A proposed class-action lawsuit was filed in federal court in Los Angeles today, (June 2, 2005) seeking unspecified damages from DreamWorks Animation for allegedly misleading stockholders about sales prospects for SHREK 2 DVDs. This is the companys first suit since going public in October 2004.
DreamWorks Animation SKG has announced their next film collaboration with Aardman, a new comedy entitled CROOD AWAKENING. The announcement was made during a tribute to Aardman at the Cannes Film Festival, by DreamWorks Animation ceo Jeffrey Katzenberg, together with Aardman co-founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton.
CROOD AWAKENING will mark DreamWorks fourth film collaboration with Aardman, following 2000s CHICKEN RUN, this years WALLACE & GROMIT THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT and FLUSHED AWAY, which is planned for release in 2006.
Forty-five years ago, when Walt Disney had a new animated feature to plug he used his Sunday night TV series to give his audience a look at the film and share some secrets of its making. When DreamWorks Animation SKG wanted to let the world know theyve arrived as a publicly owned company spun off from the original DreamWorks with five films scheduled for release between now and 2007 they went Walt one better.
Margaret C. Whitman, president/ceo of eBay, has been elected to DreamWorks Animations board of directors.
"Meg is someone that both Roger Enrico and I have been courting to join our board of directors for many months," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation ceo. "Having had the opportunity to work with her in the past, I know firsthand what an exceptional talent she is and believe that her expertise in building a global brand combined with her consumer technology experience really makes her a perfect fit for our company."
Bob Feldman joins DreamWorks Animation SKG in Glendale, California, as head of corporate communications. DreamWorks Animation was recently spun off as a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (DWA) from the private company DreamWorks SKG. Feldman reports to Jeffrey Katzenberg and Ann Daly, the company's chief executive and chief operating officers.
AMD and DreamWorks Animation SKG Announce Strategic Alliance
AMD will provide the AMD Opteron processor with Direct Connect Architecture for DreamWorks Animation's next-generation enterprise servers, workstations, render farm nodes, enterprise desktops and enterprise laptops. The new agreement also includes marketing opportunities for AMD to utilize characters from DreamWorks Animation motion pictures, as well as work with DreamWorks Animation to promote upcoming film and home video releases.
On May 1, 2005, DreamWorks Animation and the Film Society of Lincoln Center will join together to host "Animation Now: Imagination, Innovation, Inspiration. The family event will look at how DreamWorks creates animated magic. The evening will be hosted by Al Roker with appearances from Chris Rock and others involved in the forthcoming MADAGASCAR. Attendees will be treated to footage from upcoming films like MADAGASCAR, OVER THE HEDGE, SHREK 3 and BEE MOVIE.
DreamWorks Pictures has pacted with Germany's Constantin Film to acquire the domestic distribution rights to the new thriller, PERFUME, based on the bestselling novel by Patrick Suskind.
Set in 18th-century France, the story of murder and obsession centers around a man who, strangely lacking any scent of his own, has a unique talent for identifying smells, which he uses to create the world's finest perfumes. His gift leads to obsession when he turns to murdering young women on the verge of womanhood in order to capture their aroma.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, chief exec DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., said he doesnt think there will be an oversaturation in the animated film industry due to the great variety of features to interest audiences.
The "single greatest fiction" about animated films was that a possible glut of movies was looming, Katzenberg told analysts and investors at a media conference in New York City March 30, 2005. "It's not as though all of these movies are the same," he said. "It's not like they're all James Bond movies ... they couldn't be more distinctive.
Responsible for promotion and merchandising campaigns for all DreamWorks SKG event films since joining the company in 1996, Anne Globe has been named head of Worldwide Consumer Products and Promotions for DreamWorks Animation. She will be responsible for overseeing worldwide brand planning and promotion for all DreamWorks properties, with a focus on developing and implementing marketing strategies for merchandising and promotional programs in support of the studios animated and live-action feature film releases and television animation.
Spurred by SHREK 2's ranking as the #1 children's videogame in the U.S. for 2004, Activision Inc. and DreamWorks Animation announced that Activision will develop and publish videogames based on DreamWorks Animation's SHREK 3, which is scheduled for release in summer 2007.
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, one of Americas oldest and most prestigious sporting events, is partnering with DreamWorks Animation SKG to bring Gromit of WALLACE & GROMIT fame to highlights of the show online. This marks the first time in Westminsters history that the dog show has accepted a sponsorship partner outside of a dog food company.
Rick Sands has been named as the new president/coo of DreamWorks SKG. In his new post, Sands will primarily be responsible for overseeing the management of day-to-day operations of the private company, reporting directly to principal partner David Geffen.
A day after Disney/Pixar announced that CARS would be pushed back from November 2005 to June 2006 to maximize profitability, DreamWorks said it would now release SHREK 3 in May 2007 rather than November 2006.
Acme Filmworks annual "Show of Shows" screening is set for ASIFA-Hollywood members at DreamWorks Studios from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. This program will include producer Ron Diamond's selection of the years best shorts, and will include Mike Gabriel's LORENZO (the new Disney short), Georges Schwizgebel's THE MAN WITHOUT A SHADOW, Greg Holfeld's GET IN THE CAR, Arthur des Pins' THE CRAB REVOLUTION, and Alexander Korejwo, Caroline Leaf and Perez Luc's SUITE FOR FREEDOM, Chris Landreth's RYAN and other surprises.
Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen sold 4.9 million of his DreamWorks Animation shares for $28 apiece, earning him $137.3 million, reports BLOOMBERG NEWS. Allen sold the shares under the over-allotment clause of the studio's IPO. After the sale, Allen holds 7.73 million DreamWorks class A shares.
DreamWorks spokesman Andrew Spahn declined to comment Thursday.
DreamWorks Animations IPO is expected to raise $812 million besting expectations. Wall Street analysts thought the stock would price between $23 to $25 per share, but it started the day at $28 a share for 29 million shares. In its New York Stock Exchange debut, the stock reached a height of $39.50.
Advancing the digital technology capabilities of the entertainment industry, HP announced a three-year extension of its multi-million dollar agreement with DreamWorks.
The agreement with DreamWorks designates HP as its sole preferred technology provider for its core technology purchases, including the computing infrastructure for DreamWorks digital studios. In addition, the companies plan to collaborate on technology innovations in areas such as digital editing, digital cinema and digital asset management.
Warner Bros. Pictures has joined DreamWorks on the production of Michael Bays THE ISLAND, reports HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The two studios will share the cost of the $100 million film with DreamWorks distributing the film in the U.S. and Warner taking the film internationally. Caspian Tredwell-Owen wrote the original screenplay, with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci turning other drafts. Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald and Ian Bryce are producing.
Ellen Wolff discusses how DreamWorks pulled off its funny 3D-animated fish tale with CG supervisor Kevin Rafferty.
Karl Cohen reviews Doing Their Bit, a well researched reference book about WWII cartoons.
DreamWorks coo Helene Hahn is resigning her post after 10 years with the company, reports VARIETY. She long been considered one of the top female execs and has been a partner with DreamWorks principal Jeffrey Katzenberg for more than 30 years. She will remain coo until a replacement can be found and will act as a consultant for a year following her departure.
DreamWorks will be screening new clips from Mamoru Oshii's anime film, INNOCENCE: GHOST IN THE SHELL 2, at Otakon 2004, being held from July 30 to Aug. 1, 2004 in Baltimore, Maryland. The screening will be July 30, between 11:30 am and 12:30 pm. Representatives from DreamWorks and Production I.G. will be hosting this special preview in Panel 1. Footage of the sequel will also be shown throughout the three-day convention at the DreamWorks booth (#1223), where free postcards and posters will be available.
DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures have teamed up to bring THE TRANSFORMERS to the big screen. Angry Films heads Don Murphy and Tom DeSanto, who exec produced the X-MEN films, will produce the live-action feature, along with Lorenzo di Bonaventura. The film will be based on a story by DeSanto. Steven Spielberg will exec produce. As part of the agreement, DreamWorks will handle domestic distribution with Paramount handling the film internationally.
DreamWorks Llc and its animation division, DreamWorks Animation Inc., announced that DreamWorks Animation, Inc. has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering of its Class A common stock. Goldman, Sachs & Co. and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. are serving as joint book-running managers of the offering.
