DreamWorks Animation is back in the public vernacular with Trolls World Tour hitting home release this Friday thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. The first installment of this franchise was released in November of 2016 – it earned $346M worldwide, and was met with a decent enough 75% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.
DreamWorks is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, and produced their first feature film, Antz, in 1998. I was more of an A Bug’s Life kid, but Antz was definitely a respectable debut. Since then, they’ve gone on to make 36 more films, including some of the most recognizable animated features of all time.
Today, I’m looking back at the 22-year history of DreamWorks and reflecting on what exactly the four pillars of this studio are. Before I get into the official unofficial SoBros Mount Rushmore, I’d like to throw out a couple of honorable mentions to The Croods and Over the Hedge, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Mount Rushmore: DreamWorks Animation
Shrek – Ya gotta start with the G.O.A.T. – the franchise off of whose back this whole thing was built. To this day, three of the Shrek movies remain the highest grossing movies this studio has put out. I’d argue that Shrek is the undeniable face of DreamWorks. To this day, we’re still quoting the Shrek movies, and I’m a grown ass 33-year-old man.
Kung Fu Panda – The Kung Fu Panda franchise is another significant earner, but where it differs from Shrek is that this franchise doesn’t have a dud anywhere near as bad as Shrek the Third. The original was such a heartwarming tale, and if you don’t get down with Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu, you can fuck right off.
How to Train Your Dragon – 99%. 92%. 91%. Those are the respective Rotten Tomatoes scores for the three movies in this franchise. They alone make up half of the six highest rated movies this studio has put out. And for good reason. This one will tug on the heart strings whether you’re young or old. Brandon has full reviews of the first and the third right here on this very website.
Madagascar – Really, this one’s a no-brainer. This brand is built around a few strong franchises, and Madagascar is one of ’em. 14 of DreamWorks’ 16 highest earners are from the four franchises I’ve listed here today (the other two being Boss Baby and The Croods, which are both getting sequels). Madagascar had a really good cast, was a barrel of fun, and the sequel followed it up well.
What’s your DreamWorks Mount Rushmore? Let us know in the comments below or on @SoBrosMovies.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
Check out the SoBros Shop. Become a Patron. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Watch on YouTube.
