# List of DreamWorks Animation productions

**DreamWorks Animation** is an American animation studio, a division of [NBCUniversal](https://www.edgepedia.org/nbcuniversal), whose productions span animated feature films, television series, and specials built around franchises such as [Shrek](https://www.edgepedia.org/shrek-franchise), Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, Trolls, The Boss Baby, The Croods, and [How to Train Your Dragon](https://www.edgepedia.org/how-to-train-your-dragon).<sup>[1](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)</sup> Over its first 30 years the studio released 49 feature films and more than 50 television series, grossing more than $17 billion at the global box office.<sup>[1](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Studio origin | DreamWorks SKG founded in 1994 by Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg, and David Geffen, the first new studio founded in 60 years<sup>[1](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)</sup> |
| First feature | *Antz*, released October 1998 as the studio's first animated release<sup>[2](https://apnews.com/article/eb819b366624c43170eabb7b1193a577)</sup> |
| Output through 2024 | 49 feature films and over 50 television series in 30 years; more than $17 billion global box office<sup>[1](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)</sup> |
| Landmark film | *Shrek* (2001) won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature<sup>[1](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)</sup> |
| Billion-dollar franchises | Shrek ($3.98 billion), Kung Fu Panda ($2.36 billion), and Madagascar ($2.26 billion) had each crossed $2 billion by 2024<sup>[1](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)</sup> |
| Ownership | Acquired by NBCUniversal in 2016 for $3.8 billion; operates alongside Universal's Illumination, with Shrek the one crossover property<sup>[2](https://apnews.com/article/eb819b366624c43170eabb7b1193a577)</sup> |
| Television arm | Launched in 2013 with a multi-year Netflix deal; series now also appear on Peacock, Hulu, Prime Video, and Apple TV+<sup>[1](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)</sup> |

## Feature films

The studio's animated feature line began with *Antz* in 1998, released two months before Pixar's *A Bug's Life*, which placed the new studio in immediate comparison with Pixar and shaped its identity as a snarkier, more satirical counterpart to its competitor's earnestness.<sup>[2](https://apnews.com/article/eb819b366624c43170eabb7b1193a577)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/all-dreamworks-animation-movies-ranked/)</sup> The 2001 release *Shrek* established the studio's most durable property and won the first [Academy Award for Best Animated Feature](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-animated-feature).<sup>[1](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)</sup>

**Franchises drive the catalog.** By 2024 the studio counted three animated franchises past the $2 billion mark: Shrek at $3.98 billion, [Kung Fu Panda](https://www.edgepedia.org/kung-fu-panda) at $2.36 billion, and [Madagascar](https://www.edgepedia.org/madagascar) at $2.26 billion.<sup>[1](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)</sup> The studio's stated production rhythm is two movies a year, one fresh original and one new story featuring established intellectual property.<sup>[1](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)</sup>

Recent releases show that mix in practice. The library on the studio's own site runs from *How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World* (February 2019) and *Abominable* (September 2019) through *Trolls World Tour* (April 2020), *The Boss Baby: Family Business* (July 2021), *The Bad Guys* (April 2022), *Puss in Boots: The Last Wish* (December 2022), *Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken* (June 2023), *Trolls Band Together* (November 2023), *Orion and the Dark* (February 2024, a Netflix release), *Kung Fu Panda 4* (March 2024), *The Wild Robot* (September 2024), *[Dog Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/dog-man-film)* (January 2025), and *The Bad Guys 2*.<sup>[4](https://www.dreamworks.com/movies)</sup> *The Wild Robot*, directed by [Chris Sanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-sanders), opened number one at the domestic box office and was Certified Fresh at 97 percent with critics and 98 percent with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes; it was the 25th time a DreamWorks title led the box office.<sup>[1](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)</sup>

The slate also extends beyond pure animation. *Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie*, opening in 2025, is the studio's first live-action/animation hybrid film, carrying the preschool series, whose YouTube content has drawn more than 3.6 billion views, to theaters.<sup>[5](https://apnews.com/article/fd500b21e5ae7d304fb76da8691488ab)</sup>

## Television series

[DreamWorks Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/dreamworks-animation)'s television division was launched in 2013, when Margie Cohn, recruited by Katzenberg from [Nickelodeon](https://www.edgepedia.org/nickelodeon), built the department around a landmark multi-year deal with Netflix for first-run content.<sup>[1](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://apnews.com/article/eb819b366624c43170eabb7b1193a577)</sup> The early series drew on existing film properties, including *All Hail King Julien* from the Madagascar franchise, *The Adventures of Puss in Boots*, and *The Boss Baby: Back in Business*, and the division also rebooted classic properties such as *She-Ra and the Princesses of Power* and *Voltron Legendary Defender*.<sup>[1](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)</sup>

The division has since grown to produce series for nearly every major streamer, including Peacock, Hulu, Prime Video, and Apple TV+, and has created four series from Universal intellectual property: *Fast & Furious: Spy Racers*, *Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous*, *Jurassic World: Chaos Theory*, and *Mighty Monsterwheelies*.<sup>[1](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)</sup> Original passion projects include [Guillermo del Toro](https://www.edgepedia.org/guillermo-del-toro)'s *Trollhunters* and the *Tales of Arcadia* trilogy.<sup>[1](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)</sup> Current Netflix titles listed by the studio include *Gabby's Dollhouse*, *The Bad Guys: The Series*, and the final season of *Jurassic World: Chaos Theory*.<sup>[6](https://www.dreamworks.com/)</sup>

## Upcoming slate

**Forgotten Island** is the studio's next original feature, distributed by [Universal Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-pictures) and opening September 25, 2026. Directed and written by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado with Mark Swift producing, it follows two lifelong best friends, voiced by H.E.R. and [Liza Soberano](https://www.edgepedia.org/liza-soberano), trapped on the fantastical island of Nakali, where the only way home requires them to forget each other forever; the cast also includes [Dave Franco](https://www.edgepedia.org/dave-franco), Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, and Lea Salonga.<sup>[7](https://prod.dreamworks.com/movies/forgotten-island)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://time.com/7342338/most-anticipated-movies-2026/)</sup> The film's art style draws on Filipino mythology, including creatures such as the sarimanok and the manananggal.<sup>[9](https://www.creativebloq.com/art/animation/forgotten-island-has-all-the-ingredients-to-blow-up-at-the-box-office)</sup>

Universal's slate lists *CoComelon: The Movie* for February 19, 2027, a live-action *How To Train Your Dragon 2* for June 11, 2027, and an untitled DreamWorks Animation event film for September 24, 2027.<sup>[10](https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/)</sup> *Shrek 5*, announced in 2024 and delayed from a planned 2026 release, is set for June 30, 2027.<sup>[11](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/shrek-5-delay-moves-away-avengers-doomsday-close-to-spider-man-beyond-the-spider-verse)</sup> A *[Donkey](https://www.edgepedia.org/donkey-shrek)* film following the character's origin story with his dragon wife and their half-dragon, half-donkey children is also on the studio's announced project list.<sup>[12](https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4170781241/)</sup>

## Distribution and ownership

The studio's films have moved among distributors as ownership changed. In connection with Paramount's 2006 acquisition of DreamWorks, Paramount, DreamWorks, and their affiliates entered a seven-year agreement for exclusive distribution rights to DreamWorks Animation's films, with the output term running to the later of the delivery of thirteen qualified animated pictures and December 31, 2012.<sup>[13](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/9b6e9986-ab73-464a-b1a6-f7b4b49e2418)</sup> NBCUniversal acquired DreamWorks Animation in 2016 for $3.8 billion, and Universal Pictures now distributes the studio's theatrical releases, including *Forgotten Island*.<sup>[2](https://apnews.com/article/eb819b366624c43170eabb7b1193a577)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://prod.dreamworks.com/movies/forgotten-island)</sup> Within NBCUniversal, DreamWorks Animation and Illumination mostly operate separately, with Shrek as the one crossover property.<sup>[2](https://apnews.com/article/eb819b366624c43170eabb7b1193a577)</sup>

The library itself also changed hands with the corporate structure: the studio's film and television catalog streams on Peacock, where new theatrical releases such as *Puss in Boots: The Last Wish*, *Trolls Band Together*, and *Kung Fu Panda 4* made their streaming debuts after their theatrical runs.<sup>[1](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)</sup>

## References

1. [30 Years of DreamWorks Animation: How NBCUniversal Celebrates DreamWorks Across Film, Television, Theme Parks and Products, NBCUniversal (October 8, 2024)](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/dreamworks-celebrates-30th-anniversary)
2. [DreamWorks Animation at 30: Painting a bright path forward with 'The Wild Robot', AP News](https://apnews.com/article/eb819b366624c43170eabb7b1193a577)
3. [DreamWorks Animation Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer, Rotten Tomatoes](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/all-dreamworks-animation-movies-ranked/)
4. [Movies, DreamWorks official site](https://www.dreamworks.com/movies)
5. [Laila Lockhart Kraner carries 'Gabby's Dollhouse' positivity to DreamWorks' live-action hybrid film, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/fd500b21e5ae7d304fb76da8691488ab)
6. [DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks official site](https://www.dreamworks.com/)
7. [Forgotten Island, DreamWorks official film page](https://prod.dreamworks.com/movies/forgotten-island)
8. [The 38 Most Anticipated Movies of 2026, TIME](https://time.com/7342338/most-anticipated-movies-2026/)
9. [DreamWorks' Forgotten Island could be a step change for Hollywood animation, Creative Bloq](https://www.creativebloq.com/art/animation/forgotten-island-has-all-the-ingredients-to-blow-up-at-the-box-office)
10. [Upcoming Movies, Universal Pictures](https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/)
11. [Shrek 5's Delay Moves It Away From Avengers: Doomsday, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/shrek-5-delay-moves-away-avengers-doomsday-close-to-spider-man-beyond-the-spider-verse)
12. [Upcoming DreamWorks Animation Movies, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4170781241/)
13. [Paramount Pictures Form 10-K, distribution agreement disclosure](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/9b6e9986-ab73-464a-b1a6-f7b4b49e2418)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Animated film studios and franchise animation › DreamWorks animated films*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license
