LO1 - Analysis of an animation company

DreamWorks Animation

a) Company Structure

Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg founded DreamWorks SKG in 1994. After producing and co-producing a few films and seeing subsidiaries formed beside it, DreamWorks SKG created DreamWorks Animation in 2002.

Now, Jeffrey Katzenberg is the CEO of DreamWorks Animation and Mellody Hobson is the Chairman. The company is owned by DreamWorks, which in turn, as of 16th December 2015, is owned by Amblin Partners.

b) Media Applications

Dreamworks has produced a range of media, ranging from the 2D feature films like The Prince of Egypt, and 3D feature films like Kung Fu Panda. As well as feature films they have produced a direct-to-video film, many short films, TV specials, and multiple TV series. They also run a YouTube channel called DreamworksTV, which consists of promotional material for Dreamworks feature films and TV programmes, as well as vlogs covering various topics.

Dreamworks partnered with Hewlett-Packard in 2005, and together they worked to produce "HP Halo Telepresence Solutions", which is a technology that allows people in different locations to communicate face-to-face in real time.

c) Types of Animation

Dreamworks Animation specialises in Computer Generated Imagery (CGI).

When DreamWorks Animation was founded, it was expected to produce both 2D and 3D (CGI) animation products. However, after the success of Shrek in 2001, the company decided to stop producing hand-drawn animation and focus on 3D CGI animation, apart from films co-produced with stop-motion company Aardman.

Chicken Run, 2000

A stop-motion film produced by Aardman, and co-produced by Dreamworks Animation.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, 2002

One of Dreamworks' 2D feature films.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman, 2014

A more recent CGI film by Dreamworks.

d) Regulatory Bodies

Like most companies that produce feature films, the products released by Dreamworks need to be rated before they are released for viewing by the public. This is of great importance because the general audience for animated products is children.

Dreamworks is a company that is based in America, so is rated by the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) in the USA. However, films that are to be released in the UK have to be rated by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) before being released to the general public. None of Dreamworks' products are rated, under BBFC ratings, as anything more than a PG (Parental Guidance).

None of the feature films produced by Dreamworks Animation are rated more than a PG according to these rules.