kewin/moviestillsdb
DreamWorks Animation was founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen. It has since produced a slew of classic animations. Over the years, it has used various animation techniques, including CGI, stop motion, and hand-drawn. It has made animations that can be enjoyed by all ages. DreamWorks Animation builds unique worlds full of color, imagination, humor, action, and more. Let’s rank the top 20 greatest DreamWorks Animation films so far.
20. The Willoughbys
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The people who brought you Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 made the comedic animation The Willoughbys. The film is based on Lois Lowry’s children’s book of the same name. Lowry also penned the beloved novel The Giver. The animation style is unique and has a yarn-like quality. It is a family film that appeals to young and older audiences. It has wonderful voice-acting talent, including Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Alessia Cara, Terry Crews, Martin Short, Jane Krakowski, and Ricky Gervais. It received ninety-one percent on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for multiple Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature. After the success of the first film, Netflix has greenlit a sequel.
19. Rise of the Guardians
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Rise of the Guardians was directed by Peter Ramsey, who is known for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Ramsey was the first black American to direct a large-budget animated film. Rise of the Guardians is based on William Joyce’s book series, The Guardians of Childhood. Joyce was an executive producer of the film. The imaginative Christmas animation was brought to life with voice talent, including Chris Pine, Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher, and Jude Law. The film received seventy-five percent on Rotten Tomatoes and an eighty percent audience score. It was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature. It also did well at the box office, grossing $306.9 million worldwide.
18. Bee Movie
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Bee Movie is the brainchild of the blockbuster standup comedian Jerry Seinfeld. It was directed by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner and co-written by Seinfeld, Spike Fersten, Barry Marder, and Andy Robin. It is a hilarious and thought-provoking animation examining the environmental impact of bees and humans on the planet. It has a star-filled cast including Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, Patrick Warburton, John Goodman, Kathy Bates, Chris Rock, Sting, the late Larry King, and the late Ray Liotta. It received mixed reviews from critics, with forty-nine percent on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature.
17. Flushed Away
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Flushed Away is co-directed by David Bowers, known for Astro Boy and The Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series, and Sam Fell, known for The Tale of Despereaux and ParaNorman. The film has the signature look of the Wallace & Gromit types of films, the only difference being that it was not stop motion. This humorous and action-packed film starred Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno, and Bill Nighy. It received a seventy-three percent on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Animated Feature. It was not a financial success, earning $178 million worldwide, but it showed DreamWorks Animation’s ability to try different styles and take risks.
16. The Croods
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The Croods is directed by Kirk and Chris Sanders, known for How to Train Your Dragon and Lilo & Stitch. It is a touching film that builds a stunning prehistoric world. It is also hilarious and has a wonderful cast, including Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, and the late Cloris Leachman. Critics gave it seventy-two percent on Rotten Tomatoes. It did have some critical acclaim, as it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It was a huge success, earning $587.2 million worldwide. There has been a sequel, with a third installment in the works. There was also a TV show called The Croods: Family Tree.
15. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
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The suave, action-fighting cat from the Shrek series gets a second movie of his own, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. It is directed by Joel Crawford, known for another DreamWorks project, The Croods: A New Age. The film still has its quick wit and well-choreographed action sequences, but it also delves into more mature and substantive themes of mortality. It also has a unique animation style inspired in part by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Antonio Banderas returns as Puss in Boots, with Salma Hayek, Florence Pugh, John Mulaney, Olivia Colman, and Harvey Guillén starring alongside him. It was praised by audiences and critics alike, with a ninety-five percent on Rotten Tomatoes. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
14. Over the Hedge
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Over the Hedge was co-directed by Tim Johnson, known for Antz, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, and Home, and Karey Kirkpatrick, known for Chicken Run, Imagine That, and Smallfoot. It was based on a daily comic strip of the same name, written by Michael Fry and T. Lewis. It is an adorable film full of laughs that makes a commentary on the negative effects suburban life and consumerism have on nature and wild animals. The film has a star-studded cast that includes Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, Wanda Sykes, Nick Nolte, Thomas Haden Church, Allison Janney, Eugene Levy, Avril Lavigne, Catherine O’Hara, and William Shatner. It earned a seventy-five percent on Rotten Tomatoes. It was nominated for multiple Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature. Overall, it was a huge success, earning $340 million worldwide at the box office.
13. Shark Tale
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Shark Tale is a family-friendly comedy directed by Vicky Jenson, known for The Road to El Dorado, Bibo Bergeron, known for Shrek, and Rob Letterman, known for Monsters vs. Aliens. The film parodies mafia movies like The Godfather and Goodfellas. It does an incredible job of connecting with children and adults. It stars Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renée Zellweger, Jack Black, Vincent Pastore, Michael Imperioli, and Martin Scorsese. Many of the cast have been a part of the mafia movie/TV genre. It also had some heavy-hitting recording artists lending their musical talents, including Missy Elliott, Ludacris, and Christina Aguilera. Unfortunately, critics tanked the reviews, giving it a thirty-six percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the poor reviews, it did swimmingly at the box office, grossing $374.6 million worldwide.
12. Monsters vs. Aliens
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Monsters vs. Aliens is an animated action sci-fi directed by Rob Letterman, known for Shark Tale and Gulliver’s Travels, and Conrad Vernon, known for Shrek 2 and The Addams Family. The film is inspired by 1950s B-movies, specifically the sci-fi and monster genre. Some movie references include The Fly, The Blob, and Creature from the Black Lagoon. The film is hilarious partially due to the star-studded comedic cast, including Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Kiefer Sutherland, Paul Rudd, Jeffery Tambor, Amy Poehler, Ed Helms, Renée Zellweger, and John Krasinski. It received a seventy-three percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Monsters Vs. Aliens was DreamWorks Animation’s first film to be produced in 3D.
11. The Road to El Dorado
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The Road to El Dorado is a cult-classic animation full of adventure and humor. It takes place in Spain in the early fifteen hundreds. Besides the eye-candy visual, one of the reasons the film has resonated with viewers is the soundtrack by Elton John and Tim Rice, who also collaborated on the music in The Lion King. The film stars Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, Rosie Perez, Armand Assante, and Edward James Olmos. Critics gave it a forty-eight percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience score was higher with a sixty-six percent. Unfortunately, the film was not a financial success, grossing $76.4 million worldwide, compared to their budget of $95 million. However, fans have kept the film alive.
10. Madagascar
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Madagascar is a playful comedic animation directed by Eric Darnell, known for Antz, and Tom McGrath, known for Megamind. These zoo animals are voiced by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Andy Richter, Cedric The Entertainer, and Sacha Baron Cohen. It had mixed reviews, with fifty-four percent on Rotten Tomatoes but an audience score of sixty-six percent. Despite the mixed reviews, it was a mega-hit, grossing $556.6 million worldwide at the box office. There have been three Madagascar movies and a spin-off called Penguins of Madagascar. There have also been three TV series, mini-series, and short films.
9. Trolls
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Mike Mitchell and Walt Dohrn direct the colorful, toe-tapping musical comedy film Trolls. It stars Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Christine Baranski, Russell Brand, Gwen Stefani, John Cleese, James Cordon, and Ron Funches. It earned seventy-six percent on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Orignal Song by Timberlake Can’t Stop the Feeling. Besides the original music used, there was a clever use of existing songs reimagined for the film, including “September”, “The Sound of Silence”, “Hello, I’m Coming Out”, and “Clint Eastwood”. The film was a major success, earning $346.9 million worldwide. Due to the success, there were three Trolls movies and two TV series.
8. The Prince of Egypt
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The Prince of Egypt is a dramatic musical directed by Brenda Chapman, known for Brave, Steve Hickner, Bee Movie, and Simon Wells, known for Balto. It is based on the biblical story of Moses and how he freed the Jews from slavery. The score was composed by Hans Zimmer, and the memorable songs were created by Stephen Schwartz, making this a fan favorite. It stars Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum, Danny Glover, Patrick Stewart, Helen Mirren, Steve Martin, and Martin Short. It received an eighty percent on Rotten Tomatoes and had an even higher audience score of ninety percent. It won an Academy Award for Best Original Song “When You Believe”, performed by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.
7. Chicken Run
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Chicken Run is a fun, animated comedic adventure directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park, who both worked on Wallace & Gromit. This film was a collaboration with Aardman Animation and Dreamworks. The film is based on films like The Great Escape. It stars Julia Sawalha, Mel Gibson, Miranda Richardson, Tony Haygarth, and Timothy Spall. It earned an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of ninety-seven percent. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. It was a huge success, earning $224.8 million worldwide. Based on the film’s success, there was a highly anticipated sequel, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, and a TV show.
6. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
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Nick Park, the creator of Wallace & Gromit short and the director of Chicken Run, co-directs Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit with Steve Box, known for the Shaun the Sheep TV series. It stars Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Peter Kay, and Nicholas Smith. It has a super high Rotten Tomatoes score of ninety-five percent. It also won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It was a huge success, earning $192.6 million worldwide. There was a $250 million deal DreamWorks made with Aardman to make five films, but it was cut short after the poor performance of Flushed Away.
5. Megamind
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Megamind is a highly underrated, hilarious action animation directed by Tom McGrath, known for the Madagascar trilogy and The Boss Baby. The film is inspired by superhero lore, but instead, it is from the perspective of a supervillain. The same year, Despicable Me came out with a similar premise. Megamind is chock-full of clever references, including Superman, Star Wars, and The Godfather. It was also the first DreamWorks 3D animated film released in IMAX. It stars Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross, and Brad Pitt. It had a respectable Rotten Tomatoes score of seventy-three percent. It did decently at the box office, earning $321.9 million worldwide, but performed worse than expected and was considered the lowest-grossing CGI movie by DreamWorks Animation at the time.
4. Antz
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Antz is an adventure comedy animation directed by Eric Darnell, known for the Madagascar trilogy, and Tim Johnson, known for Over the Hedge and Home. The film was Dreamworks’s first computer-animated feature. Conversely to A Bug’s Life, which came out the same year and had a similar concept about ants, Antz had more adult-themed humor and themes. It stars Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Sylvester Stallone, and Jennifer Lopez. It earned a ninety-two percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences were less impressed, giving it a fifty-two percent. It was not a major box office hit, grossing $171.8 million worldwide, but it became a cult hit and paved the way for CGI animation for DreamWorks.
3. Kung Fu Panda
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Kung Fu Panda is an action-fueled comedy directed by Mark Osborne, known for The Little Prince, and John Stevenson, known for Sherlock Gnomes. Kung fu films and Chinese culture inspire the film. It has impressive action choreography, memorable characters, and hilarious dialogue. It stars Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, David Cross, James Hong, and Jackie Chan. It received an eighty-seven on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The film was a major financial success, grossing $631.7 million worldwide. There have been four films, two TV series, and a couple of shorts.
2. How to Train Your Dragon
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How to Train Your Dragon is a beautiful fantasy adventure film directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, both known for Lilo & Stitch. The film was based on Cressida Cowell’s book series of the same name. This Viking dragon epic stars Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, and Jonah Hill. It received a near-perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes with ninety-nine percent. It was also nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score. The film soared at the box office, grossing $494.9 million worldwide. There have been three How to Train Your Dragon films, with a fourth one in the works, five TV shows, and a couple of specials.
1. Shrek
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The fairytale comedic adventure film Shrek was directed by Andrew Adamson, known for The Chronicles of Narnia films, and Vicky Jenson, known for Shark Tale. It was based on the William Steig children’s book called Shrek! The film has many fairytale references, including The Three Little Pigs, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Robin Hood, and Peter Pan. It has an incredible voice-acting cast, including Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow, and Vincent Cassel. It received an eighty-eight percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The film won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and was the first to win in that category. The film was box office magic, earning $487.9 million worldwide. It was so successful that there have been four Shrek films and two spin-off films featuring the character Puss in Boots. There have also been some TV shows, specials, and even a Broadway musical.
