Tag Archives: Turbo

DreamWorks Animation

Posted on by 
By Cori Rosen

Photo Courtesy of collider.com [1]

1500 – A Seasport Blvd

Redwood City, CA

(650) 562-9000

www.dreamworksanimation.com

A BRIEF HISTORY

DreamWorks Studios was founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg, and David Geffen in 1994. Katzenberg started DreamWorks SKG after he dashed from Disney following power struggles with Michael Eisner, former CEO of The Walt Disney Company. DreamWorks SKG built a new business division, DreamWorks Animation in 2000. Then in the autumn of 2004, Dreamworks Studios spun-off its animation division into DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc., a publicly traded company. [2] [3]

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Dreamworks Animation is a boast-worthy creative company that churns out high-quality entertainment. Dreamworks Animation has theatrically released a whopping twenty-seven animated feature films, including blockbuster favorites Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, and this summer’s Turbo. Although the entertainment factory is widely known for its feature CGI animated films, the company also creates television specials and series as well as live entertainment properties. [4]

[5]

KEY EXECUTIVES

Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorks Animation [6]

After co-finding DreamWorks SKG, Katzenberg was at the helm of DreamWorks Animation when it became an IPO. Under his leadership, DreamWorks Animation has blossomed into the world’s largest animation studio in the world and received nine Academy Award nominations and two Best Animated Feature wins. [6]

Lew Coleman, President and Chief Financial Officer

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorksAnimation.com [7]

Previously President and Director of the Company, Coleman took on his current position in 2007. Coleman recently oversaw the formation of a joint venture that established a prominent China-focused entertainment company between DreamWorks Animation with China Media Capital, Shanghai Alliance Investment, Ltd., and Shanghai Media Group. [7]

Heather O’Connor, Chief Accounting Officer

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorksAnimation.com [8]

O’Connor previously served as Director of SEC Reporting for DreamWorks Animation and also worked within the Accounting and Financial Planning & Analysis departments at DreamWorks LLC. [8]

Andrew Chang, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorksAnimation.com [9]

Prior to his current position, Chang held positions as head technology lawyer and head of litigation starting in October 2004 when the Company became publicly-traded. [9]

Ann Daly, Chief Operating Officer

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorksAnimation.com [10]

Daly has worked as Chief Operating Officer since the company’s IPO in 2004. Previously, she served as head of the animated division of DreamWorks SKG since 1997. [10]

QUICK FINANCIALS

DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.’s total revenue for its third quarter, which came to a close on Sept. 30th, was $154.5 million with a net income of $10.1 million, and earning per share a total of $.012 on a fully diluted basis. A contribution of $120.7 million and gross profit of $55.4 million derives from the feature film segment of the company’s revenue. The films Turbo, The Croods, Rise of the Guardians, and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted were released in the third quarter. Television series and segment specials contributed a revenue of $18.2 million and turned a gross profit of $4.2 million. AwesomenessTV, an online channel operator that Dreamworks recently acquired, contributed revenue of $3.6 million. The consumer products segment contributed $18.2 million in revenue and $4.2 million in gross profit. [11] [12]

Photo Courtesy of SeekingAlpha.com [13]

IN THE NEWS

netflix

Photo Courtesy of Zolmax.com [15]

• Netflix
Netflix announced a multi-year deal with Dreamworks for 300 hours of original television programming inspired by characters from the animation company’s franchises, such as Shrek, The Croods, and its upcoming feature flicks. Characters from Classic Media, which Dreamworks purchased a year ago, are also a part of this deal. Therefore, shows may develop that star familiar faces like Casper the Friendly Ghost, Lassie, and She-Ra. [14]

Photo Courtesy of Techcrunch.com [17]

•The Second Screen
M-Go, an online movie storefront, is a joint venture between DreamWorks Animation and Technicolor. Similar to Walmart’s Vudu and Apple’s iTunes, M-Go focuses on transactional movie sales and rentals. It already has deals with five major Hollywood studios, NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, to sell and rent movies to users. In effort to get M-Go on more devices, M-Go announced on September 4th that the M-Go app will be available on 2012 and 2013 LG Smart TVs.  [16]

Photo Courtesy of Dailymail.co.uk [19]

• The More Characters The Merrier
DreamWorks Animation recently acquired the library of Chapman Entertainment, a U.K.-based children’s television company. DreamWorks snagged its television portfolio, which includes popular titles like “Fifi and the Flowertots,” “Roary the Racing Car,” “Raa Raa the Noise Lion,” and “Little Charley Bear”. This acquisition directly follows DreamWorks Animation’s purchase of Classic Media in July 2012. [18]

Photo Courtesy of zap2it.com [21]

•Dragons Dominates its Demographic
The second season of Dreamworks Dragons: Riders of Berk premiered on Cartoon Network on Sept. 19th. The first season of the cartoon, based on the Academy Award-nominated film How to Train Your Dragon, ranked number one in its timeslot among boys ages 2-14 versus all other TV networks. [20]

Photo Courtesy of cdn.funcheap.com [24]


• Turbo Races for Profit
Turbo just released on home video November 12th. Turbo underperformed at the box office, failing to rise to the success of last summer’s Madagascar 3. Rise of the Guardians also tanked in theaters, causing DreamWorks to take an $87 million write down. However, Rise of the Guardians later brought in $42.4 million through pay TV deals. Hopefully Turbo will see similiar results and reel in $46 million in consumer products necessary to make Turbo a lucrative endeavor. Wall Street analysts have commended DreamWorks ability to turn a mediocre box office performer into a hit on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital HD. [22] [23]

Photo Courtesy of Variety.com [26]

• Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting
Oriental DreamWorks–a co-venture between DreamWorks Animation (45% equity stake), China Media Capital, Shanhai Alliance Investment, and Shanghai Media Group (combined 55% equity stake between the three)–is in the process of developing four feature films. Kung Fu Panda 3 in addition to one other co-produced U.S.-Chinese animated flick and two-live action projects in Chinese are currently slated for development. [25]

COMING SOON

• Mr. Peabody & Sherman

 [28]

Mr. Peabody & Sherman, which features the voices of Ty Burrell and Max Charles, is set for release on March 7th, 2014. The Rob Minkoff directed film–coined as a big screen adaption of the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon–follows Mr. Peabody and his adopted boy Sherman as they hurtle back in time to repair history and ultimately save the future. [27]

Rocky & Bullwinkle

Photo Courtesy of http://media2.firstshowing.net [30]

• And They’re Back! DreamWorks Animation plans to give audiences a shot of nostalgia with a new short film Rocky & Bullwinkle, arriving in 2014. Directed by Gary Trousdale, the updated version of the original short will feature the voices of June Foray as Rocket “Rocky J. Squirrell and Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants) as Bullwinkle J. Moose. [29]

Photo Courtesy of entertainmentwallpaper.com [32]

• How to Train Your Dragon 2
Riding on the success of 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon–a half-billion dollar player at the global box office and Oscar nominee–, DreamWorks Animation will release its sequel on June 13th, 2014. How to Train Your Dragon 2 reunites the voices of the first film, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Wiig, Gerald Butler, and Jonah Hill. [31]

SOURCES

[1] Collider.com – Dreamworks Animation Logo

[2] DreamWorksStudios.com – DreamWorks Animation History

[3] Forbes.com – DreamWorks Animation’s Complicated Legacy

[4] DreamWorksAnimation.com – About the Company

[5] Youtube.com – Behind the Scenes of DreamWorks Animation

[6] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Bio

[7] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Lew Coleman’s Bio 

[8] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Heather O’Connor’s Bio

[9] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Andrew Chang’s Bio

[10] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Ann Daly’s Bio

[11] MarketWatch.com – Third Quarter Financial Report

[12] Tbvision.com – TV Sales aid DreamWorks Animation Revenue

[13] SeekingAlpha.com – DreamWorks Animation Skg Inc StockCharts

[14] Zolmax.com – Netflix Deal with DreamWorks Animation 

[15] Zolmax.com – Netflix Photo

[16] TechCrunch.com – M-Go now on LG TVs

[17] TechCrunch.com – M-Go Photo

[18] Variety.com – Chapman Entertainment

[19] Dailymail.co.uk – Chapman Entertainment Photo

[20] BroadwayWorld.com – Cartoon Network

[21] Zap2it.com – DreamWorks Dragons Photo

[22] BizJournals.com – Turbo on Home Video 

[23] Reuters.com – Turbo failed to Match Predecessor

[24] Cdn.funcheap.com – Turbo Photo

[25] Variety.com – Oriental DreamWorks

[26] Variety.com – Oriental DreamWorks Photo

[27] Screenrant.com – Mr. Peabody & Sherman 

[28] Youtube.com – Mr. Peabody & Sherman Trailer

[29] Rocky & Bullwinkle Short – FirstShowing.net

[30] Firstshowing.net – Rocky & Bullwinkle Photo

[31] Deadline.com – How to Train Your Dragon 2 

[32] Entertainmentwallpaper.com – How to Train Your Dragon 2 Photo

 

DreamWorks Animation

Posted on by 
by Alex Wenner

dreamworks_animation_logo_1

1000 Flower St.
Glendale, CA, 91201, United States
(818) 695-5000
dreamworksanimation.com

Origins:

DreamWorks’ Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen on the cover of Time Magazine, March 27, 1995. Coutesy of malibucomplete.com

Co-founded in 1994 by entertainment veterans Stephen Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, DreamWorks Animation SKG has released a total of twenty-six animated feature films that have grossed over $10 billion worldwide (as of 2012). In 1995, DreamWorks embarked on a co-production venture with Pacific Data Images. This new unit was created to produce computer-animated motion pictures, beginning with 1998’s Antz. In 2005, Viacom purchased the live-action division of DreamWorks, only to end this partnership in 2008. Reliance Entertainment now acts as its parents company. 20th Century Fox took over international marketing and distribution for SKG in 2012, and the SKG studio now handles its own domestic distribution. In addition to feature films, DreamWorks produces television programming and other family entertainment. [1] [2]

Key Executives:

Spielberg, Courtesy of static-I3.org

Jeffery Katzenberg, Courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com

Jeffrey Katzenberg – CEO and Director: Directed Disney‘s animation unit to successes like The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Lion King (1994) before co-founding DreamWorks Animation in ’94. Heavily involved in early SKG animation hits.

Lew Coleman – President and CFO: Spent 37 years in the banking industry before joining SKG in 2007.

Stephen Spielberg– Principal Partner: One of Hollywood’s most recognizable names and

Lew Coleman, Courtesy of dreamworksanimation.com

talents, Steven Spielberg co-founded the studio. From 1997 to 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull , all Spielberg films were released through DreamWorks live-action division. [3] [4]

Financials: [5]

Revenue: $749 million (2012)

Operating Income: -$65 million (2012)

Animation Portfolio:
DreamWorks has enjoyed considerable success, both commercial and critical, with its large library of animated films. SKG’s films boast a $430 million gross average, an astounding number second to only Pixar. Four of DreamWorks films rank amongst the fifty highest-grossing films of all time, and the studio can lay claim to sixteen of the fifty highest-grossing animated features of all time. Though the studio has a history of traditionally-animated films (The Road to El Dorado, Sinbad), SKG has confirmed that all future films will be computer-animated. [6]

Chicken Run (2000)

Courtesy of impawards.com

 

Co-financed and distributed by DreamWorks for Aardman Animation, the stop-motion animated Chicken Run marked one of the company’s first forays into animated motion pictures. It was a decisive success, grossing nearly $228 million worldwide with a $42 million budget.

 

 

 

Shrek (2001)

DreamWorks found solid gold with the release of Shrek, a box-office smash-hit that

Courtesy of traileraddict.com

catapulted the studio to the forefront of film animation alongside studios like Pixar and Disney. The green ogre grossed $485 million worldwide and earned the Academy’s first award for Best Animated Feature. The computer animation used in Shrek was different from the traditional animation methods used in previous DreamWorks features, and the film’s release marked a subtle change in direction for the studio; now it would focus its efforts almost entirely on computer animation. Its sequel, Shrek 2, would go on to shatter box-office records in 2004 ($920 million worldwide gross).

Madagascar (2005)

Courtesy of impawards.com

 

Following the computer-animated tradition of Shrek, Madagascar continued the string of massive success for SKG, taking in $530 million worldwide in ’05.

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

impawards.com

Jack Black stars in this computer animated comedy that marked DreamWorks biggest opening for a non-sequel, and the highest grossing animated feature of the year ($632 million worldwide).

Rise of the Guardians (2012)

Expected to launch a new franchise, Guardians (featuring a re-envisioning of classic characters Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, etc.)  was considered a flop despite being well-received critically and grossing over $300 million worldwide. It also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. [7]

Courtesy of yodale.org

Recent Activity:

February 26, 2013 – DreamWorks Animation reported a quarterly loss of nearly $83 million, mainly due to the disappointing performance of Rise of the Guardians (which still brought in over $300 million to an estimated $145 million budget, excluding marketing costs). CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg attributes Guardians lackluster performance to poor marketing. Another film in production, Me & My Shadow, was sent back into development, accruing more losses for the studio. As a result of the studios reset setbacks, SKG announced a series of layoffs that will see around 350 employees lose their jobs by the end of the year. This resulted in a small drop in SKG stock.[8]

March 13, 2013 – Despite watching its stock price drop in the wake of its 4th quarter earnings report, DreamWorks Animation SKG stock experienced an 8% rise after an analyst predicted the studio’s new release, The Croods, will exceed box office expectations. As of April 7th, The Croods has earned over $330 million worldwide in two and a half weeks. [9] [10]

March 20, 2013 – DreamWorks Animation releases the theatrical trailer for its upcoming summer 2013 animated feature, Turbo. Starring voice talent such as Ryan Reynolds, Snoop Dogg, Paul Giamatti and Luis Guzman, the film chronicles a snail’s dream of becoming a racing legend, and will be distributed by 20th Century Fox. [11]

Upcoming Projects- Even with the recent theatrical release of The Croods and the summer release of Turbo, DreamWorks Animation SKG has a full slate of movies set for production. Two sequels to SKG’s acclaimed How to Train Your Dragon (2010) are set for release in 2014 and 2016. In fall 2013, SKG plans to release Mr. Peabody & Sherman, a Rocky & Bullwinkle spin-off. With five planned releases including new films from the Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda franchises, 2015 figures to be a huge year for Animation SKG. [12] 

Sources:

[1]  http://animation.about.com/od/industryprofiles/p/dreamworks.htm

[2] http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/company

[3] http://quotes.wsj.com/DWA/company-people

[4] http://www.forbes.com/companies/dreamworks-animation/

[5] http://quotes.wsj.com/DWA?mod=DNH_S_cq

[6] http://animation.about.com/od/industryprofiles/p/dreamworks.htm

[7] http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/series/DreamworksAnimation.php

[8]  http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/dreamworks-reports-82-7-million-loss/

[9] http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dreamworks-animation-stock-surges-8-428424

[10] http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=croods.htm

[11] http://www.firstshowing.net/2013/watch-dreamworks-animations-speedy-theatrical-trailer-for-turbo/

[12] http://screenrant.com/dreamworks-animation-lineup-2013-2016/all/1/

DreamWorks Animation

Posted on by 
by Alex Benis

DreamWorks Animation SKG

Location

1000 Flower Street, Glendale, California 91201

(818) 695-5000 ; www.dreamworksanimation.com

Key Executives

  • Jeffrey Katzenberg (Chief Executive Officer/Director/Co-Founder) [pictured below]

2

  • Lew Coleman (President/Chief Financial Officer)
  • Ann Daly (Chief Operating Officer)
  • Anne Globe (Chief Marketing Officer)
  • Heather O’Connor (Chief Accounting Officer)
  • Michael R. Francis (Chief Global Brand Officer)
  • Andrew Chang (General Counsel/Corporate Secretary)
  • Rich Sullivan (Deputy Chief Financial Officer)

About

3

DreamWorks Animation SKG is an animation studio located in Glendale, California that produces animated films, television series and live entertainment for audiences worldwide.  With a staff totaling more than 2,100 employees facilitating production, DreamWorks creates and distributes on average roughly three feature-length films for theatrical release in addition to many other smaller-scale projects.  Boasting the rank of being the fourteenth best place to work according to Fortune Magazine, the animation studio is the one of the most versatile in the world and is the birthplace of stories that wrestle with the imagination.

Historical Background

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DreamWorks SKG was jointly founded on October 12, 1994 by the triumvirate made up of: director & producer Steven Spielberg, music executive David Geffen and former Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg.  With its formation, artists from Spielberg’s previous unsuccessful animation studio, Amblimation, were attracted for employment.  In 1995, the young animation studio signed a co-production deal with Pacific Data Images, forming the subsidiary PDI, LLC which split the ownership 60/40 favoring PDI.  The new business partition would go on produce its first-ever feature film: Antz.  In 1997, DreamWorks partnered with British stop-animation studio Aardman Animation to co-produce Chicken Run.  At the turn of the century, DreamWorks SKG created the business division DreamWorks Animation and halted the use of hand-drawn animation following the production of Shrek (which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film).  In 2004, the studio became the first to produce two computer-generated animated feature films in a single year with the theatrical release of Shrek 2 and Shark Tale.  The same year, DreamWorks Animation was further divided into DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. managed by Katzenberg under the terms that 12 new films be distributed by the end of 2010’s fiscal fourth quarter.

Financials

For 2012, the animation studio raked in an impressive $749.8 million – topping its previous year’s revenue by $42 million dollars which can be credited to the release of Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.  Additionally, DreamWorks ended 2012 with $82.7 million in revenue with their total assets reaching $1.945 billion and a total equity of $1.346 million.  Their fiscal fourth quarter results are as follows:

4.1

From June to September, DreamWorks increased their annual revenue from $162.8 million to $186.3 million.  Following the month of October, profitability increased much more rapidly – with the most likely cause being related to the marketing of their newest movie at the time: Rise of the Guardians.  By December 31st, the studio’s revenue stream for the quarter was capped off at $264.66 million, slightly over a third of their annual earnings.  Overall, DreamWorks incurred a $36.4 million loss over the course of the entire year in comparison to their overall revenue of the previous year.

In The News

19

Dreamworks’ fourth quarter holiday release, Rise of the Guardians, proved successful at the box office: being largely responsible for just over one-third of the animation studio’s overall revenue for that year.  Centering around an evil spirit named Pitch, the character archetypes of imagination (The Sandman, The Tooth Fairy, Santa Clause, etc.) are given no choice but to join forces in order to defeat a looming enemy that threatens childrens’ beliefs.  Starring heavyweights Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman and Jude Law, the film was described by one critic as being “one for the kids, [but] fun enough to put a smile on parents’ faces.”  Domestically, Rise of the Guardians grossed $103 million, which was surprisingly only 34% of its $303.5 million worldwide gross.  In the weeks that followed its release, the film was rewarded with a 74% fresh tomato overall.

17

Released just last week on March 22, DreamWorks Animations’ The Croods grossed a total $72.8 million its opening weekend.  When a prehistoric family’s home is destroyed, they are forced to embark on a journey across an unfamiliar land in search of a new home.  Written-and-directed by Chris Sanders (Lilo and Stitch, The Lion King) and Kirk de Micco, the feature film boasts a talented cast starring Nicholas Cage, Emma Stone and actor Clark Duke, who is best-known from roles in the ABC series GREEK and the acclaimed superhero movie Kick-Ass.  The film is currently the highest-grossing film at the box office –  concluding the weekend at $43.6 million.  The Croods also holds a 67% fresh rating on rottentomatoes.com and a 7.5/10 on imdb.com.  After just two weeks at the box office, Dreamworks first animated feature film of 2013 has grossed $227 million in total and is currently the number one ranked movie worldwide.  So far, The Croods is in position to exceed studio’s 2012 revenue profitability – with two other feature-length theatrical releases later this year.

Upcoming Animations

July 19, 2013: Turbo

5

Following the story of a snail who gains superior speed after a freak-accident, Turbo aspires to escape his slow-paced world to compete in the Indy500.  Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamotti and Ken Jeong are all attached to the project set to be the studio’s primary summer release.

November 1, 2013: Mr. Peabody & Sherman

6

Mr. Peabody & Sherman is DreamWorks’ adaptation of the well-known Rocky and Bullwinkle side-cartoon about an exceptionally smart dog who owns a human as a pet.  When they travel back in time, they are tested when they realize they could potentially unravel the fabric of their universe.  The feature film is set to be directed by Rob Minkoff (The Lion King) and will star Ty Burrel (Modern Family) and Max Charles (The Amazing Spiderman) voicing Mr. Peabody and Sherman, respectively.

March 14, 2014: Me and My Shadow

7

Lesser-known than DreamWorks’ two previously-mentioned feature films, Me and My Shadow follows the story of a seemingly boring man’s shadow that craves for a more exciting lifestyle.

Other Projects Currently In Production

June 20, 2014: How To Train Your Dragon 2

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November 26, 2014: Happy Smekday!

9

March 27, 2015: The Penguins of Madagascar

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June 5, 2015: Trolls (working title)

13

November 6, 2015: B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations

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[Seth Rogan supposedly attached]

December 19, 2015: Mumbai Musical (working title)

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[Kevin Lima (Tarzan, Enchanted) will be directing with music composed by A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire)]

March 18, 2016: Kung Fu Panda 3

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June 18, 2016: How To Train Your Dragon 3

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Sources

[1] http://dreamworksanimation.com

[2] http://ycharts.com/companies/DWA/revenues

[3] http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=dwa

[4] http://ir.dreamworksanimation.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=743403

[5] http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/best-companies/2012/snapshots/14.html

[6] http://screenrant.com/dreamworks-animation-lineup-2013-2016/all/1/

[7] http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the-croods/

[8] http://www.imdb.com

[9] http://boxofficemojo.com