Hi friends! So you have voted and decided that my new blog series is going to be reviewing the Dreamworks Animation Canon. I’m not going to lie I wish you had selected some of the other options, but there should be many great films I am going to review. Before I start the series I thought I’d explain a few things about how it is going to go down.
I am not a big fan of Dreamworks’ comedies for the most part. They tend to be a bit broad in the humor and weak in stories for my taste. However, I will go into them with an open mind and hope to be surprised.
Obviously I want this to be a pleasant experience for me, so I have decided to not review the series in chronological order. I have created an order that mixes the comedies and dramas and the weak and stronger films so I will enjoy it more. I have also decided to include the Aardman movies even though I don’t really consider them true Dreamworks films. The series will be more fun if I include them.
So here goes. I will review the Dreamworks films as follows:
Shrek
Prince of Egypt
Over the Hedge
Antz
Road to El Dorado
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
Madagascar
Shrek 2
Shark Tale
Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Ware Rabbit
Shrek 3
Kung fu Panda
Madagascar 2
Flushed Away
Sinbad: Legend of the 7 Seas
How to Train Your Dragon
Shrek 4
Megamind
Chicken Run
Kung fu Panda 2
Monsters vs Aliens
Madagascar 3
Puss n Boots
Bee Movie
Rise of the Guardians
Turbo
The Croods
Home
Mr Peabody and Sherman
Trolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Penguins of Madagascar
Kung fu Panda 3
Are you excited for this project? I hope so. What do you think of my order and what are your favorite Dreamworks films?
Good luck. I can’t stand watching a lot of these more than once. You picked a good order though. Something good at least every 3 films.
I’m looking forward to it! Actually, I’m surprised you’re not going in chronological order from oldest to newest, but I can see the sense of starting with Shrek, as it’s still kinda DreamWorks’ signature film.
Yeah I just decided I’d enjoy it more this way and why not enjoy it more? I look forward to your comments on these reviews!
Fair enough, I’m looking forward to your reviews for Prince of Egypt and the HTTYD series!
For me, it’s the How to Train Your Dragon films and the first 2 Shreks.
Hey, Rachel! I’m curious to see what your thoughts are on most of these movies. Here’s a breakdown of the movies I’ve seen:
The Prince of Egypt: The animation and music are stunning in this film. It’s not one of my all-time favorites but it’s a well-done adaptation of the Moses story.
Over the Hedge: I’ve not seen it for a long time but from what I remember it’s cute.
Chicken Run: I have mixed feelings on this one. It’s a well-made film, but it’s also a little disturbing.
Spirit: I adore Hans Zimmer, and his work really shines here. But I’m not fond of seeing Bryan Adams’s rock songs alongside Zimmer’s orchestral work (just personal taste). Also, its messages about animal vs. human rights were a little off in my opinion.
Madagascar: I don’t remember liking this too much. It’s not horrible but I wouldn’t watch it again.
Shrek 2: Not too bad! It’s too dependent on pop-culture references and potty humor, but I had a good time watching.
Shark Tale: Oh, dear. This is where I admire your courage for doing this project. Shark Tale is an undersea adventure done horribly wrong, as opposed to Pixar’s Finding Nemo.
Wallace and Gromit: Need to rewatch it, but anything Aardman does is funny.
Kung Fu Panda: Brilliant! I love the soundtrack and the animation, and it’s very re-watchable.
Flushed Away: It’s far from perfect but I was laughing nonstop throughout. Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, and Ian McKellen are brilliant in truly off-the-wall roles.
HTTYD: Breathtaking. Also, Toothless is possibly the cutest character DreamWorks has ever created.
Megamind: I thought this was rather underrated and probably pushed down because of Despicable Me. It’s a really different take on the superhero genre.
KFP 2: I liked it better than the first one. Po’s character development was exceptional and the humor was well-balanced.
Bee Movie: If you like Jerry Seinfeld, you’ll be able to tolerate this movie. If you don’t, yikes.
Rise of the Guardians: This should have won Best Animated Feature in 2012. It has an outstanding voice cast and a fresh take on holiday spirit.
Mr. Peabody and Sherman: I was pleasantly surprised by this. It’s not earth-shattering, but it’s solid entertainment. The animation was particularly colorful.
HTTYD 2: I actually watched this before the first movie on recommendation from a good friend, and it’s how I fell in love with the franchise.
Penguins: Meh. It’s cute but the ending is REALLY convoluted.
KFP 3: I’m in the minority on this one, but it wasn’t my favorite. There were too many new characters and no closure on Po’s relationships.
Whoa, a Dreamworks project? Love it, lol!
But yeah, interesting order and I can understand why you did it like that. I, on the other hand, have to go in order for my project.
Well I think that will be helpful so we wont be competing any way
Oh no, there’s no competition. It’s like Coco and The Book of Life, lol, two different films about the same holiday. We’re two different blogs talking about the same films, lol.
I understand your feelings about most DreamWorks films: I don’t find most of them that funny or interesting. The Prince of Egypt is the best by a long way. My favourites of the 3D animated films are Kung Fu Panda, Monsters vs Aliens and the How To Train Your Dragon films. Looking forward to your reviews!
YYYYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS. I’ve been waiting for this for too long, but you might be shocked with some of the movies.
It would be better to mix it up instead of reviewing them chronologically, since it gets really hard to watch in the middle. I wish you the best of luck.
This is a great idea! I look forward to this new series. I hope you will also review the films on YouTube. 🙂