History Creator / DreamWorksAnimation

To bolster the company's revenues with meat and potatoes stuff, DWA acquired Classic Media later that same year, whose library contains rights to many classic cartoons, including most of the Creator/{{Filmation}} library (e.g. ''WesternAnimation/FatAlbertAndTheCosbyKids'' and (''[[WesternAnimation/{{HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]''), Big Idea (''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales''), the Gold Key properties that aren't owned by Random House, most of the old Creator/FamousStudios/Paramount characters, including the properties acquired by Creator/HarveyComics like ''WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost'' with their original ones like ''ComicBook/RichieRich'' (excluding most of the Harvey superheroes, which are in the hands of their creators or their estates), the Entertainment Rights catalog including the intellectual property of Woodland Animations (''WesternAnimation/PostmanPat'' and ''WesternAnimation/CharlieChalk'') and other British studios, the Creator/RankinBass Christmas specials and most of their pre-1974 material (all the post-1974 R-B content, like ''WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats}}'', is held by Creator/WarnerBros, as they acquired R-B alongside Lorimar-Telepictures in 1989), and the distribution and marketing rights to Creator/JayWard[='=]s library, including ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'', among others.\\\

Incidentally, their decision to launch a western animation channel in Asia comes a year after Creator/NBCUniversal [[ScrewedByTheNetwork pulled out of the Joint Venture]] that is [=KidsCo=] in Asia. NBCU claimed it was due to "growing challenges in the international children's television industry", but most pin the blame on the company purchasing the U.S-based preschool network Creator/{{Sprout}} from Creator/{{PBS}} (and later renaming it Creator/UniversalKids), and wanting to shift their focus onto said network instead.

* ''[[WesternAnimation/NoddysToylandAdventures Noddy, Toyland Detective]]'' (2016-present; with Gaumont Animation)

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBossBabyBackInBusiness'' (2018-present)

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfRockyAndBullwinkle'' (2018-2019; with Jay Ward Productions)

To bolster the company's revenues with meat and potatoes stuff, DWA acquired Classic Media later that same year, whose library contains rights to many classic cartoons, including most of the Creator/{{Filmation}} library (e.g. ''WesternAnimation/FatAlbertAndTheCosbyKids'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]''), Big Idea (''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales''), the Gold Key properties that aren't owned by Random House, most of the old Creator/FamousStudios/Paramount characters, including the properties acquired by Creator/HarveyComics like ''WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost'' with their original ones like ''ComicBook/RichieRich'' (excluding most of the Harvey superheroes, which are in the hands of their creators or their estates), the Entertainment Rights catalog including the intellectual property of Woodland Animations (''WesternAnimation/PostmanPat'' and ''WesternAnimation/CharlieChalk'') and other British studios, the Creator/RankinBass Christmas specials and most of their pre-1974 material (all the post-1974 R-B content, like ''WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats}}'', is held by Creator/WarnerBros, as they acquired R-B alongside Lorimar-Telepictures in 1989), and the distribution and marketing rights to Creator/JayWard[='=]s library, including ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'', among others.\\\

On the business side, the company's distribution contract with Paramount was not renewed at the end of that same year as that company began getting back into animation itself after the success of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}''. DWA went to [[Creator/{{TwentiethCenturyStudios}} Twentieth Century Fox]] as its distributor from 2013 to 2017 (except Korea and China), which resulted in a balancing act with animated films from Fox subsidiary and rival Creator/BlueSkyStudios. Considering that DWA planned 12 films in four years, that had been quite a scheduling challenge. However, in that year they suffered their first serious box office sting in nearly a decade when ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'', their last film under the Paramount deal, underperformed financially despite warm critical reception, which caused the studio to lay off 25% of their worldwide staff at the end of the year.\\\

The studio's sole success in 2014 was the highly promising ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'', which surpassed the total grosses of their four previous films (as well as its predecessor). Their follow-up ''WesternAnimation/PenguinsOfMadagascar'' once again underperformed (although it grossed more than ''Turbo'' and ''Mr. Peabody & Sherman''); these combined disappointments led [=DreamWorks=] [[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-dreamworks-layoffs-20150122-story.html to announce in early 2015]] that they would be laying off 500 employees and reevaluating their core animation business - this included a smaller film schedule as well as the shuttering of Pacific Data Images. Around this time, Katzenberg sought to find a better partner for the studio, having tried to negotiate with two companies in 2014 for a sale. The Japanese corporation [=SoftBank=] and later the toy company Creator/{{Hasbro}} were interested in taking control of the studio, but both companies pulled out of negotiations after Katzenberg demanded a higher-than-average asking price from both companies ([=SoftBank=] invested in Creator/LegendaryPictures instead, and Hasbro pulled out due to their successes in the entertainment industry, they later bought [[Creator/EntertainmentOne [=eOne=]]], which they sold to Creator/{{Lionsgate}} in 2023).\\\

The acquisition also meant that Universal Pictures would have two animation studios under their belt, already owning Creator/IlluminationEntertainment, the in-house feature animation wing of Universal headed by Chris Meledandri, who also happens to be a Disney veteran from the early '90s. This put them in a similar footing with Disney, which owns [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon its in-house animation studio]] as well as Pixar since 2006. Creator/UniversalAnimationStudios, Universal's 2D animation arm that primarily operated during the 1990s (bringing us cult classics like ''WesternAnimation/{{Exosquad}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/EarthwormJim''), and still occasionally churns out a DTV sequel to ''[[WesternAnimation/{{CuriousGeorge2006}} Curious George]]'' (since the franchise is popular internationally), also operates independently (though as a husk of its former self). On February 1, 2018, CMC acquired the remaining shares of ODW and renamed it into Pearl Studio while Universal officially took over distribution a day later, beginning with reissuing the studio's libraries on DVD and Blu-ray.\\\

* The [=DreamWorks=] Channel (owned by NBCU International Networks)

* ''WesternAnimation/BudgieTheLittleHelicopter''

* Bullwinkle Studios properties (with Creator/JayWard Productions)[[note]]A [[https://variety.com/2022/film/global/jay-ward-productions-wildbrain-deal-1235171086/ distribution and licensing deal]] between Jay Ward's family and Creator/WildBrain might change this[[/note]]:
** ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle''
*** ''WesternAnimation/DudleyDoRight''[[index]]
** ''WesternAnimation/GeorgeOfTheJungle''
** ''WesternAnimation/GeorgeOfTheJungle2007''[[/index]]

The UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic in 2020 dealt a major blow to the global film industry, and [=DreamWorks=] found itself a guinea pig as Hollywood experimented with how to respond to the shutdown of theaters. ''WesternAnimation/TrollsWorldTour'' was among the first films to be released on premium video on demand (in several regions, including the US), bypassing theaters and allowing people to rent it at home for full theatrical price. This model would be adopted by many studios in the proceeding years. [=DreamWorks=] properties also became a core part of Universal's new streaming service Creator/{{Peacock}}. However, DW would not abandon theaters completely; ''WesternAnimation/TheCroodsANewAge'' would become one of the first films to have a successful turn at the box office in late 2020. In 2022, DW films like ''WesternAnimation/{{The Bad Guys|2022}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'' began to experiment with a stylized 2D/3D blended art style (thanks to in the style of rival Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation's ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse''. While this has not become the studio's "house style", it has contributed to distinguishing DW from Illumination while also reaping in a positive response from critics and audiences. However, in 2023, with NBCU facing cost-cutting measures amid a massive Hollywood strike and many other factors, the studio announced that by 2025, [[https://www.cartoonbrew.com/studios/dreamworks-shifting-away-from-in-house-production-in-los-angeles-sony-imageworks-is-new-production-partner-233466.html they would shift to a mixed-production model and would move feature animation production to outside studios]] (such as Creator/SonyPicturesImageworks, which would handle animation services for an unannounced film that year). It is unknown if their Glendale campus would be shuttered or have its space leased as part of this move.\\\

%%*''Rex Machina''

* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda4'' (2024)

* ''The Wild Robot'' (based on [[Literature/TheWildRobot the book]] by Peter Brown, 2024)

* ''Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate'' (2024, produced by [=DreamWorks=] Animation Television)

* ''WesternAnimation/Megamind Rules!'' (2024)