Will Disney buy DWA? No! Universal did!

[Ben]

No, there's no "cushioning the blow". DW and DWA are completely separate companies. TransFormers' openings do not make up for monies lost by Turbo and the like...that's like saying Frozen made up for Turbo...the two are totally unconnected.

What I was saying is that, with DreamWorks-proper (the unconnected Spielberg co. who distributes through Disney) looking like it will fold in the next year or two (Stacey Snider just left, Spielberg seems to be folding back into Amblin, Disney doesn't really need or want films coming from the company, which only issues three or four a year now), then DreamWorks Animation - in its new "a Hasbro company" guise - could then stretch into live-action and conceivably become a new home for family films that distribute through Fox (currently) or whoever else down the line.

So, although DreamWorks-proper would go, DWA would expand and could ironically become the bigger company again (which it arguably is between the two already), though obviously much more franchise, toy and merchandise-focused. Perhaps then they might do something with the huge library of Classic Media characters that DWA own and could then leverage into new toy lines...

[Ben]

And...now those negotiations have fallen through.

The bottom line is, at the price it's wanting, DWA is not an attractive proposition.

[Ben]

Could Disney have been the ones to influence the calling off of the Habro deal?

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/d ... ged-750094

[Dan]

I would not disagree with the idea that Disney have had a hand in getting Hasbro to call of the deal. The article noted that Disney merchandise made up roughly a third of Hasbro's business and they would have to be absolutely certain the other properties they have could pick up the slack. MLP and Transformers could potentially get there, but I don't recall DWA having had the kind of success in the merchandise field needed to make them believe they should give it a go without the Disney merchandise. (Let me know if any of this makes sense.)

A part of me, though, thinks that JK is causing some of the detriment as its no secret that he's wanting top dollar in the sale and he wants a major seat in whatever company picks them up. It just seems to me that a lot of folks are not keen on allowing JK have a great deal of influence in their company at the moment.

[Ben]

...Because, basically, his own company has not been doing very well. Would you want to bring someone in who wants top dollar for a product that is past its best and also wants a top seat on your board when their own company has been seen to be making drastic and varied decisions without looking like they have any kind of long-term game plan? Plus, a little as with Marvel before Disney, JK has been making so many pacts with varied companies that whoever takes DWA on will have to deal with the fallout from those (certain movies with different studios, characters tied up with theme operators, TV shows licensed to other channels, etc)...the whole thing is a bit of a mess.

[ShyViolet]

Katzenberg's strategy questioned:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/en ... tml#page=1

[Ben]

It's about time...!

[LotsoA113]

At least The Penguins of Madagascar is projected to make $47 million over the Thanksgiving holiday, giving DreamWorks a much needed solid hit.

UPDATE: Leave it to me to say that before the first box office figures for Penguins come in. IT's not bad per se, but certainly underwhelming. Looks like it'll miss $30 million for the three-day weekend and just under $40 million for the five-day holiday weekend.

[ShyViolet]

That's so awful for DreamWorks. But they should have realized that those guys are played out.

Funny, so much of the things people would say about DWA years ago: (which did have at least an essence of truth) that they only have pop culture humor, no story and the same lame designs actually seem to be coming true now. Compared to films like Peabody and Penguins, Over the Hedge and SharkTale feel like classics. (Yes, I realize that most people rate Over the Hedge far above ST, but at least ST was funny some of the time, even if it was kind of a mess.)

[Dacey]

Wait, Vi doesn't like OTH now?!

Seem to remember her being quite disappointed it didn't get a BAF nomination.

[ShyViolet]

Lol Dacey. Of course I like it, JK signed it!


What I meant was that at the time DWA was being accused of only having thin plots, pcr's and scatalogical jokes. Which wasn't true. But then a few years later DWA moved up quite a few notches in many people's opinions (KFP, etc...).

But now DWA is quickly moving down towards what it was accused of being years ago...which was of course simplistic then. Now it's not so far-fetched.

[EricJ]

But now DWA is quickly moving down towards what it was accused of being years ago...which was of course simplistic then. Now it's not so far-fetched.

Which pretty much emphasizes the theory that the only "good" movies they made were with talent blood-transfusions, from studios where they didn't believe that Shrek was the bible of their studio, or were excited that Jerry Seinfeld would work with them.

(I remember when DWA's 2D Spirit and El Dorado were driving us up the wall with beating the "Melodrama" trope that Hunchback had finished off at Disney, being on another board with another poster who swore, hand to heart, that DWA could do no wrong if they had once made Prince of Egypt. Even if they never made another one.
To most of the fans, Sanders/DeBlois's two Dragons movies have become Prince of Egypt 3D, and it's time to look at the bigger picture.)

Wait, Vi doesn't like OTH now?!
Seem to remember her being quite disappointed it didn't get a BAF nomination.

And, no, I know that before Pixar finally cemented its fan identification in '03 with Nemo, we literally thought any CGI movie was gold just for showing up (no, really, we had to come to grips with SharkTale)--But, as one still too terrified to rent it eight years later, can someone give a layman's explanation of WHAT, in the name of this good green earth, is the DWA-defender's Egypt-like obsession with Hedge as the "exception"?
All I remember from the trailer is the squirrel burping the alphabet.

[ShyViolet]

It had some really sweet moments, particularly RJ's "conversion" to wanting to help the others. Maybe you should see it before you judge.

[Ben]

Well I hate to say I told you so...but...

It's clear parents were not going to take the whole family out to see something they watch on TV for free when fresh stuff like Big Hero 6 is out there too.

The problem DWA has is that their other two big hope franchises, Panda and Dragon, also have TV shows playing, and I only think Dragon 2 made as much as it did because of a lack of strong competition when it was released.

It was pretty clear that Penguins wasn't going to be the lifesaver...and there's nothing coming up that looks like it's going to change things around...

[Dacey]

I'm not sure how much the TV shows can be blamed, though. The Penguins of Madagascar was airing for a while (and was quite popular) when Mad 3 came out, and that ended up being the biggest of the trilogy.