The following is alist of unmade and unreleased animated projects byDreamWorks Animation. Some of these films or shows were, or still are, indevelopment limbo. These also include the co-productions the studio collaborated with in the past (i.e.DreamWorks Animation Television,Oriental DreamWorks,Aardman Animations, Columbus 81 Productions,Bullwinkle Studios,World Events Productions, Double Dare You Productions,Scholastic Corporation,Harvey Entertainment, andAmblin Entertainment), as well as sequels to their franchises.
| Contents: | 1990s:1991 · 1996 · 1998 · 1999 |
|---|
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | Bugs: Lights Out | Prior to the release ofDisney andPixar'sToy Story and even the formation of the actualDreamWorks company itself, the animation studioPDI was shopping around many pitches for a computer-animated film in 1991.[1][2] One of the pitches was a film calledBugs: Lights Out about microscopic insect-like robots who were responsible for the entropy of electronics and machinery. Despite a developed script and some test animations made to pitch the film, the idea was scrapped when the studio was picked up by DreamWorks to makeAntz, which said film shares many aspects.[3][4] |
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | InterWorld | The idea ofInterWorld surged in 1996, when Michael Raeves was developing an animated series for DreamWorks. Suggesting to Gaiman an idea for a possible animated television series, they collaborated on the story and unsuccessfully tried to sell it to various studios, including DreamWorks, which was not interested. TheInterWorld idea ended up as a novel that was not released until 2007. In June of that same year, authorNeil Gaiman reported in his journal that he had pitched the idea ofInterWorld to DreamWorks back in 1996, but the executives were confused on the concept. Along with Michael Raeves, they later published their work into the novel, in which DreamWorks Animation had optioned into producing an animated film.[5][6] Nothing came of it until June 2016, when the plans to makeInterWorld as television series were revived byUniversal Cable Productions, in association withHamilton producerJeffrey Seller and his partner Flody Suarez.[7] Nothing came of it since then. |
| Series / type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Antz | UntitledAntz sequel | A direct-to-video sequel toAntz was in development at DreamWorks at the time of its release. Like the first film, it was planned to be produced byPacific Data Images.[8] By early 1999, when DreamWorks closed its television animation unit and merged the direct-to-video unit with the feature animation, the sequel was still planned, but eventually the project was cancelled.[9][10] |
| Feature film | Rockumentary | In 1998, DreamWorks and PDI started development on a film parodyingThe Beatles filmA Hard Day's Night, about aBeatles-esquepenguinrock band. The idea was scrapped due to problems with the music rights, but after production onMadagascar started, directorEric Darnell decided to revive the penguins and make them acommando/spy unit instead of a rock band.[11] |
| Feature film | Tusker | In December 1998, DreamWorks and PDI announced their third computer-animated project titledTusker, which was meant to followShrek. It would have been an original story chronicling a herd of elephants crossing southeast Asia. In their travels, they encounter a wide variety of dangers, including a band of marauding poachers.Tim Johnson andBrad Lewis, the co-director and producer ofAntz respectively, were slated to direct and produce the project, andMorgan Freeman,Jodie Foster,Garry Shandling,Dana Carvey,Bruno Kirby andDon Knotts were part of the cast.[12] |
| Goosebumps | N/a | Back in 1998,Tim Burton was attached to produce a film adaptation of theGoosebumps children's horror books byR.L. Stine, and it was going to be a co-production with20th Century Fox.[13] However, it was later scrapped because there was no script they liked nor a determined book or monster to adapt.[14] It would take until 2015 forGoosebumps to be adapted into a feature film, whenColumbia Pictures andSony Pictures Animation releasedtheir own adaptation directed byRob Letterman, along witha sequel in 2018, both of which starredJack Black in the main role. |
| Jurassic Park | Chaos Effect | An animated series based on the 1997 filmThe Lost World: Jurassic Park was commissioned bySteven Spielberg himself, and was to be developed by DreamWorks under the supervision of Steve Lyons. The series would have been released after the film with the same name and would have involved hybrid dinosaurs similar toJurassic World, but was eventually shelved due to a variety of internal conflicts.[15] |
| Feature film | The Wanderer | A traditional animated feature film that was going to be directed by theBrizzi Brothers andSimon Wells of the story of a stray bear who joins a group of circus bears and changes their lives with the voices ofEllen Greene,Brian Stokes Mitchell,Jon Cryer,Amy Yasbeck,Joey Fatone,Dick Van Dyke andJames Gandolfini. The film's production was canceled following studio changes when Wells went to directThe Time Machine. As of 2012, some concept art was shown online of what the film's characters would have looked like.[16][17] |
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | Tortoise vs. Hare | By October 1999, Aardman was developing a film adaptation of theAesop fable,The Tortoise and the Hare, with DreamWorks.[18] In July 2001, they postponed production on the film as they continued to rework the script.Bob Hoskins,Orlando Jones,Brenda Blethyn,Alice Cooper andLee Evans were set to voice the characters.Karey Kirkpatrick andMark Burton were writing the script, though more writers were expected to be brought on to revamp the script.Peter Lord andNick Park were slated to be executive producers whileRichard Goleszowski was attached as director.[19][20] |
| Series | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sonic the Hedgehog | UntitledKnuckles the Echidna film | OnTwitter, comic book writerKen Penders claimed that he was approached by DreamWorks to write a film starring the character from theSonic the Hedgehog universe,Knuckles the Echidna.[21] |
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | Moby Dick | In December 2001,Brizzi Brothers pitched an animated feature idea based on the classic novel,Moby Dick to DreamWorks,[22] and was expected to move forward following the production ofSinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas for a potential 2004 release date.[23] Brizzi Brothers would leave DreamWorks and take the project for aturnaround toSony Pictures Animation in 2003, but the project would eventually be shelved. Paul Lasaine,[24] Richard Chavez,[25] Christian Schellewald,[26] and Luc Desmarchelier,[27] respectively, have uploaded concept art and storyboards of the film in 2022. |
| Feature film | Truckers | A film based onThe Nome Trilogy books was in the works from 2001 to 2011. DreamWorks acquired the film rights in 2001,[28] and announced plans to combine all three books into a single film. It was to be directed byAndrew Adamson.[29] In late 2008,Danny Boyle was attached to directTruckers,[30] but the project fell apart due to his financial problems.[31] The following year, theSlumdog Millionaire's Oscar-winning screenwriterSimon Beaufoy was hired to work on the project.[32] Plans to move forward with DreamWorks' adaptation resurfaced in 2010 with the announcement thatLegend of the Guardians screenwriterJohn Orloff would pen the script for directorAnand Tucker.[33] Tucker was later announced to direct another DreamWorks filmTrolls,[34] which was planned to be partially based on a Pratchett novel,[35] before he was replaced byMike Mitchell.[36] |
| Series / type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| VeggieTales | The Bob and Larry Movie | The origin story of VeggieTales hosts Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber reveals how they met, how they got their own show, and answers the question how vegetables and fruit talk. This was the first film in the series to feature humans. According to Phil Vischer,Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie was theirThe Ten Commandments, whileThe Bob and Larry Movie was to be theirToy Story.[37]The Bob and Larry Movie was originally planned to be the secondVeggieTales movie with a released date in late 2005. It was placed into production in early 2002, toward the end of production ofJonah: A VeggieTales Movie (2002).[38] However, Big Idea Productions fell into bankruptcy in late 2002 and the film was placed on hiatus, deemed too expensive.Phil Vischer then wroteThe Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie to replace this film. In 2008, it was considered to be the sequel toThe Pirates who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie, but talks stalled after the bankruptcy of VeggieTales ownersEntertainment Rights andClassic Media. Phil Vischer said in 2018 that his copy ofThe Bob and Larry script exists, but does not want to release it because it is owned by Universal and DreamWorks.[38] |
| Gorillaz | Celebrity Harvest | After the release of the debut albumGorillaz,Jamie Hewlett announced a film adaptation of the fictional band titledCelebrity Harvest. The film was further teased in the 2003 albumThink Tank, which had the words "Celebrity Harvest" printed on a corner of the booklet. The film was described as a "very dark film" with "cannibals and zombies". The script stated that it revolves around the theme of the world being trapped in an endless night and the sickness of celebrity culture.[39] The project was canceled as DreamWorks thought it was too dark.[40] |
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | The White Seal | An adaptation ofThe White Seal, one of the stories featured inThe Jungle Book byRudyard Kipling. ComposerEric Whitacre recounted being contacted by the studio to write music for the movie after the presentation ofParadise Lost: Shadows and Wings at the ASCAP Musical Theater Workshop in spring 2004. He had submitted a musical rendition of "The Seal Lullaby", a poem featured in the story, only to find weeks later that the film had been canceled in favor of producingKung Fu Panda.[41][42] Whitacre would later go on to serve as the conductor for vocal arrangements for the soundtrack ofKung Fu Panda 3.[43] |
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | Route 66 | In September 2005, DreamWorks announced an original film, with Mulligan, a giant golf ball statue standing on a side ofRoute 66 who goes on a journey to save a giant blueberry statue named Betty when she gets taken away. The concept came from comedianHarland Williams, alongsideConrad Vernon and Rej Bourdages. Williams and Vernon were slated to pen the screenplay.[44] In 2009, Williams revealed in an email inquiry that the film had been shelved.[45] |
| Feature film | It Came From Earth! | In September 2005, DreamWorks announced they were developing an original film withSheira & Loli's Dittydoodle Works creator Cory Rosenberg. The film would have been an alien invasion spoof revolving around a planet of Martians who are visited by human astronauts. Josh Lobis and Darin Moiselle were attached to write the script.[44][46] |
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | Punk Farm | In April 2006, DreamWorks Animation had the rights to develop a computer-animated film adaptation of thechildren's book of the same name byJarrett J. Krosoczka.[47] In June 2011, the project was eventually picked up byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer, but with no further news since.[48][49] |
| Series | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bee Movie | UntitledBee Movie sequel | While it was never announced by the studio (althoughJeffrey Katzenberg briefly joked about one in 2007[50]), comedianJerry Seinfeld, the producer, writer, and star of 2007'sBee Movie, said that he has no interest in making a sequel. During aReddit AMA in June 2016, a fan asked about the possibility forBee Movie 2. Seinfeld responded:
|
| Feature film | Gullible's Travels | In January 2007, DreamWorks bought aspec script titledGullible's Travels which would have been about a man who travels through time via aporta potty to find the woman he loves.Steve Bencich andRon J. Friedman were slated to write and produce the project.[52] |
| Over the Hedge | UntitledOver The Hedge sequel | In May 2007, DreamWorks Animation CEOJeffrey Katzenberg said that 2006'sOver the Hedge, which was based on thetitular comic strip, would not receive a sequel due to its box office performance. He claimed that "It was close. An almost."[53] In October 2010, an article explaining the possibility of a sequel was posted on the officialOver the Hedge blog, saying that if a sequel failed to perform as well financially as the first film, DreamWorks could lose money on the project.[54] |
| Feature film | The Book of Life | DreamWorks initially optioned to makeThe Book of Life back in 2007, but production was cancelled due to "creative differences" with directorJorge Gutierrez.[55] The film was eventually made at20th Century Fox Animation andReel FX Creative Studios and was released by20th Century Fox (which also had a distribution deal with DreamWorks Animation at that time) in 2014 to critical praise and was nominated for aGolden Globe forBest Animated Feature. |
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians | DreamWorks Animation acquired the film rights toAlcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians in June 2008.[56] By January 2011, Brandon Sanderson, the author of the novel, revealed that DreamWorks did not renew the rights.[57] |
| Series | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations | On May 28, 2009, DreamWorks first announced plans for "Super Secret Ghost Project."[58] Later in the mid-June 2009, it was reported that DreamWorks is developing the project under aworking title asBoo U.,Tony Leondis has been set to direct andJon Vitti to pen the screenplay for the film, set to be released in the end of 2012. The story would follow a ghost who is bad at his job and must return to ghost school.[59]Seth Rogen was reported in August 2010 to have joined the film as a voice of the lead character.[60] In September 2012, DreamWorks announced an animated film about ghosts that would have starred Rogen,Matt Bomer,Melissa McCarthy,Bill Murray,Octavia Spencer,Rashida Jones, andJennifer Coolidge, now under a different title known asB.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations.Tom Wheeler would have rewritten Vitti's script from a story by Leondis. It was about two bumbling apparitions who find themselves in an extraordinary after-life adventure when they join the Bureau of Otherworldly Operations (B.O.O.) – the ghost world's elite counter-haunting unit – and ultimately must face off against the planet's greatest haunter.[61][62] It was scheduled to be released on June 5, 2015, but was pulled from its release to avoid competition withDisney•Pixar'sInside Out, and also due to a string of box office bombs likeRise of the Guardians,Turbo, andMr. Peabody and Sherman.[63] For the fourth quarter of 2014, the studio reported a $155 million write-off, primarily related to unreleased films, includingB.O.O. andMonkeys of Mumbai.[64] |
| Feature film | Dinotrux | In March 2009, studio had rights to the children's bookDinotrux, originally planned as a computer-animated film. It was not until 2015 when the studio produced an animated series based on the books forNetflix. The series ended up lasting for eight seasons from 2015 to 2018.[65] |
| Feature film | The Bones Family /Sugar Bones | In 2009, Mexican actress and film producerSalma Hayek and filmmakers Rodolfo and Gabriel Riva Palacio Alatriste, founders of animation studioHuevocartoon, approached DreamWorks to sell a feature film entitledThe Bones Family (later retitledSugar Bones), about the Mexican holidayDay of the Dead. The story would follow a boy who, in the company of axoloitzcuintle, goes through a portal to theLand of the Dead to find his deceased dysfunctional family, who died in a road accident among a travel toLas Vegas. Gradually, the boy takes the form of asugar skull, indicating that if he does not return to the living world before a certain time, he and his family will remain forever in the underworld.[66][67][68] When the Riva Palacio brothers were makingOtra película de huevos y un pollo (2009), a direct follow up toUna película de huevos (2006) and the second installment in theHuevos film series, they received a call from Hayek, who wanted to work with them on an animation project.[69] Originally, the film was planned as a production ofVentana Azul —Salma Hayek's production company in association with José Tamez, subsidiary ofMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer— with Huevocartoon as its main animation studio, the comedianGeorge Lopez joined as co-writer, producer and part of the voice cast as main character.[70][71] Months after writing a first plot and a firstscript treatment, with the representation of theCreative Artists Agency (CAA), Hayek, Lopez and the Riva Palacio brothers presented the project to DreamWorks CEOJeffrey Katzenberg, which turned out to be to his liking, so DreamWorks agreed to buy the film, with the condition that DreamWorks would produce it in-house. Subsequently, an American screenwriter was hired by DreamWorks to rewrite the script, and he made radical changes to the story to make it suitable for a family audience. The original premise changed to that of a group of teddy bears entering the Land of the Dead, and some elements were added, such as a parody of the video game seriesGuitar Hero. The reason DreamWorks approved these changes was due to the treatment of the subject of death in the United States as something more serious and too dark. This, coupled with Pixar's production announcement in 2012 of a film with the same theme, caused DreamWorks kept the rights to the film and shelved it. Years later, in several interviews, Rodolfo Riva Palacio pointed out that Pixar'sCoco (2017), suspiciously maintained substantial similarities withSugar Bones in its storyline. |
| Feature film | Gil's All Fright Diner | By December 2009, the studio had set screenwritersEthan Reiff and Cyrus Voris (Kung Fu Panda) to write a film adaptation of the book,Gil's All Fright Diner, withBarry Sonnenfeld attached to direct the feature.[72] In 2011, the book's authorA. Lee Martinez was working with DreamWorks on a project based on an original idea, and not onGil's All Fright Diner.[73] In March 2013, Martinez expressed uncertainty for any film adaptation: "Your guess is as good as mine. It's all a matter of convincing someone with the clout necessary to make it happen".[74] |
| Monsters vs. Aliens | UntitledMonsters Vs. Aliens sequel | Despite its success in the United States market, DreamWorks Animation's CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg was quoted in theLos Angeles Times that a sequel would not be made because of the film's weak performance in some key international markets. "There was enough of a consensus from our distribution and marketing folks in certain parts of the world that 'doing a sequel' would be pushing a boulder up a hill."[75] |
In the 2010s, several films were announced to be made that were to be released in the next 3–4 years following their announcements. Some of these films were eventually cancelled while others are claimed to be in development and waiting for a release. Most of these films were cancelled due to massive layoffs, creative differences, management changes, no updates on the features, andComcast eventually buying DreamWorks in 2016.[citation needed]
| Series / type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | Alma | By October 2010, a film adaptation of the animated shortAlma was in development with the short's director Rodrigo Blaas slated to direct andGuillermo del Toro was to serve as executive producer.[76] The studio later hired Megan Holley, a writer ofSunshine Cleaning, to write a script.[77] Del Toro, who was also helping with the story and the design work, said in June 2012 that the film was in visual development.[78] |
| Feature film | Imaginary Enemies | In August 2010, DreamWorks Animation announced their firstlive-action animated project. The project was to be told from the point of view of theimaginary friends who had long been used as scapegoats by unscrupulous children looking for someone else to blame for their misdeeds. Eventually fed up, the imaginary people would come looking for revenge when the kids are grown up. Screenwriters Joe Syracuse and Lisa Addario were attached to write the script.[79][80] |
| Feature film | Maintenance | In December 2010, DreamWorks bought the film rights to the comic book seriesMaintenance fromOni Press. The film rights were first acquired byWarner Bros. as a potential project for directorMcG, but DreamWorks then got rights after Warner Bros. dropped out.[81] |
| Feature film | Me and My Shadow /Edgar Wright'sShadows | In December 2010, DreamWorks Animation announced a project titledMe and My Shadow, scheduled for a March 2013 release date. The plot involved Shadow Stan who serves as a shadow to Stanley Grubb, the world's most boring human. Wanting to live a more exciting life, he escapes the "Shadow World" and takes control of Stanley. WithMark Dindal slated as the film's director (who also developed the film's concept and story), the film was meant to combine traditional and CGI animation.[82] In January 2012,Bill Hader,Kate Hudson, andJosh Gad had joined the voice cast. Additionally,Alessandro Carloni replaced Dindal as director and the release date was pushed back to November 2013.[83] Its release date was pushed back to March 14, 2014, withMr. Peabody & Sherman taking its November 2013 release.[84] By February 2013,Me and My Shadow went back into development withMr. Peabody & Sherman re-assuming its original March 2014 release.[85] In 2012, there was a press screening ofMe and My Shadow whereJeffrey Katzenberg fell asleep. The crew working on the film knew "he wasn't in to [sic] it". After the screening he said it was not a $200 million film, which is what he "needed".[86] In 2015,Edgar Wright signed to direct and co-write an animated feature for DreamWorks, in which the story was described as a "new take on a previously developed concept about shadows".[87] In an interview withCollider published in June 2017, Wright explained that he andDavid Walliams had written three drafts, but the project is in limbo due to management changes at DreamWorks Animation.[88] Even with the project being in limbo, the public attention has risen high of the unreleased film a whole decade after it was announced; though many are eager to see it, the status ofMe and My Shadow is uncertain.[89] |
| Monsterpocalypse | N/a | In May 2010, DreamWorks acquired the rights to a film adaptation of the game.[90] The studio approachedTim Burton for the project[91] and Burton was attached to direct in July,[92] but the film went unproduced partly due to being similar to another Kaiju film calledPacific Rim directed byGuillermo del Toro. In 2016,Warner Bros. won the bidding war over film rights of the game, withFede Álvarez co-writing and directing the film.[93] |
| Feature film | The Pig Scrolls | By April 2010, the studio was developing an animated feature film based onThe Pig Scrolls. As a possible directing job, Barry Sonnenfeld was tasked to develop the film, whileKirk DeMicco wrote the most recent script revision.[94] |
| Plants vs. Zombies | N/a | Back in 2010, a film based on thePlants vs. Zombies video games was pitched to DreamWorks by artist and character co-creator Rich Werner.[95][96] Peter Zaslav had provided "a full script reading and a room full of concept art,"[97] with Werner listing out what the intended plot of the film had been in an interview in May 2022.[98] |
| Feature film | Vivo | In 2010, DreamWorks Animation began production onVivo, an animated musical film which was based on an idea byLin-Manuel Miranda and a concept byPeter Barsocchini. The film was to have centered on akinkajou obsessed with music and adventure who embarks on a treacherous journey fromHavana, Cuba, toMiami, Florida in pursuit of his dreams to fulfil his destiny.[99][100] The film was eventually cancelled by DreamWorks Animation due to a restructuring, but in 2016, the film was later revived and eventually fast-tracked bySony Pictures Animation withKirk DeMicco as the director, and Brandon Jeffords as co-director, and Lisa Stewart andRich Moore as producers,Laurence Mark as executive producer, andQuiara Alegría Hudes as screenwriter, and Peter Barsocchini as story writer, andRoger Deakins as visual consultant, andYong Duk Jhun as cinematographer. The film was released on August 6, 2021, onNetflix, after being delayed multiple times from its original theatrical release date due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[101] |
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | Flawed Dogs | By February 2011, DreamWorks optioned the rights ofBerkeley Breathed's bookFlawed Dogs.[102] By September 2013, it was revealed thatNoah Baumbach had been secretly writing and directing the project.[103] |
| Feature film | The Grimm Legacy | In June 2011, DreamWorks announced an animated film adaption of a book of the same name with producer Robin Schorr attached.[104] However, the project went nowhere and it was not until February 2019 when it went intoturnaround as a live-action film forDisney+ instead withDavid Gleeson to write the screenplay,[105] but nothing came of it since either. |
| Feature film | Lidsville | In January 2011, a computer-animated musical film adaptation of theLidsville TV series was announced to be in development withConrad Vernon slated to direct whileAlan Menken was to compose the songs withGlenn Slater.[106] Menken said that the songs were to be a homage to 1960s psychedelic concept-album rock,[107] but in June 2016,Lidsville creatorSid Krofft told toThe Wall Street Journal that it was going to be likeHair orTommy, a full-blown musical, but they went in a "strange" direction and it did not work.[108] |
| Feature film | Monkeys of Mumbai | By January 2011, DreamWorks was fast-tracking aBollywood-styled musical adaptation ofThe Ramayana, but told through the point of view of its monkeys. It would have follow two common monkeys who become unlikely heroes in a last ditch effort to stop an ancient, thought-to-be-mythical demon from conquering the world.Gurinder Chadha andPaul Mayeda Berges were set to write the film, whileStephen Schwartz andA. R. Rahman were attached to compose the songs and score.[109] The project underwent a series of working titles:Monkeys of Bollywood,Monkeys of Mumbai,Mumbai Musical, andBollywood Superstar Monkey. That June,Kevin Lima signed on to direct the project.[110]Aaron Taylor-Johnson,Kal Penn,Lea Michele andRohan Chand were in talks to join the cast in 2014.[111] The film was originally scheduled to be released on December 18, 2015,[61] but its release date was pushed back to March 18, 2016, and March 10, 2017.[112][113] In December 2017, Lima revealed that DreamWorks quietly cancelled the film in an interview with Den of Geeks UK:
|
| Feature film | Rumblewick | In March 2011, DreamWorks announced an animated adaptation of the bookMy Unwilling Witch (The Rumblewick Letters) and was to be titledRumblewick.Tim Johnson andJim Herzfeld were slated to write and direct the project.[115] In 2016,Brenda Chapman stated she had worked on the project.[116][117][118] |
| Series / type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | Giants: Forces of Nature | In 2012, DreamWorks filed a trademark for an unannounced film titledGiants: Forces of Nature.[119][120] Peter Zaslav, an art director and visual development artist, posted concept art for the film (albeit password-protected).[121] |
| Madagascar | Madagascar 4 | Then-DreamWorks Animation CEOJeffrey Katzenberg stated in December 2010 that there was likely to be a fourth installment in theMadagascar franchise, in which would have been set in New York.[122] In June 2012, DreamWorks Animation's head of worldwide marketing, Anne Globe, said that it was too early to talk about the project.[123] A month later,Eric Darnell, who co-directed all three films, spoke of the possibility of the fourth film, saying that if the audience wants a new film, then Eric and his crew would have an idea that is different from the previous films.[124] The film was scheduled to be released on May 18, 2018,[125] but was removed from the release schedule following a corporate restructuring and DreamWorks Animation's new policy to release two films a year.[126][127] In April 2017,Tom McGrath said that the project was in the works, but nothing officially was announced.[128] |
| Rise of the Guardians | N/a | Following the release ofRise of the Guardians, the creators expressed hope that the strong A−Cinemascore average for the film and an enthusiastic word-of-mouth would gather support for the "chance to make a sequel or two".[129]William Joyce, the film's co-producer and author of the bookThe Guardians of Childhood, stated he was in talks with the studio to make a sequel.[130] |
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Casper the Friendly Ghost | N/a | In 2013, DreamWorks Animation announced that they were developing a computer-animated reboot film based on theHarvey Comics character of the same name.[131]Simon Wells, who at one point was previously attached to write and direct the unproduced sequel to the1995 live-action film, was attached to write and direct this adaptation, with writing duoJohn Altschuler andDave Krinsky (King of the Hill,Blades of Glory) to co-write the film's script along with.[132] It was set to be DreamWorks' second attempt at an animated film based on characters from theClassic Media library followingMr. Peabody & Sherman, but nothing came of it since its announcement. Concept art for an unproduced film was posted by animator Danny Williams in December 2023, stating that the pitch "never went anywhere".[133] In April 2022, DreamWorks would announce (under its TV division) that a live-action animated TV series forPeacock would be in development, withWu Kai-yu (Hannibal,The Flash,The Ghost Bride) being the showrunner,[134] but also with no further updates since. |
| Feature film | Larrikins | By June 2013,Tim Minchin was attached to compose the songs and score forLarrikins, which was based on an original concept by Harry Cripps.[135] The project was about a desert-dwellingbilby named Perry who leaves his home under a rock to go on a road trip with a music band in Australia. Three years later, Minchin andChris Miller were attached to direct the film whileMargot Robbie,Hugh Jackman,Naomi Watts,Rose Byrne,Ben Mendelsohn,Jacki Weaver,Josh Lawson,Damon Herriman, andEwen Leslie were to voice characters for the film. The film was slated to be released on February 16, 2018.[136] In 2017, Minchin announced on his personal blog that the project had been cancelled. Minchin wrote on his blog:
Shortly after the film's cancellation,Peter de Sève revealed some concept art for the film viaTwitter.[139][140] Certain characters from the cancelled project later appeared in the 2018 animated short filmBilby.[141] The cancelation inspired the "ReviveDreamWorksLarrikins" movement on Twitter.[142] Minchin spoke more about the film's cancellation onRichard Herring'sLeicester Square Theatre Podcast in March 2020, saying how the film was 75% completed with 110 people working on the film, with songs completed.Hans Zimmer was also composing the score. After DreamWorks was bought byUniversal Pictures in 2016, the film was cancelled andwritten off for the acquisition expenses, at the expense of DreamWorks.Illumination'sChris Meledandri was also consulted by Universal executives before the cancellation. He also explained how he tried to shop it to other studios, withNetflix andAnimal Logic wanting to buy it, but the film's price tag was exorbitant, making it non-viable for other studios to acquire it. Overall, the film cost $90 million.[143][144] |
| Feature film | The Tibet Code | When DreamWorks Animation announced its then-newest division calledOriental DreamWorks inChina, a film adaptation ofThe Tibet Code was in development.[145] Its production was shut down due to problems at Oriental DreamWorks and the company could not come to terms with the producer who owned the rights to the book.[146] |
| Feature film | N/a | In September 2013, DreamWorks announced an animated film aboutblue-footed booby birds. Writer-directorKarey Kirkpatrick was slated to direct and co-write alongside his writing partner Chris Poche. The project was to be about a dim-witted blue-footed booby who learns that it "isn't the size of your brain, but the size of your heart that counts".[147] |
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hot Stuff the Little Devil | N/a | In April 2014, DreamWorks Animation was developing alive-action animated film based on theHarvey Comics character of the same name, withLizzie and Wendy Molyneux (Bob's Burgers) set to write the film's script.[148] |
| Rocky and Bullwinkle | N/a | Plans to make a feature film with theRocky and Bullwinkle characters was to be made possible if theRocky & Bullwinkle short film was successful if shown withMr. Peabody & Sherman. But for unknown reasons, it was replaced byAlmost Home to promote the 2015 filmHome. Due to the box office failure ofHome, the short was later made a direct-to-video release on the Blu-ray 3D release ofMr. Peabody & Sherman and plans for a feature film were ultimately scrapped.[citation needed] |
| Feature film | Hitpig! | In November 2014,Berkeley Breathed announced another film for DreamWorks Animation calledHitpig. The film would have been a loose adaptation of his 2008 children's bookPete & Pickles, set within a cyberpunk world, with Pete the pig being reimagined into a futuristic bounty hunter.[149][150] The film was quietly scrapped not long after but in October 2020, British companiesAniventure andCinesite revived the project, with Dave Rosenbaum and Tyler Werrin penning the screenplay alongside Breathed and Cinzia Angelini andDavid Feiss directing. The now completed film was released on November 1, 2024, by Viva Pictures in the United States.[151][152][153] |
| Feature film | Zodiac | Another animated feature film that was going to be made by Oriental DreamWorks was to be calledZodiac about an anthropomorphic kitty in a modern society with anthropomorphic animals trying to make sure he becomes the first cat on the Chinese zodiac while also discovering a sinister conspiracy, set to be released in 2014. While the film's storyboards were released online, the film's production was canceled due to some problems at Oriental DreamWorks.[154][155] |
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | Beekle | In May 2015,Jason Reitman was attached to write and direct a computer-animated adaptation of the children's bookThe Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend.[156] |
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Felix the Cat | N/a | In March 2016, a television series was planned by DreamWorks Animation Television under the DreamWorks Classics banner.WildBrain Studios were originally set to produce the show.[157] |
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | Spooky Jack | In 2017, DreamWorks announced an original feature calledSpooky Jack, with a planned release date of September 17, 2021.Jason Blum was to serve as executive producer, and it would have been a co-production withBlumhouse Productions.[158] The film would have revolved around three siblings who moved into an eerie new home and discover that all the creatures that they thought do not exist. By October 2019,Spooky Jack was removed from the schedule, with its original release date replaced byThe Bad Guys, which was then moved to April 22, 2022.[159] |
| Feature film | The Wizards of Once | In March 2017, DreamWorks purchased film rights to the book fromHow to Train Your Dragon authorCressida Cowell to make it into another animated fantasy film series.[160] |
| Type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | Mice and Mystics | In October 2018, DreamWorks Animation acquired the rights to the role-playing game for a potential animated film adaptation of the board game ofthe same name.Alexandre Aja, long-time horror film director, was set to direct and write the film's script along withDavid Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick.Vertigo Entertainment'sRoy Lee and Jon Berg were also set to serve as producers.[161] |
| Feature film | Sputnik's Guide to Earth | In April 2018, Leo Matsuda sold his project to DreamWorks his film idea based on a children's book of the same name Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who was also attached to co-write the screenplay, and Matsuda was also attached to direct the film.[162] |
| Feature film | Yokai Samba | In April 2018, Leo Matsuda was hired to write and directYokai Samba, said to be inspired by a folk story Matsuda heard in his youth about growing up and has Brazilian and Japanese influences.[162] By March 2021,Paramount Animation andNickelodeon began to develop the film.[163] |
| Series | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| VeggieTales | N/a | In March 2019, just around the same time as the announcement ofThe VeggieTales Show, series creatorPhil Vischer revealed that a new film based onVeggieTales is in development,[164] later said to be centered around a Bible story similar toJonah: A VeggieTales Movie.[165] In 2020, Phil completed and turned in the screenplay's first draft. He was given notes and the go-ahead to revise and write a second draft before the official pitch to studio executives.[166] Phil completed the final draft of the screenplay and Universal was in talks with a co-production partner for the film.[167] Eventually, Phil, alongsideMike Nawrocki, Lisa Vischer, andKurt Heinecke, departed fromBig Idea Entertainment, thus putting the company in limbo.[168] |
| Series / type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddles | In September 2020, DreamWorks began development on a film adaptation of Tom Lennon's book of the same name withThe Angry Birds Movie directorFergal Reilly directing the film.[169] |
| Series / type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Television series | The Gumazing Gum Girl! | In May 2021, voice actressNancy Cartwright revealed that DreamWorks Animation Television and CRE84U were developing an animated show based onThe Gumazing Gum Girl!.[170] |
| Television series | Mama & Dada | In May 2021,The Tonight Show hostJimmy Fallon announced his development for a kids show for DreamWorks Animation Television entitled,Mama & Dada under hisElectric Hot Dog banner, with Johanna Stein and Noelle Lara also co-developing.[171] |
| Feature film | UntitledStephen Curry project | In September 2021,National Basketball Association (NBA) player forGolden State WarriorsStephen Curry announced a film project for DreamWorks Animation under hisUnanimous Media banner,[172] but his project would eventually make itsturnaround toSony Pictures Animation in May 2024 under his 2026 filmGoat.[173] |
| Television series | UntitledTony Hale project | In February 2021,Tony Hale announced a television project for DreamWorks Animation Television that was in development.[174] |
| Series / type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | Another Me | In 2023, the websiteCartoon Brew reported that a Bollywood-themed film project titledAnother Me had been shelved due in part to "significant reductions in staffing".[175] |
| Series / type | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Shrek | Untitled Lord Farquaad film | Writers Danya Jimenze and Hanna McMechan at some point developed a film centered around theShrek antagonist Lord Farquaad.[176] |
There's an interesting project called, right now it's calledTrolls, and it's kind of partially based on Terry Pratchett novel. Anand Tucker, another live action director is directing.
The book I mentioned last week isALCATRAZ VERSUS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS. It has been optioned by Dreamworks Animation, though I can't go into details about who is working on the project at the moment, I've been very impressed with the work of the director and producer involved.
When the existence of the film became known, I contacted Rich Werner, who presented it to DreamWorks. This is what he told me.
His original animated feature Yokai Samba is in development at Nickelodeon.
