Is Dreamworks owned by Disney

[Cindy's Mom]

Shrek is almost the anti-Disney.

I was watching an extra on the DVD (maybe, not quite sure about that) and Mike Meyers was being interview, he said that the name Lord Farquard was even a Disney/Eisner bash, because they knew little kids couldn't say it and when they did say it the would say the "f word" wad

 

[surfer_ed]

Until last year, Dreamworks was its own studio. A couple of years ago Dreamworks spun off and made public the animation studio into its own company. I think it is called Dreamworks Animation and it is still its own company. The remaining parts of Dreamworks were bought by Paramount last year.

Your SIL is incorrect. A common mistake I find for non-Disney geeks like us. Someone I know was disappointed that Sponge Bob and Dora were not out when they recently went to WDW.

Really fascinating story that you can read in “Disney Wars” or “Keys to the Kingdom”. Jeffery K left Disney when he didn't get Frank Well's job, who was killed in a helicopter crash. He supposedly was promised that when Frank retired he would get the #2 job as President of Disney and Michael E's partner.

At that time he quit, Jeffery K was top guy at Disney Studios and responsible for Lion King (loosely based on his life story), Little Mermiad, Toy Story, Rodger Rabbit, Alladin etc.

Then there was a humongous law suit by him to settle his contract, which he won. Then he took the money and formed Dreamworks with Spielberg and Giffin, as wdnomad says recently Paramount bought the studio but the Animation division was spun-off and is its own company. I think Shrek is its only real hit. I think they terminated the deal they had with the Flushed Away folks.

ABC has recently contracted with them for a Shrek Christmas special for 2007, which was a weird thing to do since ABC is owned by Disney.

Not a huge Shrek fan…the first couple of Disney digs were funny but it started to run thin in Shrek 2.

 

[Buzz Litebeer]

Whenever I do the Shrek 4D show at Universal I always cringe at the Disney references, there are quite a few and they're almost all derogatory.

Funny story about Universal... When Universal Studios Florida opened back in 1990, WDW took out a full-page ad in the Orlando Sentinel welcoming the fledgling park to central Florida. Universal responded by including a gag in their Jaws attraction: when the shark was blown up at the end of the ride, bloody debris floated to the surface of the water... including a pair of mouse ears. (Note: the attraction was substantially changed in 1993, and this effect -- which was widely criticized -- was removed.)

Universal Studios Florida has always taken great delight in taking potshots at WDW whenever possible -- a philosophy Disney has never reciprocated. We feel our attractions stand on their own merits without resorting to cheap "parodies" of Universal's attractions and characters.

At that time he quit, Jeffery K was top guy at Disney Studios and responsible for Lion King (loosely based on his life story), Little Mermiad, Toy Story, Rodger Rabbit, Alladin etc.

"The Lion King" is "loosely based" on many things -- the story is a hodgepodge of Shakespeare's "Hamlet", the classic Disney film "Bambi", the biblical stories of Joseph and Moses, and the egyptian myth of Osirus and Set, with much of the look and characters "inspired by" (read: ripped off of) the 1966 Japanese animated series "Kimba the White Lion" (based on a popular comic book (or manga) that was published back in the 1950s).

I've never before heard anyone seriously suggest "The Lion King" was based on the life of Jeffrey Katzenberg.

For more on the "Kimba vs. Simba" debate, look here.

 

[GoofyDad869]

Funny story about Universal... When Universal Studios Florida opened back in 1990, WDW took out a full-page ad in the Orlando Sentinel welcoming the fledgling park to central Florida. Universal responded by including a gag in their Jaws attraction: when the shark was blown up at the end of the ride, bloody debris floated to the surface of the water... including a pair of mouse ears. (Note: the attraction was substantially changed in 1993, and this effect -- which was widely criticized -- was removed.)

Universal Studios Florida has always taken great delight in taking potshots at WDW whenever possible -- a philosophy Disney has never reciprocated. We feel our attractions stand on their own merits without resorting to cheap "parodies" of Universal's attractions and characters.



"The Lion King" is "loosely based" on many things -- the story is a hodgepodge of Shakespeare's "Hamlet", the classic Disney film "Bambi", the biblical stories of Joseph and Moses, and the egyptian myth of Osirus and Set, with much of the look and characters "inspired by" (read: ripped off of) the 1966 Japanese animated series "Kimba the White Lion" (based on a popular comic book (or manga) that was published back in the 1950s).

I've never before heard anyone seriously suggest "The Lion King" was based on the life of Jeffrey Katzenberg.

For more on the "Kimba vs. Simba" debate, look here.

I disagree with that statement. Anybody who has dined at Whispering Canyon in Wilderness Lodge knows that part of the kids' wooden pony race involves a gentle 'dig' at Universal.

A Cast Member stands in front of all the kids after the horsey race is over and has them all raise their right arms. As most of the kids aren't old enough to recognize left from right, this is usually funny. Then they take an oath:

I... State Your Name (most kids repeat that verbatim)... Promise... To... {variations depending on Cast Member} Pick My Nose... Scream Really Loud... Stay Up All Night... Eat Lots of Candy... Beg For Expensive Gifts... {end variations}... And... Most Important... Of All... Never... Go... To... Universal!!!

I know it's not a big thing, but it is a dig by Disney at Universal's expense. Never say "never" unless you're absolutely sure.

All that being said, I've never gone to Universal. And "Disney War" is an excellent book, especially as it regards the in-fighting between Eisner's camp and Katzenberg's camp.

 

[ChrisFL]

Funny story about Universal... When Universal Studios Florida opened back in 1990, WDW took out a full-page ad in the Orlando Sentinel welcoming the fledgling park to central Florida. Universal responded by including a gag in their Jaws attraction: when the shark was blown up at the end of the ride, bloody debris floated to the surface of the water... including a pair of mouse ears. (Note: the attraction was substantially changed in 1993, and this effect -- which was widely criticized -- was removed.)

Thats funny, because I've seen pics last year of USH's Jurassic Park attraction with 50th anniversary mickey ears floating in the water....to me that is a bit edgy, but then again, thats what Universal is marketing toward, people who want edgy attractions and attitude. That's why Shrek fits perfectly.

 

[agnes!]

OP - Your SIL is wrong. Make sure to tell her so .

Re: the Shrek attraction at Universal...frankly, my entire family hated it. We kinda thought it was mean-spirited & creepy. (oh GOODY Lord Farquad is DEAD and he's a ghost who's trying to KILL Fiona. Gee, that sounds like fun.) I'm sure that there are lots of kids who go into it, thinking they'll actually enjoy it...I think Shrek 4-D is Universal's Stitch attraction .

agnes!

 

[ChrisFL]

OP - Your SIL is wrong. Make sure to tell her so .

Re: the Shrek attraction at Universal...frankly, my entire family hated it. We kinda thought it was mean-spirited & creepy. (oh GOODY Lord Farquad is DEAD and he's a ghost who's trying to KILL Fiona. Gee, that sounds like fun.) I'm sure that there are lots of kids who go into it, thinking they'll actually enjoy it...I think Shrek 4-D is Universal's Stitch attraction .

agnes!

really? it's one of the most popular attractions at Universal, unlike Stitch

 

[Planogirl]

The mouse ears still float at Jaws. I saw them just last year.

Also, Shrek similar to Stitch? No way IMO. The Shrek attraction is funny and well-done and unfortunately way too popular.

As for Pirates slamming Shrek (and maybe Spiderman) only time will tell. On the all-time box office, Shrek 2 is #3 and Pirates Dead Man's Chest is #6. It'll be interesting to see where they all end up.

Per boxofficemojo, here's the list of top 20 animated movies:
1 Shrek 2
(CG) DW $441,226,247 4,223 $108,037,878 4,163 5/19/04

2 Finding Nemo
(CG) BV $339,714,978 3,425 $70,251,710 3,374 5/30/03

3 The Lion King BV $328,541,776 2,624 $1,586,753 2 6/15/94

4 Shrek
(CG) DW $267,665,011 3,715 $42,347,760 3,587 5/16/01

5 The Incredibles
(CG) BV $261,441,092 3,933 $70,467,623 3,933 11/5/04

6 Monsters, Inc.
(CG) BV $255,873,250 3,649 $62,577,067 3,237 11/2/01

7 Toy Story 2
(CG) BV $245,852,179 3,257 $300,163 1 11/19/99

8 Cars
(CG) BV $244,082,982 3,988 $60,119,509 3,985 6/9/06

9 Aladdin BV $217,350,219 2,331 $196,664 2 11/13/92

10 Happy Feet
(CG) WB $198,000,317 3,804 $41,533,432 3,804 11/17/06

11 Ice Age: The Meltdown
(CG) Fox $195,330,621 3,969 $68,033,544 3,964 3/31/06

12 Madagascar
(CG) DW $193,595,521 4,142 $47,224,594 4,131 5/27/05

13 Toy Story
(CG) BV $191,796,233 2,574 $29,140,617 2,457 11/22/95

14 The Polar Express
(CG) WB $176,616,677 3,650 $23,323,463 3,650 11/10/04

15 Ice Age
(CG) Fox $176,387,405 3,345 $46,312,454 3,316 3/15/02

16 Beauty and the Beast BV $171,350,553 1,960 $162,146 2 11/15/91

17 Tarzan BV $171,091,819 3,131 $34,221,968 3,005 6/16/99

18 A Bug's Life
(CG) BV $162,798,565 2,773 $291,121 1 11/20/98

19 Shark Tale
(CG) DW $160,861,908 4,070 $47,604,606 4,016 10/1/04

20 Who Framed Roger Rabbit
(Part live action) BV $156,452,370 1,598 $11,226,239 1,045 6/24/8


There's a few more Dreamworks movies in there but nothing touches Pixar nowadays.