DreamWorks Pictures: Difference between revisions
Spittlespat (talk | contribs) m Reverted edits by Jackiechanfan (talk) to last version by Fratrep |
No edit summary |
||
Line 24: | Line 24: | ||
==History== |
==History== |
||
[[Image:DreamWorks Pictures.svg|thumb|left|270px|The DreamWorks Pictures logo]]The company was founded following Katzenberg's resignation from [[The Walt Disney Company]] in 1994. At the suggestion of Spielberg's friend, the two made an agreement with long-time Katzenberg collaborator Geffen to start their own studio. The studio was officially founded on October 12, 1994 with financial backing of $33 million from each of the three main partners and $500 million from [[Microsoft]] co-founder [[Paul Allen]]. |
[[Image:DreamWorks Pictures.svg|thumb|left|270px|The DreamWorks Pictures logo]]The company was founded following Katzenberg's resignation from [[The Walt Disney Company]] in 1994. At the suggestion of Spielberg's friend, the two made an agreement with long-time Katzenberg collaborator Geffen to start their own studio. The studio was officially founded on October 12, 1994 with financial backing of $33 million from each of the three main partners and $500 million from [[Microsoft]] co-founder [[Paul Allen]]. DreamWorks movie coming out monsters vs. aliens is a comedy that little children would like |
||
[[DreamWorks Interactive]] is a computer and video game developer founded in 1995, as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG. |
[[DreamWorks Interactive]] is a computer and video game developer founded in 1995, as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG. |
Revision as of 18:17, 18 March 2009
DreamWorks SKG logo | |
Industry | Motion pictures |
---|---|
Founded | 1994 |
Headquarters | Universal City, California, United States |
Key people | Stacey Snider, CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, Co-Founder/Dreamworks Animation CEO Steven Spielberg, Co-Founder/Chairman David Geffen, Co-Founder |
Products | motion pictures, television programs |
Revenue | $4.5 billion USD (2008) |
Owner | Reliance ADA Group |
Number of employees | 120 (2008) |
Website | dreamworksstudios.com |
DreamWorks, LLC, also known as DreamWorks Pictures, DreamWorks SKG or DreamWorks Studios, is a major American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games, and television programming. It has produced or distributed more than ten films with box-office grosses totalling more than $100 million each. Its most successful title to date is Shrek 2.[1]
DreamWorks began in 1994 as an ambitious attempt by media moguls Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen (forming the SKG present on the bottom of the DreamWorks logo) to create a new Hollywood studio. In December 2005, the founders agreed to sell the studio to Viacom. The sale was completed in February 2006. In 2008, Dreamworks announced its intention to end its partnership with Paramount and signed a US$1.5 billion deal to produce films with India's Reliance ADA Group.[2]
DreamWorks' animation arm was spun-off in 2004 into DreamWorks Animation SKG. Its films were distributed worldwide by Paramount, but the animation studio remained independent of Paramount/Viacom.
On February 9 2009, DreamWorks entered a 6-year, 30-picture distribution deal with The Walt Disney Company starting in 2010, after breaking off negotiations with Universal Pictures just days earlier.[3]
History
The company was founded following Katzenberg's resignation from The Walt Disney Company in 1994. At the suggestion of Spielberg's friend, the two made an agreement with long-time Katzenberg collaborator Geffen to start their own studio. The studio was officially founded on October 12, 1994 with financial backing of $33 million from each of the three main partners and $500 million from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. DreamWorks movie coming out monsters vs. aliens is a comedy that little children would like
DreamWorks Interactive is a computer and video game developer founded in 1995, as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG.
In 1998, DreamWorks released their first full-length animated feature, Antz.
In 1999, 2000 and 2001, DreamWorks won three consecutive Academy Awards for Best Picture for American Beauty, Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind (the latter two with Universal).
On February 24, 2000, Electronic Arts announced the acquisition of DreamWorks Interactive from DreamWorks and merged it with EA Pacific and Westwood Studios. DreamWorks Interactive became EA Los Angeles (EALA).
DreamWorks Records, the company's record label (the first project of which was George Michael's Older), never lived up to expectations, and was sold in October 2003 to Universal Music Group, which operated the label as DreamWorks Nashville. That label was shut down in 2005 when its flagship artist, Toby Keith, departed to form his own label.[4]
The studio has had its greatest financial success with movies, specifically animated movies. DreamWorks Animation teamed up with Pacific Data Images (now known as PDI/DreamWorks) in 1996 to create some of the highest grossing animated hits of all time, such as Antz (1998), The Prince of Egypt (1998), Shrek (2001), its sequels Shrek 2 (2004) and Shrek the Third (2007); Shark Tale (2004), Madagascar (2005), Over the Hedge (2006), Flushed Away (2006), Bee Movie, and Kung Fu Panda (2008) Based on their success, DreamWorks Animation has spun off as its own publicly traded company. In fact, PDI/DreamWorks has emerged as the main competitor to Pixar in the age of computer-generated animation, and is based in Redwood City, California.
In recent years, DreamWorks has scaled back. It stopped plans to build a high-tech studio, sold its music division, and has only produced a few television series, Las Vegas, Carpoolers, and On the Lot, for example.
Recently, David Geffen admitted that DreamWorks had come close to bankruptcy twice. Under Katzenberg's watch, the studio suffered a $125 million loss on Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, and also overestimated the DVD demand for Shrek 2. In 2005, out of their two large budget pictures, The Island bombed at the domestic box office, while War of the Worlds was produced as a joint effort with Paramount which was the first to reap the profits [clarification needed].
In December 2005, Viacom's Paramount Pictures agreed to purchase the live-action studio. The deal was valued at approximately $1.6 billion, an amount that included about $400 million in debt assumptions. The company completed its acquisition on February 1, 2006.[5]
On March 17, 2006, Paramount agreed to sell the DreamWorks live-action library to a group led by George Soros for $900 million. Paramount retained the worldwide distribution rights to these films, as well as various ancillary rights, including music publishing, sequels, and merchandising -- this includes films that had been made by Paramount and DreamWorks. The sale was completed on May 8, 2006.
In June 2008, Variety reported that DreamWorks was looking for financing that would allow it to continue operations as an independent production company once its deal with Paramount ended later in the year.[6] Most of the money to do the new studio would come from an Indian investment firm called Reliance ADA Group. The DreamWorks trademarks are owned by DreamWorks Animation, and the new company would need their approval to use the trademarks. In September 2008, it was reported by Variety that Dreamworks closed a deal with Reliance to create a stand-alone production company and end its ties to Paramount.[7].
As of 2009, DreamWorks Animation is planning on releasing all their films in 3-D starting with films such as Shrek Goes Fourth.[8]
Logo
The Dreamworks logo features a young boy sitting on a crescent moon while fishing. The general idea for the logo was from company's co-founder Steven Spielberg. Spielberg originally wanted a computer generated image, whereas Visual Effects Supervisor Dennis Muren, of Industrial Light and Magic suggested a hand-painted one. Muren contacted friend and artist Robert Hunt to paint it. Hunt worked both versions featuring his son William as a model for the boy, and Spielberg liked the CGI one better. The music accompanying the logo as a movie starts was composed by John Williams.
The logo that you see in the movies was made at ILM based on paintings by Hunt, in collaboration with Kaleidoscope Films, Dave Carson, and Clint Goldman.[9]
Trivia
This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (June 2008) |
- Currently, United International Pictures, a joint venture of Paramount and Universal, has the rights to release DreamWorks' films internationally, and will also handle releases from the new DreamWorks.
- The broadcast rights to many DreamWorks films are owned by ABC. Ironically, ABC (along with Pixar) is owned by Disney, with which Katzenberg had a falling out.
- Edwin R. Leonard, CTO of Dreamworks, won a special achievement award at the 2008 Annies for driving their innovative work with Open Source Software and Linux.[10]
- In the Comedy Central animated TV series South Park, the Jonas Brothers refuse to wear purity rings only to end up in an argument with their boss who is a foul-mouthed version of Mickey Mouse. Kenny McCormick is believed by the three other main characters he is being brainwashed by the ring and so attempt to stop a Jonas Brothers concert. Mickey Mouse begins to jump to conclusions thinking they are from Dreamworks trying to ruin Disney, which was a reference to the end of the distribution deal between the two companies.
Filmography
Live action films
1997
1998
- Deep Impact (co-production with Paramount Pictures)
- Paulie
- Saving Private Ryan (with Paramount Pictures)
- Small Soldiers (with Universal Pictures)
1999
2000
- Almost Famous (co-production with Columbia Pictures)
- Cast Away (co-production with 20th Century Fox)
- The Contender (co-production with Cinerenta Medienbeteiligungs KG)
- An Everlasting Piece (co-production with Columbia Pictures)
- Gladiator (co-production with Universal Pictures)
- The Legend of Bagger Vance (co-production with 20th Century Fox and Allied Filmmakers)
- Meet the Parents (co-production with Universal Pictures)
- Road Trip
- Small Time Crooks
- Walk the Talk (Direct to Video)
- What Lies Beneath (co-production with 20th Century Fox)
2001
- The Last Castle
- A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (co-production with Warner Bros.)
- A Beautiful Mind (co-production with Universal Pictures)
- The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (in association with VCL Communications GmbH)
- Evolution (co-production with Columbia Pictures)
- The Mexican (co-production with Newmarket Films)
2002
- Catch Me If You Can
- Hollywood Ending
- Minority Report (co-production with 20th Century Fox)
- The Ring
- Road to Perdition (with 20th Century Fox)
- The Time Machine (with Warner Bros.)
- The Tuxedo
2003
- Anything Else
- Biker Boyz
- The Cat in the Hat (co-production with Universal Studios)
- Head of State
- House of Sand and Fog
- Millennium Actress (Go Fish Pictures division)
- Old School
- Paycheck (co-production with Paramount Pictures)
- Seabiscuit (co-production with Universal Studios and Spyglass Entertainment)
2004
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
- Collateral (with Paramount Pictures)
- Envy (with Columbia Pictures and Castle Rock Entertainment)
- Eurotrip
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (co-production with Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies)
- Meet the Fockers (co-production with Universal Studios)
- Shark Tale (distribution only)
- Shrek 2 (distribution only)
- The Stepford Wives (remake of 1975 film) (co-production with Paramount Pictures)
- Surviving Christmas
- The Terminal
- Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!
2005
- The Ring Two – March 18, 2005
- War of the Worlds (co-production with Paramount Pictures and Amblin Entertainment) – June 29, 2005
- The Island (with Warner Bros.) – July 22, 2005
- Red Eye – August 19, 2005
- The Chumscrubber (distribution by Go Fish Pictures division) – August 26, 2005
- Just like Heaven – September 16, 2005
- The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (co-production with Revolution Studios) – September 28, 2005
- Dreamer – October 7, 2005
- Memoirs of a Geisha (co-production with Columbia Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment) – December 9, 2005
- Munich (co-production with Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment and Alliance Atlantis) – December 23, 2005
- Match Point (co-production with BBC Films) – December 28, 2005
2006
- She's the Man (with Lakeshore Entertainment) – March 17, 2006
- The Last Kiss (distribution only) (with Lakeshore Entertainment) – September 15, 2006
- Flags of Our Fathers (with Warner Bros.) – October 20, 2006
- Dreamgirls (with Paramount Pictures) – December 15, 2006
- Letters from Iwo Jima (with Warner Bros.) – December 20, 2006
- Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (distribution only, produced by Constantin Film) – December 27, 2006
2007
- Norbit – February 8, 2007
- Blades of Glory (with MTV Films) – March 30, 2007
- Disturbia – April 13, 2007
- Transformers (with Paramount Pictures) – July 2, 2007
- The Heartbreak Kid – October 5, 2007
- Things We Lost in the Fire – October 19, 2007
- The Kite Runner (with Paramount Vantage) – December 14, 2007
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (with Warner Bros.) – December 21, 2007
2008
- The Ruins (co-produced with Spyglass Entertainment and Red Hour Films) – April 4, 2008
- Tropic Thunder (co-produced with Red Hour Films) – August 8, 2008
- Ghost Town (co-produced with Spyglass Entertainment) – September 19, 2008
- Eagle Eye – September 26, 2008
- Revolutionary Road (co-produced with Paramount Vantage and BBC Films) – December 26, 2008
2009
- Hotel for Dogs (with Nickelodeon Movies) – January 16, 2009
- The Uninvited - 30 January 2009
- A Thousand Words - 23 October 2009
- She's Out of My League - 2009
Upcoming
2009
- I Love You, Man – March 20, 2009
- The Soloist (co-produced with Working Title Films, Universal Pictures and Participant Productions) – April 24, 2009
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (co-production with Paramount Pictures) – June 24, 2009
- The Lovely Bones (Distributed by Paramount Pictures, co-production with FilmFour) - December 11, 2009
2011
- The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn (co-production with Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures and Amblin Entertainment) – 2011
TBA
- Lincoln (with Amblin Entertainment)
- Ghost in the Shell[11]
- Fatal Frame (based on the video game)
- When Worlds Collide (co-production with Paramount Pictures)
- Master of Space and Time
Animated Films
1998
2000
- Chicken Run (co-production with Aardman Animations and Pathé)
- Joseph: King of Dreams (direct to video)
- The Road to El Dorado
2001
2002
2003
2004
- Shark Tale (distribution only)
- Shrek 2 (distribution only)
- Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (distribution by Go Fish Pictures division)
2005
- Madagascar (distribution only) – May 27, 2005
- Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (co-production with Aardman Animations) – October 7, 2005
2006
- Over the Hedge (distribution only through Paramount Pictures) – May 19, 2006
- Flushed Away (co-production with Aardman Animations) (distribution only through Paramount Pictures) – November 3, 2006
2007
- Shrek the Third (distribution only through Paramount Pictures) – May 18, 2007
- Bee Movie (distribution only through Paramount Pictures) – November 2, 2007
2008
- Kung Fu Panda (distribution only through Paramount Pictures) – June 6, 2008
- Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (distribution only through Paramount Pictures) – November 7, 2008
2009
- Monsters vs. Aliens – March 27, 2009
2010
- How to Train Your Dragon – March 26, 2010
- Shrek Goes Fourth – May 21, 2010
- Master Mind – November 5, 2010
2011
2012
2013
Animated Shorts
2004
2005
2006
2008
TV series and specials
Musical artists
Computer/Video games
Animations
References
- ^ DreamWorks SKG All Time Box Office Results
- ^ AFP: DreamWorks, India's Reliance Sign Major Deal, AFP, September 21, 2008
- ^ Disney and DreamWorks Set Long-Term Distribution Deal, Yahoo!, February 9, 2009
- ^ Stark, Phyllis, "Toby Keith topped country charts, shook up Music Row," Billboard magazine, December 24, 2005, p. YE-18.
- ^ Paramount, DreamWorks agree to deal - Dec. 12, 2005
- ^ DreamWorks considers indie future
- ^ DreamWorks, Reliance close deal
- ^ Viacom to Sell Paramount Pictures' DreamWorks Film Library For $900 Million
- ^ [1]
- ^ Annie Awards: Legacy – 35th Annual Annie Awards
- ^ DreamWorks to make 'Ghost' in 3-D – Variety
External links
- DreamWorks Company Profile and Contacts
- Official site
- dreamworks-skg.com
- DreamWorks Animated Productions at The Big Cartoon DataBase
- Template:Imdb company
- DreamWorks fan site
34°09′26″N 118°17′06″W / 34.157326°N 118.285096°W Template:Companies portal