DreamWorks Animation hits a major milestone with this weekend’s release of “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie”. It’s the studio’s 35th film released theatrically. But this also marks the end of another chapter in the life of the studio. “Captain Underpants” is the final DWA film to be distributed by 20th Century Fox. Comcast (NBC/Universal) recently purchased DWA. Universal Pictures will be distributing DreamWorks Animation movies beginning in 2018.
Universal is also the distributor for Illumination Entertainment. That studio has become a dominant animation force with the “Despicable Me” franchise, as well as “Minions”, “The Secret Life of Pets” and “Sing” (all of which have sequels in development). Dr. Seuss has also been big for them, with huge box office results for 2012’s “The Lorax”. In addition, a new version of “The Grinch” is set for Nov. 2018.
The Universal/DreamWorks relationship has been a bit bumpy out of the gate. Analysts are concerned with having Illumination and DreamWorks under the same distributor. Plus, just a few months ago, Universal cancelled plans for both “The Croods 2” and “Larrikins”, an Australia-based musical that was supposed to open next February.
Since “Larrikins” was the only DWA film on the 2018 calendar, the studio now has a giant hole between “Captain Underpants” and “How to Train Your Dragon 3”, currently slated for March 2019. DreamWorks could push “Dragon 3” up to Christmas 2018. However, Sony’s “Animated Spider-Man”, Disney’s “Wreck-It Ralph 2” and “The Grinch” are already going to dominate that holiday season.
Also stirring the pot: “Shrek 5”. To me, 2010’s “Shrek Forever After” is the perfect way to end that franchise. Clearly Universal executives don’t agree. And more sequels are on the way: “Trolls 2” is scheduled for April 2020 and “The Boss Baby 2” was just announced for March 2021.
Universal will be the fourth studio to distribute DreamWorks Animation movies. DreamWorks Pictures released the first 11 (1998’s “Antz” to 2005’s Oscar-winning “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit”). Paramount stepped-in for the next 14 movies over seven years (2006’s “Over the Hedge” to 2012’s “Rise of the Guardians”).
Fox distributed the latest 10 movies during a run of only four and a half years (2013’s “The Croods” – the most successful of the batch – to “Captain Underpants”).