Katzenberg's sequel plan for Dreamworks Animation

[trance2009]

http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=29638

Sweet Lord Almighty, dude. How many sequels to Kung Fu Panda do we need again?

 

[suss2it]

I liked Kung Fu Panda, if they can be consistent and have all 6 be good movies, I wouldn't mind it.

 

[CyclonatorZ]

As if making a sequel to one of Dreamwork's worst movies was bad enough, now we're getting two more for Madagascar? I can live with their being sequels to Kung-Fu Panda and How To Train Your Dragon, as they were both good, but this just completely blows.

At least they aren't making a sequel to Megamind... yet.

 

[Mesousa]

Why that many Kung Fu Panda films?! Is the animated series not good enough for you? It's The Land Before Time all over again! Only theatrically.

As for How To Train Your Dragon...you guys are making a series for that, too. Focus your money on that, instead, as wlel.

 

[Surreal Kangaroo]

This man has clearly lost it. There is absolutely no reason to for Kung Fu Panda to warrent 5 sequels. If I was in charge I would take the plots and make them episodes of the TV series, TV specials, comics, or pretty much anything but theatrical movies. If people were Shreked-out after four Shreks, they are going to be Pandaed-out after six.

 

[Jonwo]

I don't think MegaMind will get a sequel but a TV series is possible but Dreamworks is risking fatigue with not only sequels and TV series but having three movies a year every two years. I think they should concentrate on two great movies a year rather than just three good movies.

 

[Doguineta]

WOW! 6 Pandas! And I thought a sequel was a bad idea! 2 more Madagascars were a little obvious as they mentioned the saga would end with the main characters back at the zoo, but the plot for the 3 is just a Europea circus. And I have yet to see Dragon to comment on that one.

 

[Michael24]

Jeez! Six sequels sounds a bit much, especially to announce at one time. "Yes, this movie was a success, so we are now planning six sequels."

All I want is a sequel to Bee Movie, one of the only movies from Dreamworks I've actually liked.

 

[Darkdawn]

Didn't he originally say Shrek was a five-part series? What happened to that?

Frankly, I think Katz has worn out his welcome as CEO. Get some new blood up there who'll actually know how to preserve the viability and integrity of their properties.

 

[Sparticus]

Yowza! That's... kind of insane.

I agree that HTTYD has a lot of ground they can explore and I'm glad it's being kept as a trilogy (at the moment) . But SIX Kung Fu Panda movies? The first movie was pretty lightweight... why not just channel all of those funds into the cartoon show? Make the show especially awesome, and do a movie whenever they hit on a plotline that's just too big for TV? Geeze...

 

[PC!]

I don't mind a bunch of sequels to their movies if they really do have them planned out as chapters to a story rather than cheap, lazy cash-ins.

 

[Dudley]

That's one thing I like about Katzenberg: he's ambitious.
I remember he announced five sequels to KFP back during the month the film came out (we even made a thread about it), and looks like he still wants to do it. What's wrong with trying to make a film series? I don't mind at all, so long as the film's good.
Wouldn't mind seeing two sequels to HTTYD, because that was also a good movie.

For you haters out there, rest assured that if one of the sequels does poorly at the box office, they will cancel any future installments.

And it's not like everything Dreamworks makes will be sequels. New originally projects are planned and announced every other month are so. I'm looking forward to the studio's output since Chris Sanders and Guillermo del Toro is there.

 

[the greenman]

Didn't he originally say Shrek was a five-part series? What happened to that?

Frankly, I think Katz has worn out his welcome as CEO. Get some new blood up there who'll actually know how to preserve the viability and integrity of their properties.

That's right, so I'll believe it when I see it. I think they're trying to use the strategy of sequels equals more money. However, they learned from last Shrek films, that that isn't true. So, I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[SpongeJosh]

Well that Puss in Boots film is still in the works right? That kinda makes Shrek a five part series.

 

[DjJuice5]

meh. dreamworks imo has always been a second rate, bush league studio anyways. they already have a negative reputation and this plan of theirs will only dilute their properties further ( not as if any of them were really memorable anyway, save for dragon).

in life you have choices. you can choose to be a glorified p. diddyesque self-promoter with all flash and no substance and produce garbage that will be forgotten the day it comes out ( i.e tyler perry, dreamworks). or you can stay quiet and let your accomplishments speak for themselves and produce quality works that last for generations (i.e pixar, motown). bottom line is this, disney has a legacy, warner bros has a legacy with looney tunes and their 90's silver age properties, pixar will have a future legacy. it doesn't take a time wizard to see that dreamworks will have no legacy.

 

[Dudley]

Until we get more pro Dreamworks people on this thread, I return with a counter-argument and a little insight, brought to you from the TAG blog:

Yeah Anon @ 11:25, way to ignore the fact that Dreamworks has more original movies in their pipeline than Pixar does.

Jeffrey's made no secret of his strategy of franchising. I know purists aren't a fan of this strategy, but it makes money - which he uses to put a lot of animators to work. He's getting major talent like Guillermo del Toro to come on board, and he's snagging a lot of artists who leave their studio unappreciated.

In the meantime, the head of another studio who shall remain nameless, pretends to respect artists' and directors' vision, except when they clash with his, in which case he boots them off the director's chair and gives the project to someone who will follow his vision. It's all just rhetoric that sound good for the DVD special features... Oh, and by the way, he's making Cars 2... Shouldn't that give Katzenberg a pass?

and

AND the only reason why Cars2 is being made is for MERCHANDISE.
At least, DWs sequels are being made to put people's butts in theater seats.

 

[Daxdiv]

I'm down for more Panda and Dragon. This really shouldn't even be a surprise at this point that Katzenberg wants 5 more Panda movies, I thought that was common knowledge at this point, seeing as how he said that as far back as when the first movie was just out, and IIRC, I think there was one sequel to Dragon planned while that was still in theaters.

They can crank out as many sequels as they want, just as long as they don't leave a bad taste in my mouth like Shrek the Third, It's the only Shrek film to date that I don't like, and I will admit that I love Shrek 2 over the first one. I enjoyed the story in the 2nd one over the 1st, and Puss in Boots was a nice addition to the crew.

 

[Mia]

I'm going to jump on the bandwagon and say I don't mind this idea. As long as their well planned and good I've no problem. If you go into a movie with the idea of a sequel then chances are it's not going to be so bad.

 

[CyclonatorZ]

AND the only reason why Cars2 is being made is for MERCHANDISE.
At least, DWs sequels are being made to put people's butts in theater seats.

I object to this statement. Until Cars 2 is out and this guy can evaulate its quality for himself, neither he nor anyone else has the right to accuse Pixar of making a sequel just for money. Does he even realize that this is the same company who put out Toy Story 3, perhaps the only stellar animated threequel in the history of Hollywood? What is to say Lasseter and the rest of the Pixar gang haven't come up with a great idea for a Cars sequel as well?

This is in contrast to Dreamworks, who has shown in their handling of the Shrek series that they value money over quality. The third movie was generally considered a mess by critics, but since it made loads of cash, Katzenberg just couldn't stop there. And while Shrek Forever After marked a noticable improvement, it was still nowhere as good as the original movie or even the first sequel.

Sorry, I don't buy this guy's logic at all.

 

[HEATXZ]

Kung Fu Panda having 6 movies is awesome