Thirty Years Of DreamWorks. From Spite To Success.

For the past three decades, DreamWorks has been seen as the studio that challenged Disney and, in some cases, won. If you are still in business after so many years and are still making movies, then you are clearly doing something right. Originally founded on October 12th, 1994, by three innovators with different motivations, the studio has gone on to make some of the biggest franchises in film history.

Who founded Dreamworks?

Originally conceived by former Disney executive Jeffery Katzenberg, he sought the aid of fellow entertainment executives Steven Spielberg and David Geffen. The three would found DreamWorks SKG with the purpose of becoming a major force in the entertainment industry. The studio’s first release was The Peacemaker in 1997 with other films like Amistad and Mouse Trap releasing that same year.

Things really began to take off in 1998 with action films like Saving Private Ryan and Deep Impact, as well as the special effects film Small Soldiers. 1998 was also the first release from DreamWorks’ animation department, scrapped together from the refinance of the now-defunct Amblimation. Their first film, Antz, was cause for controversy as it began the long rivalry with Pixar over its similarities to A Bug’s Life. They also released the biblical piece The Prince of Egypt, which was seen as an animated epic on par with the 1956 Charlton Heston version.



DreamWorks also had a video game division called DreamWorks Interactive, which developed and published multiple games from original properties such as The Neverhood and T’ai Fu: Wrath of the Tiger to movie-licensed games like Jurassic Park and Small Soldiers. However, their most successful creation was the first Medal of Honor in 1999 for the original PlayStation. The studio was later sold to Electronic Arts in 2000 and rebranded to E.A. Los Angeles, and then again in 2010 to Danger Close Games before closing its doors in 2013.



DreamWorks also partnered with SEGA in 1996 to produce a chain of restaurant/entertainment centers called GameWorks. This chain featured multiple arcade video games and interactive experiences and had nearly thirty locations in seven countries. Unfortunately, today, only one still operates in Seattle, Washington. 



The studio would continue to release critically acclaimed classics like American Beauty, Castaway, Meet the Parents, Galaxy Quest and Gladiator. However, a little film in 2001 cemented their legacy, forever associating the studio with animation. Shrek, an animated comedy that poked fun at traditional fairy tale stories, was a massive financial success for the studio and won Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, beating out Pixar’s Monsters Inc.

While continuing to release moves like A Beautiful Mind and The Ring, their animation division would continue to grow. After nearly getting shut down due to the failure of Sinbad, a new focus on 3D animation would allow their films to become franchises. Shrek would get a sequel in 2004, followed by the rather underwhelming Shark Tale. But after that came more successes such as Madagascar, Bee Movie, Kung Fu Panda, How To Train Your Dragon, and Megamind. Movies that have become so sonic that many still quote and meme them to this very day.



DreamWorks wasn’t always on its own, though. From 2005 – 2008, Viacom (Now Paramount) agreed to purchase the studio before eventually selling it back, but it still retained the rights to many of the live-action films it had developed. Ironically, DreamWorks Animation and the Paramount-owned channel Nickelodeon would co-develop multiple animated shows for the channel. It’s too bad they didn’t keep that department as well.

In 2016, a major change happened at the studio thanks to Comcast-owned Universal Studios, which not only agreed to distribute their live-action projects but also bought out their animation division, effectively splitting the company. The sale of the animation department was largely due to Universal’s desire for more well-known intellectual properties for their amusement parks. 



Today, while the name “DreamWorks” is still heavily associated with its animation department, the once-rebel studio has cemented itself in the history of Hollywood. From cinematic masterpieces to laugh-out-loud kids’ films, its name has entertained multiple generations of families and will continue to do so for years to come.

What is your favorite DreamWorks movie? What kind of movies do you think they should make next?