Dreamworks vs. Disney

DreamWorks is yet again going for Disney's throat. And it's going to happen in 2004.

E! Online reports that DreamWorks announced plans to release two big animated features in 2004 on weekends traditionally reserved by Disney.

The first big DreamWorks picture to hit theaters will be the sequel to Shrek on June 18. And in case you missed the details on the flick, here they are in Jeffrey Katzenberg’s own words from an April 2002 press junket:

“After returning from their honeymoon and showing 'home movies' to their friends, Shrek and Fiona learn Fiona's parents have heard their daughter has married her true love and wish to meet the husband and invite him to their kingdom, called Far Far Away. When Shrek and Fiona arrive, the fun begins, because the parents had assumed that she had fallen in love with Prince Charming [and are a bit shocked to learn their son-in-law is a 700-pound ogre with horrible hygiene and a talking donkey]. So it's a little bit of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner meets Shrek."

The other big DreamWorks feature arrives in time for Thanksgiving. In the past, Disney debuted both Toy Story movies and Monsters Inc. near that holiday. But on Nov. 18 2004, DreamWorks’ unleashes Sharkslayer.

Sharkslayer is a CGI movie (DreamWorks doesn’t dig “traditional” fare anymore) that tells the story of an undersea underworld that’s shaken up when the son of the “Soprano” of all sharks is killed and a young fish named Oscar is found at the scene of the crime. Oscar takes advantage of the opportunity to play hero only to find that there are great consequences to posing as the Sharkslayer. James Gandolfini and Martin Scorsese are on the cast of voice talents so the movie is sure to have a mob flavor to it.

Since DreamWorks claimed the 2004 dates so far in advance, Disney will have to rethink its strategy for the year. The Mouse House usually doesn’t announce exact dates less than a year in advance, but its upcoming The Incredibles—a CGI adventure about undercover suburban superheroes—was scheduled for “holiday 2004.” Many believe that to mean Thanksgiving. Now, if Disney doesn’t shuffle its own movie dates, they risk undermining its sales by stiff competition.

Jeffrey Katzenberg has been aggressively going after Disney ever since he left the company to cofound DreamWorks. If you’re a wrestling fan, it’s reminiscent of the way Eric Bischoff took World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and went head-up against the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) on Monday nights, forcing professional wrestling fans to choose which show to watch.

DreamWorks' first big move was in 1998 when it released Antz in October, a month before Disney’s and Pixar’s A Bug’s Life hit theaters. A Bug’s Life did end up with the bigger box-office take in the end, but DreamWorks had cemented itself as an animation force.

When Disney’s Monsters Inc. came out in theaters, DreamWorks released the Shrek DVD on the same day in an attempt to undercut first-day ticket sales. Shrek grossed $110 million in video revenue and Monsters Inc. took in $62 million in theaters that weekend. DreamWorks got the last laugh when Shrek ended up beating Monsters Inc. for a “Best Animated Feature” Oscar.

Next summer, in what's reminiscent of the Antz-A Bug's Life rivalry in a small way, Disney plans to unleash its own underwater CGI movie, Finding Nemo. But it’s no mob movie. Here’s a quick synopsis: A Clownfish named Marlin lives with his only son, Nemo in the Great Barrier Reef. When Nemo is unexpectedly taken far from home and thrust into a dentist’s office fish tank, Marlin finds himself the unlikely hero who embarks on an epic journey to rescue him.

Disney has thus far refused to comment on DreamWorks’ latest tactics to try and crown itself the No. 1 animated-movie maker. But for animation fans, it’s about to get incredibly interesting. Competition is a good thing.  It's going to bring out the best in both companies.

Chris Douvalas