Dreamworks Animated "Classics"

[ajmrowland]

Gun-to-the-head!

[PatrickvD]

Antz - Uglies. animated. film ever. The story was alright.

The Prince of Egypt - Pretty good. Not a fan of the character designs but it's a decent animated feature.

The Road to El Dorado -Easily the worst animated film I've ever seen. From the laughable opening to each and every awful joke it's unwatchable.

Chicken Run - An instant classic that is just too good. It's so incredibly smart and funny. I'm a huge fan of this one.

Joseph: King of Dreams - never seen this. It looked dreadful.

Shrek - full of itself... and the story makes no sense whatsoever. So Shrek goes on a quest to rid his swamp of the fairytale characters. That story arc has yet to be given a decent end and we're going into the fourth film now. Unfunny and poorly designed. Horribly overrated.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - This was decent. It had its moments and the animation was pretty good in places. For once minimal dialogue in a DW film, and that was a good thing.

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas - This was okay. Michele Pfeiffer stood out as the villain. Some gorgeous animation... but slightly too much CGI.. story was okay.

Shrek 2 - Just awful. I'll never get this Shrek stuff.

Shark Tale - I turned this off after 15 minutes... It was unwatchable.

Madagascar - Somewhat of a guilty pleasure. It cracks me up a little. No masterpiece though.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - Hilarious. Not as good as Chicken Run, but pretty damn funny.

Over the Hedge - didn't see this one.

Flushed Away - didn't see this either.

Shrek the Third - I actually didn't hate this as much as the first two, but still pretty stupid. Timberlake was particularly annoying.

Bee Movie - this was okay. Pretty generic, but it had its funny moments.

Kung Fu Panda - Now this is a truly great and funny film. Just what DWA should have been making all along. Great film

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - slightly funnier than the first one. Still, no masterpieces. Just outrageous comedy. Loved Alec Baldwin's character.

Monsters vs. Aliens - a disappointment. It could have been so much more than what it ended up being.

[Disneykid]

Antz - 6.5/10
The Prince of Egypt - 8.5/10
The Road to El Dorado - 7/10
Chicken Run - 8/10
Joseph: King of Dreams - 7/10
Shrek - 7.5/10
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - 7/10
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas - Haven't seen it
Shrek 2 - 8/10
Shark Tale - 4/10
Madagascar - 7/10
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - 7.5/10
Over the Hedge - 8/10
Shrek the Third - Have only seen the last 15 minutes, can't really rate
Bee Movie - Haven't seen it
Kung Fu Panda - 8/10
Madagascar: Escape to Africa - 7/10
Monsters vs. Aliens - Haven't seen it
How to Train Your Dragon - 8.5/10
Shrek Forever After - Haven't Seen It

So I think most of Dreamwork's films are decently entertaining, but not enough to really stick. Only The Prince of Egypt and How to Train Your Dragon really wowed me. I would've liked to have seen them do more Biblical films ala Prince of Egypt. Joseph was decent but didn't take advantage of the cinematic medium like PoE did; it was more straightforward. I think a David film in PoE's style would be amazing.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

My favorite Dreamworks Animated film is Prince of Egypt and nothing has really come close to it. The songs are great and the story was put together rather well. The only thing that does come slightly close is Shrek just because it's kind of funny. But, Prince of Egypt is by far the best animated film Dreamworks has produced.

[blackcauldron85]

http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/ ... links.html

... Wal-Mart will be the exclusive U.S. retailer of nearly all licensed Dragon products, excluding the later DVD release, among other items. The two sides didn't disclose an estimate of the financial value of their arrangement, which they described as broader in scope than past efforts. Wal-Mart will carry more than 100 licensed "Dragon" products, more than twice as many as it has ever sold at the launch of a DreamWorks picture at the time of its theatre debut. ...

[yamiiguy]

Antz - Can't remember it well but remember liking it
The Prince of Egypt - Never seen it
The Road to El Dorado - Loved this when I was younger, owned it on VHS - 8.5/10
Chicken Run - Loved it watch it at least once a year - 9/10
Joseph: King of Dreams - Never seen it
Shrek - Loved it when I was younger but it gets quite old after a few years (in more than one sense) - 8/10
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - Can't remember it well enough
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas - Can't remember it well enough but remember seeing it in theatres
Shark Tale - It was OK - 7/10
Madagascar - Baad - 3/10
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - Not really Dreamworks but I'm British and W&G are institutional here - 9.5/10
Over the Hedge - It was pretty good, nothing spectacular - 7.5/10
Shrek 2 - Quite good, holds up better than the first though that might be because I haven't seen it as much - 8.5/10
Shrek the Third - Terrible - 2/10
Bee Movie - Haven't seen it
Kung Fu Panda - Haven't seen it
Madagascar: Escape to Africa - Haven't seen it
Monsters vs. Aliens - I really liked it, went to see it with my mates and I was the only one who picked up the references (they have never taken the time to watch classic or even pre-2000 non-animated science fiction) - 9/10

[akhenaten]

how to train your dragon was released in 3d in malaysia last thursday. got a chance to watch it twice.dare i say it.its the best CGI dreamworks animated film since kung fu panda.heck i wish disney wouldve done something like it!it was entertaining,fresh and visually beautiful.the characters animation are excellent as well.kudos to the dreamworks team.they have an interesting slate of films coming and i hope they can maintain the quality and avoid the cheap crowd pleasing style theyre famous for.dreamworks has grown up. when will u disney?

[blackcauldron85]

"They Stole My Idea"
http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/ ... -idea.html

[Luke]

Antz - Pretty good.
The Prince of Egypt - Pretty good.
The Road to El Dorado - Never saw it.
Chicken Run - Good.
Joseph: King of Dreams - Never saw it.
Shrek - Pretty good.
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - Awful.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas - Never saw it.
Shrek 2 - Pretty good.
Shark Tale - Awful.
Madagascar - Okay.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - Good.
Over the Hedge - Pretty good.
Flushed Away - Good.
Shrek the Third - Okay to pretty good.
Bee Movie - Pretty good.
Kung Fu Panda - Good.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - Bad.
Monsters vs. Aliens - Never saw it.

Having seen Monsters vs. Aliens, I'll give it an "Okay." I guess I'm going to revisit Shreks 1 to 3 in anticipation of seeing the Final Chapter.

[disneyboy20022]

Antz - Pretty good.
The Prince of Egypt - Pretty good.
The Road to El Dorado - Never saw it.
Chicken Run - Good.
Joseph: King of Dreams - Never saw it.
Shrek - Pretty good.
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - Awful.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas - Never saw it.
Shrek 2 - Pretty good.
Shark Tale - Awful.
Madagascar - Okay.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - Good.
Over the Hedge - Pretty good.
Flushed Away - Good.
Shrek the Third - Okay to pretty good.
Bee Movie - Pretty good.
Kung Fu Panda - Good.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - Bad.
Monsters vs. Aliens - Never saw it.

Having seen Monsters vs. Aliens, I'll give it an "Okay." I guess I'm going to revisit Shreks 1 to 3 in anticipation of seeing the Final Chapter.

Also..sometime I would say you should see The Road To El Dorado....I think you'll like it a lot Luke....it has the best horse in a dreamworks film I have seen named Altivo....

[jpanimation]

As I wrote this in another thread, accompanying my review for Sinbad:

Now with that said, I've been reading some columns written by Terry Rossio (co-writer of such hits as Aladdin, Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean) to improve my own writing and came across an interesting column that relates to executive interference. It's in this column where he explains how changes made to his original stories for The Road to El Dorado, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, and Treasure Planet lead to them flopping at the box office. He actually posts the original synopsis for Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas and while not perfect, it was WAY better then the final outcome. He goes on to say how the Dreamworks execs spent 7 months trying to fix (screw up) Shrek from his original take but eventually came to their senses and used his take. The worst part of it all, the executive's justification for their tampering was these films being 'director driven', even though all the changes were made by the marketing department and executives themselves.

Anyways, (CLICK HERE) to read the column and scroll down to "BATTLE #5" to read the original synopsis for Sinbad. It's an interesting read that makes me wonder how good Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas and The Road to El Dorado could've been if left untouched. Gives me another reason to dislike Dreamworks, as they're neither writer or director friendly.

Also thought I'd update my list while I'm at it:

Rating System: Bad, Decent, Good, and Great.

Antz - good. Probably the only thing Woody Allen has touched that I can stand. What really surprised me was just how different this was from Pixar's outing and how good it was. Animation is showing its age.

The Prince of Egypt - great. This is a classic in every sense of the word with great story, characters, animation, and music. I rank this among the greatest animated musicals that Disney never made (right up there with Anastasia).

The Road to El Dorado - good. This movie above all is fun. The characters all have chemistry and it works. The animation is good and the music is alright.

Chicken Run - bad. I really don't enjoy this Aardman stuff. Alway bores me to death.

Joseph: King of Dreams - N/A Haven't seen it but the animation looks terrible.

Shrek - great. I saw this at the Universal Citywalk Cinema and was completely blown away. At the time, it was original and fun. The story and characters all hold up well while the animation is starting to show its age. The pop songs date the film but the movie's score is still wonderful.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - decent. Great animation and nice change of pace for Dreamworks. Should've been a silent movie with no narration or pop music/songs. Anyways, I can't see anything like this being made by the company ever again.

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas - good. This must be my guilty pleasure as I enjoy it more then anyone else. The blending of Greek and Arabian mythology is seamless and the animation is great (although, the CG blending could be better). The animation on Eris is stunning. Oh, I have to comment on the score which, to my delight, easily rivals Bernard Herrmann's original.

Shrek 2 - great. Just like Toy Story 2, one of the greatest sequels for an animated picture. It expands on everything from the original and add a little dose of originality. The animation is also improved and you can't forget Puss in Boots. After this, it's pretty much down hill for Dreamworks.

Shark Tale - bad. I love Will Smith but this movie is terrible. It is extremely simplistic and childish yet it deals with a Scorsese type mafia that will go right over kids heads. I don't know who they were catering too but its basically a bunch of pop fluff all rolled up into one package.

Madagascar - decent. Fun characters and neat snappy animation. I love the art direction used in this movie but the story is shallow.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - decent. I'm still not fond of these movies and found this one quite boring. Like all Aardman pictures, humor falls flat. At least the story was decent enough but I'm still not sure how it won best picture.

Over the Hedge - decent. Based on the syndicated comic strip of the same name, they adapted the characters and the story decent enough. Unfortunately, that's where the problem lies, it never really does anything to distinguish itself beyond the ordinary (even the character designs were changed to something more generic).

Flushed Away - bad. What can I say, another bad Aardman movie only after this one, Dreamworks finally learned their lesson and dropped this partnership that wasn't working out (for the better). In that regard, it was worth it.

Shrek the Third - bad. Often called Shrek the Turd, I couldn't think of a more fitting name as this was one steaming pile. There was nothing redeeming about this movie except maybe the animation. Nothing was original, the characters had no development, and the antagonist was just tired. The whole baby aspect was handled so badly that I wanted to leave the theater. Absolutley Dreamworks worst effort so far.

Bee Movie - bad. If you were going in expecting the humor of Seinfeld, like me, then you were probably EXTREMELY disappointed. This movie is just average on everything, including the humor. What they lacked was Larry David I guess.

Kung Fu Panda - good. I like this movie and found it a breath of fresh air. I admit I'm a little biased because my teacher worked on this and would show us his work. I just found the whole setting refreshing and the fact that it was a genre piece helped making it stand out from the Dreamworks mediocrity. Did I mention, it was actually funny?

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - bad. This one make the first seem like a masterpiece. It just screams DTV and I'm sure its what we can expect from the the slew of upcoming Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda sequels that have planned.

Monsters vs. Aliens - bad. I like the classic 50's monster and alien films and while this was trying to be a genre film/homage like KFP, it falls flat. With an average story, bad character development (I didn't care for any of the characters), and the extremely childish antagonist, it was nothing but disappointment.

How to Train Your Dragon - good. So while not as good as my friends at Dreamworks were telling me it would be, it was still better then the disasters that came before it. Just wish the art direction wasn't soo incredibly blande.

Shrek Forever After N/A This is also called Shrek goes Fourth and Shrek the Final Chapter. I haven't seen this one yet and I'm not sure if I ever will after Shrek the Turd.

Megamind N/A I'm actually looking forward to this one but have some reservations.

Shrek 4-D - good. I enjoyed this film well enough but it doesn't compare to any of Disney's four films (Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, Muppet Vision 3D, It's Tough to be a Bug, and Mickey's Phillarmagic). It wasn't worth the wait in line and most definitely didn't warrant the closing of Universal's Hitchcok exhibit (considering the theater only took up about 1/3 of the Hitch exhibit). The pre-show's cool though but the movie's 4D aspect basically consisted of shaking seats that got annoying real fast.

2011 will just be sequels from Dreamworks, same with Pixar

[pap64]

jpanimation: Regarding Shrek 4 I would recommend renting it when its released on DVD. To me, while it doesn't top Shrek 1 and 2 it corrects many of the mistakes seen in Shrek the Third, giving us far better character development and even a heartwarming relationship between Shrek and Fiona.

I came with very low expectations and came away surprised. Not the greatest Dreamworks has done, but considering the film that came before it it's a marginal improvement.

[Elladorine]

Call me crazy and emotional, but I cried near the end of the fourth Shrek because I specifically related to some of the dialog.

[pap64]

Call me crazy and emotional, but I cried near the end of the fourth Shrek because I specifically related to some of the dialog.

I teared up personally. Shrek 4 is easily the most emotional of the Shrek stories. There were hints of it in the previous movies, but it was pushed aside in favor of broad comedy. Shrek 4 takes a very surprising turn and delivers some great scenes that aren't perfect, but hit the right notes.

[Super Aurora]

I like jpanimation's review. I agree that I also love the Sinbad movie a lot. It gives me a Soul Calibur feel for some reason lol. and that article he link seems to be quite surprising.

[Kossage]

Thanks for sharing the link, jpanimation; it's quite a fascinating read. Although the original screenplay of Sinbad sounds very nice, I actually liked the version I saw in theatres too. So despite whatever executive meddling the film had, its heart was still there and it's still one of the best and most enjoyable animated films I've seen. Harry Gregson-Williams's score is indeed exceptional and is one of the most enthusiastic scores I've heard (I wonder what kind of tricks he had to pull while conducting to make the players react so positively and produce such a beautiful gem of a score).

I'm very happy that Dreamworks is producing good films every once in a while. Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon have been very enjoyable with beautiful art, nice character development and memorable music. I hope they'll keep that up and try to hold up the quality of the originals in the inevitable sequels.

[blackcauldron85]

DreamWorks bringing Good Luck Trolls to the big screen
http://animatedviews.com/2010/dreamwork ... ig-screen/

I thought it sounded cute...until I read that DreamWorks was behind it.

[UmbrellaFish]

DreamWorks bringing Good Luck Trolls to the big screen
http://animatedviews.com/2010/dreamwork ... ig-screen/

I thought it sounded cute...until I read that DreamWorks was behind it.

Hmm... I'm interested to know if they'll choose to keep the dolls as toys, ala Toy Story (especially since there is a Troll doll in one of the movies..), or turn them into real creatures or something.

[Super Aurora]

DreamWorks bringing Good Luck Trolls to the big screen
http://animatedviews.com/2010/dreamwork ... ig-screen/

I thought it sounded cute...until I read that DreamWorks was behind it.

An even more horrifing sequel to "A Troll in Central Park". LOL

[TheSequelOfDisney]

DreamWorks bringing Good Luck Trolls to the big screen
http://animatedviews.com/2010/dreamwork ... ig-screen/

I thought it sounded cute...until I read that DreamWorks was behind it.

An even more horrifing sequel to "A Troll in Central Park". LOL

Ah, I loved A Troll In Central Park when I was little. Good times, good times.