DreamWorks SKG era (1994–2006)

A Turning Point: 1998

Diversification and expansion (2012–2015

Beginning

Jeffrey Katzenberg worked at Disney from 1984 to 1994. He was the executive in charge of Disney’s
movie division and feature animation division, where he oversaw the development of The Little
Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. In 1994, he quit Disney over managerial
differences and received an estimated $250 million in settlement for owed wages. The same year, he co-
founded DreamWorks with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen. They started production on the
CG Antz and the hand-drawn The Prince of Egypt, both released in 1998.

Switch to CG only

DreamWorks produced three more hand-drawn films – The Road to El Dorado (2000), Spirit: Stallion of

the Cimarron (2002) and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003) – but they struggled to make their
budget back. Their biggest hit was the CG Shrek in 2001, which made over $400 million. They then
focused on CG animation. The movies that made over $400 million became franchises
(Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon), the others didn’t get a sequel
(Shark Tale, Over the Hedge, Bee Movie, Monsters vs Aliens, Megamind).

Three Movies a Year?

2010 was the year DreamWorks released three movies in a single year (How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek
Forever After, Megamind). They announced they intended to alternate between two and three movies a
year after that. That didn’t pan out exactly like they had planned, but they still released a massive twelve
movies within five years: two in 2011 (Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots), two in 2012 (Madagascar 3, Rise
of the Guardians), two in 2013 (The Croods, Turbo), and three in 2014 (Mr. Peabody & Sherman, How to
Train Your Dragon 2, Penguins of Madagascar).

Purchase by Universal

In 2016, DreamWorks was purchased by Universal, the parent company of competing animation studio
Illumination Entertainment. It was decided that Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri would help
advise both studios and that Jeffrey Katzenberg would leave DreamWorks. After some restructuring,
Chris DeFaria, then president of Warner Animation, was appointed president of DreamWorks Animation.
Since the acquisition, two movies were cancelled: a Croods sequel planned for 2018 and an original
project called Larrikins.