By the way, wouldn't it be something if the plan all along was for Disney to buy the DWA campus, using an intermediary for obvious reasons?    I'm sure that John Lasseter would love such a development--"This is a revenge story!" (Fred from Big Hero 6).

 

The Glendale campus always struck me as overindulgent in its design but Pixar's campus is quite similar. 

 

Much as it would be funny for Disney to buy the campus, what they would they use it for since I imagine they would keep WDAS in the Hat Building in Burbank and Pixar wouldn't leaving Emeryville. I wonder how much it cost Katzenberg to build in the first place? 

Edited March 12, 2015 by Jonwo

[Walt Disney]

Disney should buy it.

They surround that building anyways.

 

Only if they can buy DreamWorks Classics with it. DreamWorks Classics has some great IP.

Edited March 12, 2015 by Walt Disney

[Walt Disney]

 

 

By the way, wouldn't it be something if the plan all along was for Disney to buy the DWA campus, using an intermediary for obvious reasons?    I'm sure that John Lasseter would love such a development--"This is a revenge story!" (Fred from Big Hero 6).

 

Revenge for what Katzenberg pulled with trying to sabotage A Bug's Life by making Antz around the same time.

[kowhite]

Only if they can buy DreamWorks Classics with it. DreamWorks Classics has some great IP.

Yeah, that's not happening.

[Mojoguy]

Revenge for what Katzenberg pulled with trying to sabotage A Bug's Life by making Antz around the same time.

No revenge towards Katzenberg is necessary. Disney is already laughing as Dreamworks Animation is collapsing to the ground.

[Melvin Frohike]

The Glendale campus always struck me as overindulgent in its design but Pixar's campus is quite similar.

 

Yeah, I suppose it's to bolster their sense of prestige and importance, and therefore the confidence and sense of responsibility of the staff, but for contrast WDAS has historically done much of their best work in dinky/dumpy facilities.   First there was the old Disney studio on Hyperion in Silver Lake where the first several Golden Age animated features were created in whole or in part, and then there was that unmarked warehouse across the street from WDI (Walt Disney Imagineering) on Flower in Glendale where many of the Renaissance animated features were created in whole or in part (including the first "big" four).  Comfort and grandeur are nice, but they don't necessarily imply better results--the threat of the studio closing has always been more effective motivation, and I guess we'll find out how DWA responds to such pressure.  Maybe Katzenberg should move DWA into a dumpy warehouse like he did with WDAS when he first joined Disney.

 

Much as it would be funny for Disney to buy the campus, what they would they use it for since I imagine they would keep WDAS in the Hat Building in Burbank and Pixar wouldn't leaving Emeryville.

 

I don't know, but coincidentally it sure would come in handy right now with WDAS almost completely moved out of the Hat Building while it is being remodeled (more like entirely gutted and redesigned from scratch except for the outer shell).  A few staffers are still there, the luckier ones were moved to DisneyToon's practically abandoned studio in Glendale (nice building modeled after Pixar's, only much smaller), and the bulk of the staff have been moved to a crappy WDI warehouse right next to an airport runway (the previous crappy warehouse on Flower has been thoroughly renovated inside and now houses the Animation Research Library)--there they will stay until the Hat Building is finished, which will take at least 18 months.

 

Not that I'm being serious about any of this business regarding DWA's campus, by the way--it's just fun to ask "What if?"

 

Only if they can buy DreamWorks Classics with it. DreamWorks Classics has some great IP.

 

Well, Disney would be buying the DWA campus from SunTrust, not DWA, and I don't know how the lease agreement would be transferred and all of its particulars.  That is some nice IP, though, yes...provided that it is utilized properly.

 

Revenge for what Katzenberg pulled with trying to sabotage A Bug's Life by making Antz around the same time.

That's right, it's really the only reason Lasseter would have any kind of a bitter enmity against DWA--Katzenberg specifically, that is.  I'm sure that DWA's current troubles must be breaking JL's heart to pixels.   JK, for his part, doesn't have anything against JL (or Disney anymore)--he just used him and Pixar (and to some extent PDI) to get back at Michael Eisner, who then turned around and started an unnecessary feud with Pixar over something else.   No wonder Frank Wells is so revered inside Disney--he actually got all of these massive egos (along with Roy E. Disney) to function in such harmony and for the benefit of the company until his untimely death.  Immediately after that fateful helicopter crash Disney began to unravel from the top, eventually dragging WDAS and every other division down with it.  Now it's DWA's turn to get dragged down--this time seemingly in large part by JK on his own.  Disney was saved by ousting Eisner and replacing him with...his own hand-picked successor, of all people.  Now how will DWA be saved, or will it?

Edited March 12, 2015 by Melvin Frohike

[Melvin Frohike]

No revenge towards Katzenberg is necessary. Disney is already laughing as Dreamworks Animation is collapsing to the ground.

 

When Penguins of Madagascar was released, Lasseter was overheard saying "Baymax, destroy!"  There was no intervention this time, and interestingly the result was that his neurotransmitter levels were up and his emotional state improved after all.  Go figure!

[Jonwo]

Yeah, I suppose it's to bolster their sense of prestige and importance, and therefore the confidence and sense of responsibility of the staff, but for contrast WDAS has historically done much of their best work in dinky/dumpy facilities. First there was the old Disney studio on Hyperion in Silver Lake where the first several Golden Age animated features were created in whole or in part, and then there was that unmarked warehouse across the street from WDI (Walt Disney Imagineering) on Flower in Glendale where many of the Renaissance animated features were created in whole or in part (including the first "big" four). Comfort and grandeur are nice, but they don't necessarily imply better results--the threat of the studio closing has always been more effective motivation, and I guess we'll find out how DWA responds to such pressure. Maybe Katzenberg should move DWA into a dumpy warehouse like he did with WDAS when he first joined Disney.

I don't know, but coincidentally it sure would come in handy right now with WDAS almost completely moved out of the Hat Building while it is being remodeled (more like entirely gutted and redesigned from scratch except for the outer shell). A few staffers are still there, the luckier ones were moved to DisneyToon's practically abandoned studio in Glendale (nice building modeled after Pixar's, only much smaller), and the bulk of the staff have been moved to a crappy WDI warehouse right next to an airport runway (the previous crappy warehouse on Flower has been thoroughly renovated inside and now houses the Animation Research Library)--there they will stay until the Hat Building is finished, which will take at least 18 months.

Not that I'm being serious about any of this business regarding DWA's campus, by the way--it's just fun to ask "What if?"

Well, Disney would be buying the DWA campus from SunTrust, not DWA, and I don't know how the lease agreement would be transferred and all of its particulars. That is some nice IP, though, yes...provided that it is utilized properly.

That's right, it's really the only reason Lasseter would have any kind of a bitter enmity against DWA--Katzenberg specifically, that is. I'm sure that DWA's current troubles must be breaking JL's heart to pixels. JK, for his part, doesn't have anything against JL (or Disney anymore)--he just used him and Pixar (and to some extent PDI) to get back at Michael Eisner, who then turned around and started an unnecessary feud with Pixar over something else. No wonder Frank Wells is so revered inside Disney--he actually got all of these massive egos (along with Roy E. Disney) to function in such harmony and for the benefit of the company until his untimely death. Immediately after that fateful helicopter crash Disney began to unravel from the top, eventually dragging WDAS and every other division down with it. Now it's DWA's turn to get dragged down--this time seemingly in large part by JK on his own. Disney was saved by ousting Eisner and replacing him with...his own hand-picked successor, of all people. Now how will DWA be saved, or will it?

Katzenberg I think needs to consider picking a successor but unless he's willing to step down or the shareholder force him to, it's not going to happen anytime soon.

Making DWA public in hindsight was a mistake but TBH remaining as part of SKG wouldn't have helped given theyve not had a hit for about two years

[Sir Tiki]

Verizon Communications Inc will offer more than 200 hours a year of original online programing from DreamWorks Animation and its AwesomenessTV unit in a bid to reach families and younger viewers who increasingly watch video on mobile devices, the companies said on Wednesday.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/11/us-verizon-commn-dreamworks-anim-idUSKBN0M72I620150311

Edited July 8, 2015 by Sir Tiki

[BK007]

The backlash against Dreamworks means there is hope that one day the same will fall upon the exhausting sequelization and expansion of universes and franchises way past the needed point. 

[Caesar]

The backlash against Dreamworks means there is hope that one day the same will fall upon the exhausting sequelization and expansion of universes and franchises way past the needed point. 

 If it wasn't for their sequels DreamWorks would only have had 5 really successful movies in 16 years. Without the expansion of the franchises they created with those movies through sequels and TV shows they would never have been able to cover the losses from all their box office bombs.

 

The reason that DreamWorks is in this position is because they kept green lighting movies that attempted to copy Shrek by using similar humour which resulted in most of their movies feeling the same and very little variety.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Caesar