Picking On...DreamWorks Animation

"They're just not biting today, y'know, Huck?"

Hello, (hopefully) faithful readers, and welcome to a segment-type deal on "...And You Smell Like One Too" entitled "Picking On". In blogs labeled such, I will personally analyze to the best of my ability a specific subject or topic. Today's "Picking On" entry is about--in honor of the recent release of Megamind--DreamWorks Animation. Having been around for about ten years now, this specific animation studio has become known for many things, and in this blog entry, I'll Pick On as much of those things as I feel like, dammit!

So from my understanding, DreamWorks Animation was officially founded back in 2000 as a business division from the already-existing DreamWorks SKG. Before that, though, DW had created two animated films which I suppose can technically be called DK Animation's first projects: 1998's Antz, a hilarious CGI comedy that actually holds an effing 98% Tomatometer rating, and 1998's The Prince of Egypt, a beautifully traditionally-animated epic that also blended some CGI. 

Once officially launched, DWA produced The Road to El Dorado and Chicken Run; the first was flat but tolerable, while the latter was a work of British genius that, as an animation buff, I hold the utmost professional respect to. The label finally made their mark with 2001's Shrek, which, while racking up huge bucks, rave reviews, and even an Oscar, also established the stepping stones for not only the rest of DWA's films, but also the majority of CGI cartoons that would come in the next decade.

So, uh, good job...Yeah...

So how did one little animated film about farting ogres and talking donkeys produce such a myriad of imitators to the point that it could be effectively called "revolutionary"? It's basically the same principal as the abundance of Home Alone clones back in the '90s: movie studios saw that what one movie (in this case, Shrek) was doing made crap-loads of money, they decided that doing what that movie did would make them crap-loads of money, and everyone would be happy. Meanwhile, DWA themselves saw the successful formula, and it became a focal point of its productions.

So, what the hell is The Formula? Simply compiled:

• Celebrity voice actors in the majority of roles
• Fart/poop jokes, and general scatological humor
• Pop-culture references
• Risque barbs
• General satire

"Did you get all that?"

To put it in simpler terms, animated films everywhere began establishing themselves as children's comedies that were loaded with stuff "for teh growed-ups". Sure animation had done this before, but when Shrek got released, the technique spread like wild fire. The results of this from other studios varied--for example, 2005's Robots, which was good, compared to 2009's Planet 51, which, uh, should speak for itself--and the same could be said about DWA's next efforts too.

Shrek 2 was perhaps even better than its predecessor, and in terms of box-office intake, it was massively more successful, grossing over 900 million dollars worldwide. The Formula wasn't being abused enough to be tired, the gags were fresh, and the characters were likable and well-written. Most people would say their first CGI stinkers were Madagascar and Shark Tale, but to be completely honest, I absolutely loved Madagascar, probably even more than any Shrek, and I found Shark Tale to be brilliant. In fact, the only DWA film I completely disliked was Shrek the Third; it was at this point, I believe, The Formula finally collapsed on itself, while the characters became simply too tired.

Nice going.

Now in 2010, DWA is still following some aspects of The Formula--such as the all-star voice cast--but has basically made its attempts to stray away from the expected and try and be fresh. Pop-culture references are still abound in many places, but it's much less than it was in, say, Bee Movie (which I think is the last time DWA used The Formula and still made acceptable work). This year's How To Train Your Dragon is perhaps the epitome of the company's new success; it holds a whopping 98% on Rotten Tomatoes (which DWA hasn't seen since Antz) and is raved by pretty much everyone I know that's seen it.

Now with Megamind out, DWA has continued to depart from The Formula, going more for a general satire and focusing more on its characters. The film's basically being labeled as "could've been better", with most of the praise going to the celebrity voice actors and the animation. Still, DreamWorks Animation will always be respected in my eyes as a source for genius, and despite its unfortunate creation of The Formula that has bogged down so many animated projects of recent times, there's still a lot to love.

 And a lot to Pick On.

Megamind is out in theaters now.