DreamWorks has struck a chord in everyone’s heart with The Wild Robot. The movie is, for many, the inevitable winner of the next Oscar for the animation characters. And while DreamWorks is basking in its well-deserved glory, there was one more DreamWorks project that was released this year. One that is the textbook definition of “why a trilogy should be left alone.” Kung Fu Panda 4 was a very weak performance. And its peculiar how a studio dips and peaks in the same year.
Now this has not been the first case. The year they released Shrek, it was accompanied by Shark Tale. And if you don’t know about it, we won’t blame you; even last year, the two titles were a bit mediocre. And before that, The Puss in Boots was accompanied by Bad Guys.
So what’s this trend? The other studios have certain blueprints for their movies. Pixar and Illumination work on the quality over quantity model. But DreamWorks is a polar opposite. It has been chugging out movies at double the rate. And thus, the margin of error widens exponentially.
The movies even serve different demographics. While the other studios focus on the children, the DreamWorks movie focuses on both the kids and adults. With entertaining visuals and deep messages ingrained in the story. The movies thus at times go over the kids while being too literal at times, while the visuals are not as much of a spectacle to compensate.
As of now, the movies have been a mix of safe plays with franchises and wider exploration with originals. In relation, Pixar and illumination have been very safe with their plays. Thus the fact that the movies of DreamWorks often miss at times, the studio allows a better window for exploration and thus evolution in the genre. And hence we have masterpieces, like The Wild Robot.