By Michelle Kim

1000 Flower St
Glendale, CA 91201-3007

Main website: www.dreamworksanimation.com

Executives

Overview
Dreamworks Animation has gone through various phases during the winter and spring season. After years of releasing successful franchise movies such as Shrek and Madagascar, the company made plans to release two films for spring and summer. The first one, Mr. Peabody and Sherman, was released in theaters on March 7, 2014. However, it did not do well in the box office, setting back the animation company as it has for past recent films such as Turbo from July 17, 2013. Perhaps to make up for its loss from Mr. Peabody and Sherman, Dreamworks Animation is planning on releasing it’s biggest film this year, the sequel to its 2013, $500 million box office hit, How to Train Your Dragon, taking place five years into the future from the events of the first film. [5]

Company Profile
Dreamworks Animation is an independent animation company founded in October 12, 1994 by current CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg, and David Geffen. Located in Glendale, California, the company debuted in 1998 with The Prince of Egypt. In later years, Dreamworks Animation released major franchises such as Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda and is planning on releasing the second installment of How to Train Your Dragon for summer 2014.

Financial Snapshot
According to the newest filed annual 10-K report, revenue was reported to be $706.9 million in 2013, with a gross profit of $257.1 million and a net income loss of $55.7 million.

Stock-wise, prices ranged from 16.16 to 35.74 throughout 2013. In the fourth quarter, the highest stock price was $35.74 and the lowest was $27.05. [7] According to an article on entertainment news site “Variety,” Dreamworks Animation suffered from stock prices plummeting from $35 to $21 after the release of Mr. Peabody and Sherman on March 7, 2014, which grossed $65.4 million in U.S. from a budget of $145 million. [8] As of April 21, 2014, stock prices are 27.37. [7]

Recent Releases

On March 2014, Dreamworks Animation released Mr. Peabody and Sherman, directed by Rob Minkoff and written by Craig Wright. Based on the book by the deceased Jay Ward, Mr. Peabody and Sherman tells the story of genius and accomplished hyper-advanced dog Mr. Peabody and his adopted human son Sherman traveling though time and space in Mr. Peabody’s time machine, the WAMBAC to fix a problem that Sherman caused. In the midst of trying to impress his friend Penny Peterson, mischievous Sherman creates a rip in the universe, altering major events in history that would cause havoc in the present. During the journey the three go on throughout the film, Mr. Peabody learns how to do the hardest thing in all of history: how to be a parent.

Prior to being released in theaters, Dreamworks Animation promoted the film through posters, banner ads, flyers, the film’s main website, the company’s social media platforms, and trailers that were released via the company’s Youtube channel starting October 25th of last year. The company also released the trailers in various languages so as to engage their audiences from non-American countries.

Mr. Peabody and Sherman Trailer (Youtube)

Mr. Peabody and Sherman starred Ty Burrell (Mr. Peabody), Max Charles (Sherman), and Ariel Winter (Penny Peterson). It had an estimated budget of $145,000,000 and brought in $32,207,057 on the film’s opening weekend. As of April 15, 2014, the film grossed $105,851,321.

According to IMDb, Mr. Peabody and Sherman is rated PG, runs for 92 minutes, and received a 7.1 rating. [11] On the movie rating site Rotten Tomatoes, the film earned an approval rating of 78%. [12]

After the release of Mr. Peabody and Sherman, Dreamworks Animation added multimedia into the movie’s main website such as videos and games involving the three main protagonists. These games include a jigsaw puzzle and personality quiz. In addition to their online games, Dreamworks Animation also released a downloadable game app for mobile devices, consisting of the player going back in time on the WAMBAC from the movie and answering questions to proceed throughout the game.

Mr. Peabody and Sherman Main Website: http://www.mrpeabodyandsherman.com/

What’s Next for Dreamworks Animation

Following its release of Mr. Peabody and Sherman in the spring, Dreamworks Animation announced that they would be releasing the second movie for the How to Train Your Dragon franchise on April of 2014,. Simply titled How to Train Your Dragon 2, this sequel takes place five years after the events of the first film.[15]

How to Train Your Dragon 2 Trailer (Youtube)

According to its IMDb website, How to Train Your Dragon 2 tells the story of the protagonist Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), his dragon Toothless, and their friends discovering an ice cave inhabiting new dragon species and a mysterious being who calls himself the Dragon Rider. After running into the new dragons, Hiccup and Toothless find themselves in the middle of a major battle between humans and dragons, and must use their sense of justice and friendship to find a way to bring peace. 

How to Train Your Dragon 2 Main Website: http://www.howtotrainyourdragon.com/

According to Dreamworks Animation’s most recently updated 10-K annual financial report, the company has made plans for its film releases up till December 23, 2015. From the graph, the upcoming films are titled Home, set for release on November 26, 2014; The Penguins for March 27; B.O.O. for June 5, and Kung Fu Panda 3 for December 23 of 2015.

Seeing that Dreamworks Animation has made plans for its future film releases two years in advance of when the 2013 10-K document was filed, the company aims to bring its film production up to another level and increase its popularity by releasing films at a faster rate.

Conclusion
Dreamworks Animation has released many films since its debut and has been increasing the number of films it releases annually. For 2014 and 2015, the company has put its sights on releasing three-four films each year.

For the spring and summer season of 2014, Dreamworks Animation has released Mr. Peabody and Sherman and is planning on releasing How to Train Your Dragon 2 in theaters later in June. Although Mr. Peabody and Sherman did not do well in the box office, setting the company back, the release of How to Train Your Dragon 2 is expected to make up for the loss and bring back the company’s past successes in animated franchise.

Works Cited
[1] Dreamworks Animation Logo http://logos.wikia.com/wiki/Logopedia RT: 4/15/14
[2] Jeffry Katzenburg Dreamworks Animation Profile http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/ RT: 4/15/14
[3] “Photo Release — Northrop Grumman Board Names Wes Bush Chairman, Lewis W. Coleman Lead Independent Director”  irconnect.com RT: 4/15/14
[4] Ann Duly Dreamworks Animation Profile http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/ RT: 4/15/14
[5] ” ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Details Emerged” http://screenrant.com/ RT: 4/15/14
[6] Dreamworks Animation Office Photos http://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm RT: 4/15/14
[7] Dreamworks Animation 10-K http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/ RT: 4/17/14
[8] “Dreamworks Animation Stock Takes Another Hit with ‘Mr. Peabody and Sherman’ “ http://variety.com/ RT: 4/17/14
[9] Mr. Peabody and Sherman Dreamworks Animation Page http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/ RT: 4/17/14
[10] “Go time traveling in the new trailer and clip for Dreamworks’ Mr. Peabody and Sherman” http://www.joblo.com/ RT: 4/17/14
[11] Mr. Peabody and Sherman IMDb Page http://www.imdb.com/?ref_=nv_home RT: 4/18/14
[12] Mr. Peabody and Sherman Rotten Tomatoes Page http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ RT:  4/18/14
[13] “Ludia launches Mr. Peabody and Sherman trivia game on IOS” http://www.insidemobileapps.com/ RT: 4/19/14
[14] How to Train Your Dragon Poster Gallery http://www.aceshowbiz.com/ RT: 4/19/14
[15] How to Train Your Dragon 2 IMDb Page http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1646971/ RT: 4/19/14