#dreamworks classics

[ethanartsandstudios]

As 2023 is coming to an end, here's my this year's highlights.

Special thanks to

@greydelislegriffin

@jessicadicicco

@universalpictures

@nintendo

@theloudhouse

@veggietales

@nickelodeon

@dreamworksanimation

[theartofthecover]

Voltron #5 (2012)

Art by: Alex Ross

[grishamanimationstudios102]

"Say, Underdog. Do you think there's life anywhere in Outer Smurf?" - Dreamy Smurf. "Well, to be honest, Dreamy. I don't think there's such a place that exists. But, there is an Outer Space!" - Underdog. --- Underdog is taking Dreamy Smurf home to the village after rescuing him from Gargamel's hovel. Meanwhile, Lazy, Grouchy and Jokey Smurf are watching Dreamy (with Underdog), suddenly realizing that his fantasy about a canine superhero had obviously come true. Johan and Peewit/The Smurfs © Peyo/Hanna-Barbera/Warner Bros./Sony/Cartoon Network Underdog © DreamWorks Classics/NBCUniversal

[blogjhm]

Next year it will be the 60th anniversary of Rocky and Bullwinkle as well as the 5th anniversary of Mr. Peabody & Sherman.

[raccoonfootproductions]

All the Felix the Cat stuff on my dash led me to look him up on Wikipedia and, to my surprise, I found out he’s currently owned by DreamWorks (and Universal, by extension). Now I’m hoping they bring him back one day through a new movie or Netflix series. They’ve already rebooted Mr. Peabody and Sherman, Voltron, Trolls, and pretty soon She-Ra, so why not Felix?

(on a related note, I also found out DreamWorks has a 2018 Felix the Cat wall calendar, so it’s nice to know they’re at least putting him back on merchandise)

[voicetalentbrendan]

What's Wrong With: The Little Drummer Boy DVD/Blu-Ray

In this video, I compare Family Home Entertainment's excellent 1989 VHS release of Rankin/Bass' "The Little Drummer Boy" to Classic Media's butchered 1998 ve...

[shadyfacewolf]

Gerald McBoing Boing by 1987arevalo on @DeviantArt

https://www.deviantart.com/1987arevalo/art/Gerald-McBoing-Boing-836368890

[thoughtnami]

Time Warner should buy Dreamworks Animation.

I've had this viewpoint for a long time, and even with news about a Japanese mobile service thinking about buying the company and realizing the odds are a bit slim, I believe it now more than ever.

In fact, I could pinpoint the very moment I wanted to see the two companies become one. Actually it was months before Dreamworks bought Classic Media. 

MetLife, of all people, crafted this commercial that featured numerous characters of all types. Hanna-Barbera characters, Looney Tunes characters, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Fat Albert, Peabody and Sherman, He-Man, Mr. Magoo, Richie Rich, Waldo, Casper, and so many characters interacting with one another. Striking image for a fan of the institution of Saturday morning cartoons like myself. 

Then I keep following Dreamwork Animation's trail of acquisitions, from various British companies to AwesomenessTV as well as their films which have been improving over the years despite poor distribution by rival companies who manage their destiny.

And now Jeff Katzenberg wants to hold on to a little bit of power by selling his company to a phone company with so much money they don't know what to do with it? That seems odd. And Time Warner's head muckity-muck Jeff Bewkes would rather TWX become a small indie company rather than the world's biggest entertainment company with one of the most diverse portfolios of films, television shows, and intellectual properties, which it is.

Some companies wish they could own a property as popular as Harry Potter, Batman, Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, Game of Thrones, The Big Bang Theory, Superman, The Lord of the Rings, The Powerpuff Girls, The Matrix, Family Matters, Full House, Dallas, Living Single, Friends, Austin Powers, ThunderCats, The Dukes of Hazzard, Wonder Woman, Happy Feet, Jonny Quest, The Polar Express, Tom and Jerry, Arrow, Adventure Time, Regular Show, Steven Universe. The Wizard of Oz, The Venture Bros, True Detective, The Voice, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, The Bachelor, Pretty Little Liars, Mortal Kombat, and Scribblenauts, among others? Time Warner has them all.

You'd think they'd try to go for Dreamworks Animation, a quality animation house with a huge global presence, a large library of films and shows, and a massive IP library full of familiar characters aimed towards all ages.

But nah. Time Warner has been complacent for so long and only buys smaller companies. But at this point, Dreamworks Animation is medium-sized at best. Essentially, it's slightly larger than Pixar content-wise. It's pretty much a steal, which is why a phone company is spending so little to try to get it.

Why should Time Warner make a pitch for Dreamworks Animation? I'll give you three reasons:

Warner Bros needs a theatrical animation unit. Yes, I'm aware of the Warner Animation Group (WAG), but they're not really a theatrical animation unit. They're a bunch of creative teams joining with outsourced studios to produce films. Dreamworks Animation wouldn't necessarily supplant WAG, but it would be the de-facto Warner Bros Feature Animation division not in name but definitely in spirit. And upon acquisition of Dreamworks Animation, Warner Bros. could nullify the distribution contract with Fox and control their studio's destiny almost immediately from here on out.

More intellectual properties under their banner. With Dreamworks Animation under the Time Warner banner, they also bring with them Dreamworks Classics, a huge library of intellectual properties that thrive in all mediums from comics to animation to live-action. DC Entertainment would, no doubt, welcome the comics divisions from Dreamworks Classics, which include Harvey Comics, Dell, and Gold Key.Iconic characters like The Lone Ranger, Lassie, Underdog, Mr. Magoo, Postman Pat, Noddy, Little Lulu, Casper, Richie Rich, and VeggieTales as well as management of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Voltron, Dick Tracy also come with a Dreamworks Animation acquisition, which could help bring new projects across the various units, particularly Cartoon Network, one of Time Warner's most profitable unite with network groups all around the globe. Speaking of animation . . . 

The Rankin/Bass library would be 99% reunited. From a historical perspective, this is a pretty big deal. The post-1974 Rankin/Bass library of cartoons, which includes The Hobbit, ThunderCats, Silverhawks, and The Comic Strip is already owned by Time Warner. Dreamworks Classics owns the earlier half that was made between 1964 and 1974 including iconic holiday bellwethers like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Mad Monster Party? and The Last Unicorn are owned by other parties, but the Rankin/Bass library would be united for the first time in . . . ever. 

I know I'm a little obsessed with this, but Dreamworks Animation in the hands of Time Warner makes more sense than a phone company with no idea what they're doing. 

But I digressed long enough.