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‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ arrives on Peacock next week
After a surprising theater run that saw it earn nearly $450 million, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is heading to Peacock next week.
DreamWorks Animation will open source its MoonRay renderer later this year
It used the tech in movies such as 'The Bad Guys' and 'Puss In Boots: The Last Wish.'
Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. join Hollywood's open-source tech forum
Just months after its launch, Hollywood's first forum for open-source technology tools is adding more big names to its lineup -- along with its first software project. Sony Pictures Entertainment / Sony Pictures Imageworks and Warner Bros. are among the newbies, who'll be joining launch members including DreamWorks, Walt Disney Studios, Epic Games, Autodesk and Google Cloud.
She-Ra shines in the first trailer for Netflix's '80s reboot
Netflix already rebooted one iconic '80s cartoon in Voltron, now it's trying its hand at another with the upcoming release of She-Ra and The Princesses of Power. (That's He-Man's twin sister for those too young to remember Masters of the Universe or her own spinoff.) Announced in December, all we've seen of the show thus far is a teaser. But a new trailer should help you decide if you like the princess's new clothes.
Hulu will offer ad-supported offline content soon
Back in January Hulu hit 17 million subscribers. Now it's sailed past the 20 million mark, and to celebrate, has revealed a raft of upcoming plans for the platform. For a start, it's expanded its slate of original series, confirming the arrival of Mindy Kaling's Four Weddings and a Funeral, Ramy Youssef's Ramy, plus Catch-22 from George Clooney and The First, starring Sean Penn. The Handmaid's Tale has also been renewed for a third season. And for the first time, Hulu will allow some of its content to be saved and played offline -- though that feature will be supported by advertising.
Netflix gives 'Fast and Furious' the cartoon treatment it deserves
With eight feature releases and a couple of short films, the Fast and Furious franchise has worked its way into the public consciousness. When you think about it, though, while the films are rated PG-13, the core concept is pretty kid-friendly: fast cars and one-liners abound. It doesn't hurt that it's also the sixth-highest-grossing film series of all time. That's probably why Netflix and DreamWorks are bringing the concept to the small screen as an animated series.
Dreamworks' exclusive Netflix shows for 2018 include 'She-Ra'
If you'll be after some light-hearted TV viewing to banish the January blues (and let's face it, who won't be?) you're in luck, as Netflix and DreamWorks are bringing six new original cartoon series to screens in the new year. Family-friendly Trolls: The Beat Goes On! -- which picks up where the previous series left off and premieres on January 19 -- has been positioned at the top of the companies' announcement, but retro fans will likely be more excited by the news that girl power icon She-Ra is also getting her own rebooted air time (premiere date TBC). The rest of the line-up includes The Boss Baby: Back in Business, Harvey Street Kids, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants, Trollhunters (part 3) and 3 Below (the second instalment of Tales of Arcadia Trilogy). Premiere dates for these are yet to be confirmed, but they'll be available for Netflix members worldwide when they do land.
Former Dreamworks exec's 'New TV' pitch: 10 minute episodes
Over the years Jeffrey Katzenberg has gotten behind ideas big (Dreamworks 3D animated movies) and small (AwesomenessTV, an online video company backed by Dreamworks and Engadget parent company Verizon), but his next idea combines the two. As profiled by a Variety feature story, the idea for "New TV" (working title), appears to be: put Hollywood budgets behind short-form videos ready to be digested in 10 minutes-or-less chunks. The kind of money we're talking about is $125,000 per minute, more than 10x what's usually spent on mobile. While Katzenberg's own firm is incubating the idea, he's apparently looking to secure as much as $2 billion in funding to get the idea off of the ground. Everything's still up in the air (maybe these videos are intended for mobile, maybe VR, maybe some other new catchy thing), but so far it's mostly talk. Of course, with the executive's track record, it's possible the talk will turn into something real, soon.
The After Math: What on Earth are you watching?
Big goings-on in the world of broadcast this week. The BBC and Netflix are bringing back Watership Down to scar a whole new generation of children. NBCUniversal bought DreamWorks for $3.8 billion so hopefully both companies will finally be able to afford a space in their names. Sunday Ticket decided that watching football on your phone's tiny screen is punishment enough and will no longer charge you extra to do so. And Saturday Night Live also decided that watching the show is itself punishment enough and will no longer make you sit through added commercials. Numbers, because otherwise the Nielsen Rating System wouldn't make any sense.
The director of 'Madagascar' takes on the Wild West of VR
As the writer/director of DreamWorks Animation's Madagascar, a blockbuster that spawned five sequels and one TV show, Eric Darnell could've easily hung up his hat and basked in his Hollywood legacy. But, instead, Darnell departed the studio he made famous last year to explore the "Wild West" of virtual reality with Baobab, an animation studio he co-founded alongside Maureen Fan, the former VP of games at Zynga. At this year's Tribeca Film Festival, the two debuted their first effort, Invasion!, a VR short featuring a lovable, alien-thwarting bunny rabbit and a prologue narrated by Ethan Hawke. "He's a big fan of VR, it turns out," says Darnell of Hawke's involvement.
Verizon team-up will create a mobile video service for teens
Apparently, Verizon doesn't believe its go90 video service is hip enough. It just bought a minority stake in AwesomenessTV, and plans to work with the DreamWorks-owned firm to create a "premium" short-form mobile video service as part of go90. Verizon isn't saying what the content will entail, but it isn't shy about who it's targeting -- the carrier likes that AwesomenessTV caters to "Gen Z and millennials" (read: teens and twentysomethings), and it wants in on the action. The project doesn't have a launch date, but it'll unsurprisingly be exclusive to Verizon's US-based platforms.
Here's your first look at Netflix's 'Voltron' series
As Netflix expands its suite of original programming it's going to the nostalgia well once again. The good news here is that instead of another sitcom spinoff like Fuller House, we're getting Voltron: Legendary Defender. Today at Wondercon 2016 its partner Dreamworks Animation showed off a teaser trailer and some artwork to confirm everything still looks familiar to children of the 80s.
Netflix's next kids' shows include 'Voltron,' Guillermo del Toro
If it wasn't already clear that Netflix and DreamWorks are best buddies, it'll be patently obvious after today. The two have announced an expanded partnership that includes a handful of new shows for kids. The highlight by far is Trollhunters, an adaptation of Guillermo del Toro's young adult horror book by the same name -- the series will show the adventures of a pair of best friends who discover terrible things. There are also plans for a "reimagining" of Voltron and several more, unnamed shows.
Verizon nabs DreamWorks originals for its upcoming streaming service
Verizon's internet TV service is coming later this year, and Big Red is locking down OTA content providers. The company ordered over 200 hours of original programming from AwesomenessTV and DreamWorksTV that will debut in 2015, with the former producing series aimed at teens and the latter developing live action and animated content featuring its popular characters. That list would certainly include personalities from Shrek and Madagascar, we'd surmise. If you're not familiar with AwesomenessTV, it has a sizeable following on YouTube, in addition to films and series on both Nickelodeon and Netflix. And DreamWorksTV is a YouTube channel for the studio's animated, live action and vlog-based short clips.
SoftBank wants to break into movies by acquiring DreamWorks
SoftBank may have already bought both a major mobile game studio and one of the US' largest carriers, but it apparently isn't done expanding its turf just yet. Both Hollywood Reporter and the Wall Street Journal claim that the Japanese carrier is now in talks to buy DreamWorks Animation, the movie studio you likely know for How To Train Your Dragon and Shrek. Reportedly, SoftBank chief Masayoshi Son wants to wield exclusive content as a weapon against rival mobile networks. While the sources aren't diving into specifics about the potential partnership, it wouldn't be surprising if you could eventually buy Sprint phones that come bundled with DreamWorks' latest flicks.
Netflix has a new original series for kids, courtesy of DreamWorks
The relationship between Netflix and DreamWorks is one that just keeps on giving. Accordingly, the video-streaming giant has announced that it is partnering with the studio yet again, this time to bring DreamWorks Dragons to the platform as an original series for kids. Dragons, based on the popular How to Train Your Dragon franchise, will debut next year on Netflix and is said to "bridge the gap" between the first feature film and the sequel that's slated to premiere this summer. Previously, the TV series had made Cartoon Network its home, with a total of 40 episodes split between two seasons.
Netflix's three new originals include 'Shrek' and 'Madagascar' spin-offs
Netflix is set to make good on its largest-ever deal for original content by launching no fewer than three new original Dreamworks series. With such varied and popular character base to choose from, the streaming giant confirmed today that it has chosen to launch spin-offs from two of the animation studio's biggest franchises. So what are they? The first is King Julien: a spin-off of the Madagascar franchise that focuses on a certain royal lemur, and the other is Puss In Boots: a Shrek-themed show featuring that swashbuckling cat with the adorable big eyes. Last up is Veggie Tales in the House: a reboot of the faith-based series that features a cast of, you guessed it, various fruit and vegetables. They follow Netflix's first Dreamworks spin-off, Turbo Fast, which debuted last December but wasn't available to binge watch. Instead, the company says it will push the second cluster of new episodes live on April 4th. The streaming giant expects to make the three new original series available by "late 2014," giving you plenty of time to familiarize yourself with the feature films.
YouTube gets a daily highlight reel courtesy of DreamWorks
YouTube can already recommend related videos, but it doesn't necessarily show the best videos; you have to rely on outside help to separate the wheat from the chaff. However, that search for quality clips is about to get a lot easier. The streaming giant is teaming up with DreamWorks to launch YouTube Nation, a five-minute daily show that will highlight its more interesting content, and promises Ultra HD quality for properly-equipped viewers. The production will draw attention to everything from professionally-made series like Video Game High School (above) to amateur footage. While it's doubtful that the show will spot the next big viral hit, it could save a lot of time for busy viewers when it launches on Tuesday at 11AM ET (new episodes will follow each weekday at 9PM ET) and might just get visitors coming back for more. Update: The first video is up, highlighting a rickshaw trip across India, a world record attempt and a Grantland report on "The Coach Who Never Punts."
Fuhu's DreamTab line pops up at CES sporting Kung Fu Panda and other DreamWorks fare
These are all still early-stage pieces of hardware, so let's just get that right out of the way. Even the "most final" of the three DreamTab slates Fuhu was showing off at tonight's Pepcom event in Las Vegas had a number of apps that just wouldn't load. Instead, the company's here to show off what are more or less final hardware designs and a handful of DreamWorks-sanctioned apps like one that teaches kids how to draw Kung Fu Panda and the like and a Puss in Boots-branded version of Fruit Ninja, which will come loaded on the final units. We've got to say, we really liked the hardware design on these bad boys. They're a fair bit sleeker than a number of the kid-focused tablets we've seen around. On the front, you'll find a speaker grille on either side of the display. On the top, is a slot for a stylus, power button and volume rocker, while the sides have a unique concave design that make it nice to hold -- as does the silicone sleeve that will ship with the systems. Here at CES, the company is showing off an 8-inch, 12-inch and a large desktop tablet, that's a pretty solid way to play a game of the aforementioned fruit-slicing title. Terrence O'Brien contributed to this report.
DreamWorks to launch Android 'DreamTab' with original content this spring
DreamWorks certainly knows what kids want to watch, and Android tablet maker Fuhu knows a thing or two about children's tablets -- having produced the Nabi 2 Disney edition model, for instance. It looks like the two are putting that youth savvy together to create a new slate called the DreamTab that'll come with its own stylus and a raft of kids' apps. The studio told the New York Times that it'd launch an eight-inch model this spring for under $300 with content that can interact with other DreamWorks toys or show kids how to draw, for instance. It'll also include other educational apps to further entice parents and could even have animated characters like Shrek tell kids when it's time to shut it down. A 12-inch model will arrive later, and though there's no word on specs yet, DreamWorks said the new models will provide around the same power as an iPad. "If you give a kid less... they won't like it."
