Comcast in talks to buy Dreamworks Animation

GLaDOS

GLaDOS

Well-Known Member
CaptainAmerica said:
Then replace "Pixar" with Minions, Batman, Luke Skywalker, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, James Bond, Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Transformers. Pixar is just an easier rhetorical comparison to make since they're both in the same business.

I'm not saying DreamWorks is irrelevant, just that I don't think it's $3B relevant.
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Comcast has all the money in the world. 4 billion is like a rounding error to them. lol

Even if they overpaid, it's not going to hurt them.

CaptainAmerica said:
Because Disney couldn't have developed Star Wars-caliber IP easily and cheaply. There were decades of dedicated fandom built in. Same reason WWoHP was a smart decision by Universal and why I'm on the fence about Avatar.
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I'd argue that outside of the Minions, which is ONE property, Universal has not shown they can create a stable of family IP. Getting Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, and Dragons gives them 5x the amount of popular family properties than they had before.
 
slappy magoo

slappy magoo

Well-Known Member
I'm actually wondering if this will effect any deal Uni has with Illumination Entertainment. That's the studio that did the Despicable Me/Minions movies, as well as Hop and The Lorax. They're also releasing The Secret Life of Pets this summer, and they have some sort of exclusive deal with Universal. But then again, before Disney acquired Pixar, they had no issues releasing their animated movies as well as their own, as well as North American oversight of Studio Ghibli content. So I'm sure Dreamworks Animation and Illumination will be able to play together too. Unless Uni decides There Can Be Only One.
 
wickedsoccer22

wickedsoccer22

Active Member
slappy magoo said:
I'm actually wondering if this will effect any deal Uni has with Illumination Entertainment. That's the studio that did the Despicable Me/Minions movies, as well as Hop and The Lorax. They're also releasing The Secret Life of Pets this summer, and they have some sort of exclusive deal with Universal. But then again, before Disney acquired Pixar, they had no issues releasing their animated movies as well as their own, as well as North American oversight of Studio Ghibli content. So I'm sure Dreamworks Animation and Illumination will be able to play together too. Unless Uni decides There Can Be Only One.
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Illumination Entertainment is owned by NBCUniversal.
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
GLaDOS said:
Burke specifically called out theme parks in the press release, and many financial pundits are bullish on Comcast's use of the new IP acquisitions in the parks
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Theme parks that already dropped all but one of these properties and have been working on dropping that last one.
 
GLaDOS

GLaDOS

Well-Known Member
lazyboy97o said:
Theme parks that already dropped all but one of these properties and have been working on dropping that last one.
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The only property that has ever had any substantial presence in a domestic Universal theme park is Shrek, whose attraction shows no signs of closing any time soon
 
slappy magoo

slappy magoo

Well-Known Member
wickedsoccer22 said:
Illumination Entertainment is owned by NBCUniversal.
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Per wikipedia (which I suppose could easily be wrong), "It has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with
Universal Studios" which is not the same as ownership. The partnership could dissolve (or it might have a built-in expiration date that could be renewed if Uni chooses) and then Illumination would be free to pursue other partnerships. It IS possible however, that Uni winds up owning the stories and characters and intellectual properties that are developed by/with Illumination. I believe this is what happened with Disney and Pixar before Disney actually bought Pixar; I even vaguely remember talk of Disney taking the Toy Story characters away from Pixar after the first movie, and making a direct to video sequel before wiser heads prevailed.

 
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lebeau

lebeau

Well-Known Member
CaptainAmerica said:
I guess. DreamWorks just feels so minor league to me. Their reputation is basically "like Pixar, only worse."

I also think it's a mistake to call them "family IP." I don't think they're "family IP" in the way that Pixar is family IP. DreamWorks is kids IP first and foremost.
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You're selling Dreamworks short. No, they're not Pixar. But for the most part, their movies are not aimed at kids first and foremost. For a while, they had a reputation for targeting adults with risque material that would go over the heads of the kids in the audience. They have a few Best Animated Feature Oscar noms and many feel How to Train Your Dragon 2 was robbed.

Dreamworks isn't a name like Disney or Pixar. They are more like a typical Hollywood studio where audiences know the franchises more so than the studio that released them.

They have been through a rough patch. But they appear to be bouncing back. And since Disney and Pixar aren't up for sale, if you're going to acquire an animation studio, Dreamworks is the one you want. Lots of good properties for the theme parks!
 
lebeau

lebeau

Well-Known Member
slappy magoo said:
Per wikipedia (which I suppose could easily be wrong), "It has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with
Universal Studios" which is not the same as ownership. The partnership could dissolve (or it might have a built-in expiration date that could be renewed if Uni chooses) and then Illumination would be free to pursue other partnerships. It IS possible however, that Uni winds up owning the stories and characters and intellectual properties that are developed by/with Illumination. I believe this is what happened with Disney and Pixar before Disney actually bought Pixar; I even vaguely remember talk of Disney taking the Toy Story characters away from Pixar after the first movie, and making a direct to video sequel before wiser heads prevailed.
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Universal acquired Illumination in 2011
 
slappy magoo

slappy magoo

Well-Known Member
lebeau said:
Universal acquired Illumination in 2011
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I stand corrected. Also, looking at the wikipedia page for Universal, Illumination there is listed as a subsidiary.

It will be interesting to see if all the animation subs (there is also a "Universal animation Studios") wind up as one larger Uni subsidiary or if they will all continue to do their own thing. Universal Animation Studios seemed to be mostly about direct to video content - sequels to Land Before Time and 2-d Alvin and the Chipmunks movies, mostly - but they also produce the Curious George series and movies. Haven't done much in the past 8-9 years beyond Curious George, which coincidentally is about when they partnered with Illumination and started developing animated theatrical features. I think we all know who the red headed stepchild is in THAT family.
 
Disneyhead'71

Disneyhead'71

Well-Known Member
Magenta Panther

Magenta Panther

Well-Known Member
matt clark said:
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainmen...to-buy-dreamworks-for-3-8b.html?intcmp=hphz20

OH MAN!!!!! how awesome would a christmas event at universal be with rudolph and frosty!!!!! :)
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That's a very good thought. Especially if Universal used the character designs from the classic TV specials. Imagine a Rudolph dark ride. That would be excellent! AND/OR - Universal could build a whole Christmas-themed land. Christmas every day, with Rudolph and Frosty and Santa and with snow-covered buildings, the works. Take that, Frozen!
 
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J

JT3000

Well-Known Member
Why do they need DreamWorks? Are they expecting to lose Illumination? And as far as the parks go, they've already been using the most popular DW franchises for years, so this doesn't really change anything.
 

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