What's RUINING DreamWorks?

[Music] in the world of feature animation there are very few studios that compared to Disney they set the bar high in the late 1930s with Snow White in the Seven Dwarves and continued to produce the same level of quality for years to come even on their bad days they still stood above the competition and we're at the forefront of American animated features for over half a century yes they had their rivals and they would sometimes lose to them in the box-office but in 2001 Disney finally came face to face with a true contender one that would bring a new perspective to animated movies DreamWorks this silver medal of the feature-length animated world the kid in class who gets C's and DS on his report card but occasionally gets an a-minus or maybe a B and nothing in SU the human race well I know I'm giving them a hard time but it's hard not to when one looks at the hot mess that is this company it obviously has talent and has created amazing movies before but it seems to be a one step forward two steps back policy for DreamWorks where a viewer isn't quite certain what they are going to see in one of their movies it could be funny sincere beautiful or it can be about Will Smith working at the car wash as a fish it's a crapshoot when it comes to DreamWorks and it's incredibly frustrating to witness the potential of these artists and watch it go to waste when DreamWorks first arrived on the scene they found momentum but never really went anywhere with it instead they went in circles what happened why does this company struggle so much how come they never found their identity Pixar for example is known for its brand of movies and typically delivers but for DreamWorks no one is quite certain what to expect and I believe that the studio feels the same way so let's take a closer look at what's ruining DreamWorks before we start the video I want to give a shout out to the pixel Empire they sponsored this upload and will be helping me afford rent this month also I will be working with them later this year to roll out some saber spark merchandise imagine my beautiful face on a t-shirt this is a great website to buy posters shirts and phone cases they collaborate with other artists and youtubers to provide some awesome design I'm a huge fan of the minimalistic stuff and have some of their Game of Thrones posters in my room they even come in bundles which can save you some cash you can save even more with my discount code saber spark and get 15% off your purchase we are also giving away 3 $50 gift card so check out the link down below for details and stay tuned for future merch giveaways on my channel all right back to DreamWorks some some King most of my videos begin with the history of the topic and that will be the case here but out of all the subjects I've talked about none of them are more dramatic and outrageous than the origins of DreamWorks I mean we are talking about a story that includes lies betrayal and even death Hollywood giants going at each other's throats as they fight over the destinies of multi billion-dollar companies it's bizarre it's petty and it's confusing seriously there's so much information here those are just some of the sources for this video so I'm going to try and summarize the facts so we can keep things moving along let's begin with the most important key player Jeffrey Katzenberg back in the 1970's and early 80's disney was struggling to get by but in 1984 things were starting to change Michael Eisner became CEO of the company and began to turn things around one of his decisions was to bring Katzenberg on as the head of the motion picture division he was also tasked with fixing the feature animation department too he had his work cut out for him but things started to rapidly improve the first big hit to come from the revitalize studio was the Little Mermaid this officially launched the Disney Renaissance and led to a decade of both financial and critical success for the studio and company these movies became the flagship for merchandise park attractions and basically everything else Katzenberg had done a good job and was becoming one of the most powerful individuals in Hollywood many people praised him for Disney success but some of his peers did not feel the same way there were a few notable people who disliked Katzenberg and that included Rory II did he thought Katzenberg was positioning himself to further his career and only cared about his agenda that he was in it for his own reasons and ego we heard one day that Jeffrey was going to come in with a reporter from The Wall Street Journal he was going to follow us around to show how the movie got made and Jeffrey performed for the journalist and we created what looked like a slice of how the movie actually got made and in that article Jeffrey was proclaimed the guy who was saving Disney animation I think that was kind of a last straw kind of a thing for me and I was just incensed by that then there was Frank well the number two at Disney who served as president of the company according to many reports and accounts Frank was the peacemaker when it came to the higher-ups within Disney these executives would butt heads and go at each other but Frank would defuse the situation Frank's of all of us was the most selfless and so he was able to navigate a course between strong and growing personalities and he goes and I always found Frank the peacemaker you know that he was like a marriage counselor Katzenberg was pressuring Michael Eisner to promote him to president of the company but then tragedy struck in 1994 Frank wealth died in a helicopter crash it was terribly sad for family and friends but also for the company this man who served as the negotiator was now gone and he also left a desired position of power a spot that would be fought over fiercely Katzenberg done for the position but was denied by Rory and Eisner for some reason they really did not want him to be President was it pride spec's ego stroking who's to say but this royally ticked off Katzenberg after The Lion King was released he resigned and left the company he also sued Disney for contractual reasons and settled out of court for 250 million dollars it's amazing how all of these events are intertwined and set things in motion after Lion King Disney's animation would start to fade and wouldn't return in forth until 2010 Pixar was about to show the world their stuff and Wow audiences with Toy Story and later in 1994 Katzenberg would return to the scene with his own upstart studio it's quite remarkable how quickly DreamWorks came together it was a massive undertaking that required almost three billion dollars and upstart money also starting a studio of this size and caliber had not been attempted for many decades it was a massive risk but it had some solid names attached to it first there was Katzenberg the former Disney powerhouse who had quite the remarkable track record and experience then there was Geffen a billionaire king of the music industry and then there was a god of Hollywood himself Steven Spielberg attaching his name added prestige to the company and made it more enticing for prospective investors and creators I mean why wouldn't you want to work with one of the most successful directors in the history of entertainment right now there is a lot more to this story and it gets a little messy but I feel that we have gone far enough I will most likely make a dedicated history video for DreamWorks in the future but to summarize it Katzenberg worked for Disney got screwed by Disney left Disney started DreamWorks stole animators from Disney to work for him and gave Disney the middle finger for the first real time Disney was up against a company who could throw down feature animation consistently and that was going to rock the boat now it should be said that DreamWorks was not strictly an enemy patience to do but that will be the part we focus on who cares about their videogame division right stay far far away in Shrek the third the game Katzenberg might have left Disney but he was not done taking shots at them and vice-versa this bitter rivalry between people would become a rivalry between companies and one movie that really stirred up the drama was an and so was the first animated film by DreamWorks and was released on October 2nd 1998 the month before bug's life was released oh man did this make some weight first off John Lasseter the guy who was in charge at Pixar and was working for Disney felt utterly betrayed he told Katzenberg the plot and release date for bug's life and confidence and Katzenberg double-crossed him and was supposed to be released in spring of 98 but they moved it to October to screw over bug's life but according to Katzenberg he did this because Disney was releasing bug's life to screw over the release date of the Prince of Egypt another DreamWorks film Steve Jobs who worked with Pixar at the time called Katzenberg and was like what the hell dude - which Katzenberg said tell Disney to change the release date on bug's life so it doesn't hurt Prince of Egypt - which Steve said no way to deal with it neither Katzenberg nor job stood down and ant was released right before bug's life both films did well but bug's life was the clear financial Victor but what about plot what about the characters which one was the better movie bug's life how long can you go sing it now and go do it Chris Apollo and ouch [Music] bugged wife bug's life [Music] yes pork did I give it and they take deep breaths cuz I'm gonna try and find your body it just bound to be up dude somewhere they're definitely different that's for sure bugs life was more of a family movie great for kids and their parent it was simple but fun and was super creative with the perspective of insects ants was a lot darker I mean a lot it was more of a satire of human society and how it compares to that of a bug where you are just one out of billion the whole system makes me feel insignificant excellent you've made a real breakthrough yes Lee you are I am it personally I find ants to be the more interesting film bugs life is good but a little too vanilla but that does not mean ant is perfect it absolutely isn't stuff is like crap really let me try some here it is crap the next movie from DreamWorks was the Prince of Egypt as I said before this film came out in December of 98 and was somewhat competing against bug's life but it couldn't have been more different it was traditionally animated and was about the biblical story of Moses so no bugs this time well mostly it did well in the box office and was a good movie in general the road to El Dorado was after that and it failed hard like they lost some serious money on the at 1:00 then there was chicken run that was another great movie but DreamWorks did not make it they were the distributors and credit for the production goes to Aardman Animations but in 2001 DreamWorks finally released a movie that would make them stand out from the crowd it's gonna be fun we can stay up late swapping manless stars in the morning I'll make it 100 Shrek the flagship of DreamWorks Animation this movie was a huge hit and was a shock to both Disney and Pixar they finally found some legit competition that could not only fight but when and the Oscar goes to Shrek this is the first Academy Award the first Oscar for producer Aaron Warner Shrek employs state-of-the-art CGI animation producer Jeffrey Katzenberg said that it will be a benchmark for about a day or two 2001 was the first year for the best animated movie category at the Oscars and Shrek beat out monster king oh and Jimmy Neutron - which we all know deep down inside is the greatest movie ever made the pizza is aggressive Shrek was a massive middle finger to Disney its entire premise and story was basically a juxtaposition to them to mock and satirize their traditional fantasy stories and how predictable they can be I mean Shrek literally takes a shot at Disney as soon as the movie begins she waited in the dragon's teeth in the highest room of the tallest tower for her true love true love's first kiss he boy thought that was gonna happen and to Shrek's credit it kind of worked for a lot of people it was fun to take this meta perspective on the movies of old and make fun of them now what production for this movie was actually looked down upon by the employees of DreamWorks it was production hell and a lot of artists were condemned to work on this movie if they weren't performing well personally I believe that Katzenberg opened up the ninth circle of hell and made a Blood Pact with the devil that he summoned all of his hate for Disney and it manifested itself into a movie called Shrek so DreamWorks finally found something that made it unique so what did they do with it nothing this is where the problem begins while Pixar is known for its consistent strong stories and quality animation DreamWorks is just really known for being the animation studio that isn't Pixar or Disney and it has been like that ever since so after a long history lesson we finally get to the meat of the video what's ruining DreamWorks that's the question and here's my answer they have no unique identity as I said before they are more known for being the studio that isn't Disney or Pixar the studio that makes the occasional good movie every so often but mostly creates average or below average stuff why is that why couldn't DreamWorks find themselves after Shrek I have a few theories about this number one they were cursed from the very start DreamWorks is a studio that was created out of revenge shrek is a movie that was created out of revenge so if it succeeds where do you take it how does it reflect your brand as a studio what does your audience make of it I mean I know the Shrek franchise went on to make billions of dollars but to most people it's laughable kids want a Lightning McQueen or Elsa toy not Shrek and the internet mocks him all the time [Music] you [ __ ] I keep talking about Pixar but they are such a good example of how a studio makes a name for itself besides cars - Pixar has consistently made great movies some are much better than others but they are all competently made and appreciated when I watch a Pixar film I know what I'm most likely getting and it has been that way ever since Toy Story except for cars - that movie sucked Disney Animation revitalize itself in 2010 with tangled and has been releasing their own brand of movies ever since they have embraced their traditional roots but put a fresh spin on it frozen tangled Moana kids get to see a new wave of princesses but they aren't old school generic also the studio has fun with non Princess films which keeps things new and unique for DreamWorks they just don't know what they want at one moment they will make an incredible movie that is fun beautiful and sincere but then their next movie is something stupid and looks like it was made by a completely different studio Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon are my two favorite franchises from DreamWorks they are all well made and lots of fun now they have a dry sense of humor and the occasional lowbrow joke but it's forgivable [Music] these are the movies that the studio should run with and try to replicate in new ways but they rarely do instead we get turbo and home movies that have been coldly calculated for financial success and how they perform with testing groups there are a few good standalone films in their library but most of their content is average and that isn't good enough if they want to build brand loyalty and respect they need to do better than this diapers are all about power dynamics I poop they wipe BAM I'm the boss Greenberg the boss baby you're stood on the shoulders of geniuses to accomplish some as fast as you could and before you even knew you had you you've patented it and packaged it and slap it on a plastic lunchbox and now selling it yourself and number two financial meddling out of all of the topics I have researched none of them are more littered with numbers than DreamWorks I don't understand why when I looked up Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon I could barely find any statistics but DreamWorks is loaded with them money this money that money money money which you know makes sense when you are a company money is what makes the world go round and keeps a studio in business without it what's the point but for DreamWorks I feel that they primarily focus on money more often than not Pixar creates a movie because there is a story to be told ratatouille and up for example we're not going to be big franchises I have never seen a kid with a rat toy or a plushie of Carl but that was okay with Pixar they had a story to tell and that was good enough of a reason for them Disney Animation has been able to have their cake and eat it so far with frozen and their other film but for DreamWorks they tend to make movies that will give them the biggest bang for their buck the next movie is about a snail but he's like the car from the Pixar movie yeah just make it work and the artist will try their best they do what they can with the direction they are given but sometimes it just doesn't work DreamWorks suffers from a lack of direction and leadership Pixar and Disney Animation have John Lasseter a guy who really knows what he's doing he has an excellent track record of movies that are both financial and critical hits and now the studio has a reputation because of it for DreamWorks they don't really have a John Lasseter yeah there's Katzenberg but he really hasn't done that great of a job in the long run the last few years have not been great for the company and Katzenberg told the press what they had to do to change things he basically said we need to make cheaper movies more sequels and better marketing and with that they fired 500 employees in 2015 and began to shut down other parts of the company instead of focusing on making good movies DreamWorks scrambles to make successful movies ones that can create spin-offs and franchises these are not bad goal but they keep missing the point people do not know what to expect with DreamWorks and that in the long run is not good for studio's reputation overall DreamWorks is a studio of wasted potentials they obviously have artists and animators who are incredibly talented and competent writers who know how to tell a good story they have made movies before that surpassed both Disney and Pixar but more often than not they create average to below average film and that had been the norm for them the only real identity DreamWorks has is one of mediocrity a studio that is known for its pop culture references fart joke and dance parties at the end of the film and with the arrival and growth of newer Studios there is a chance that DreamWorks might fade into obscurity in 2016 DreamWorks was sold to NBC Universal for 3.8 billion dollars funny enough the guy who was in charge of it now is the same guy who founded illumination the studio responsible for minions and secret life of pets I I don't know how I feel about this illumination is practically a carbon copy of DreamWorks they just know how to make more money from their film is that the angle here is that why they put this guy in charge of DreamWorks I was really hoping that DreamWorks could revitalize itself the same way Disney did in 2010 I was hoping that it could find itself like Pixar has but it seems to me that we won't be seeing that kind of future Shrek 5 was recently announced and is slated for 2019 release this isn't too surprising since Shrek movies make so much money and universe will once a return on investment fortunately though they are still making How to Train Your Dragon 3 but that is the only movie I'm looking forward to everything else looks mad I ultimately feel bad for DreamWorks this was a studio that was founded out of revenge and hate and was never really able to find itself instead it has been floating around aimlessly for almost two decades they have their occasional gems but they are few and far between and with this new leadership I doubt they will find the change they desperately need but who's to say they are capable of creating great movies and maybe they can turn things around in the years to come you [Music] you

Channel: Saberspark

Views: 1,409,848

Rating: 4.8742399 out of 5

Keywords: what's ruining dreamworks, dreamworks, saber, saberspark, what's ruining, what ruined, disney, pixar, animation, review, cartoons, analysis, video essay, shrek, boss baby, captain underpants, trailer

Id: od-tQN8C48s

Length: 25min 29sec (1529 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 23 2017

Reddit Comments

[u/ThatOtherGuy80]

I thought this comment from the comments section was worth posting: "Hey Saberspark! I was an Animation student and attended Dreamworks, Pixar, and Disney recruiting presentations and you're absolutely right.

Dreamworks presentations were always focused on technical spaces and look for pawns to do 'minor work' (like their television division) while Pixar and Disney are more focused on core virtues and looking for new blood and ideas. Dreamworks also, according to the recruiter, hasn't changed their main character designer team since THE BEGINNING.

I've also met people who worked at Dreamworks and they always were very 'meh' about the experience while Disney and Pixar ex animators and art directors talked about their experiences as live changing."