DreamWorks

D

dancerx4_dcdc

New member
I'm surprised that Jeffrey Katzenberg (who runs DreamWorks Animation) and Steven Spielberg (who runs the overall studio) hasn't started a kids channel. Disney has Disney Channel. WB has Cartoon Network. Paramount has Nick. So...where's DreamWorks. Yes, I know AT THE MOMENT that Paramount owns DreamWorks but it looks like that will all change in 2009. So, whats the deal? And you may say, "nah they can't afford it". Fair enough but what about a kids line-up on one of the networks or on syndication. Remember when Disney had that Disney Afternoon stuff back in the early `90s? They can do the same.
 
If Dreamworks doesn't want to do a kids' channel or TV lineup, then they don't have to. More importantly in the eyes of an exec, they won't want to unless they think a substantial profit could be made off of such a venture. Anyway, with Cartoon Network/Boomerang, Nickelodeon/Noggin/The N and Disney Channel/Toon Disney, I'd say the kids' cable channel market is pretty much saturated already. I'd personally rather see the other channels pound out the dings and improve their lineups before I see another corporation flood the market any further.

And syndication is pretty much a dead market right now; anyone creating a block for syndication nowadays would basically be jumping aboard a sinking ship. Syndication can't compete with cable, satellite, DVD and On-Demand. Why should kids these days settle for just seeing cartoons for an hour or 2 a day when they can watch them on cable all day long or on DVD or On Demand whenever they want?
 
Because not everyone has cable, and the fact that companies assume that people can afford to pay the outrageous prices the conglomerates charge smacks of favoritism to the more well to do people. That said, if the FCC didn't create blindsider restrictions making kids programming unprofitable, all the while letting as many conglomerates buy up as many TV stations and providers as possible, there would still be a shot.

Personally, I'm disappointed that Dreamworks hasn't decided to release Toonsylvania on DVD at any point. It was their first venture into Tv Animation, after all. Plus, with Animaniacs, TTA, Pinky and the Brain, and Freakazoid on DVD, you'd think they'd edge in and put this one out as well. You know, so it can stand with the WB/Amblin produced shows it clearly could have been one of.
 
DreamWorks Animation is in the business of content production, not distribution. Paramount distributes their movies and DVDs for a cut. It's something like the relationship Pixar and Disney had before the merger. As a result, it kind of doesn't make sense for DreamWorks Animation to start up their own cable channel. If nothing else, they just don't have the capacity to fill it with programming even if they did.

That being said, DW is working on TV properties, from the Shrek TV specials to the upcoming TV show starring the Madagascar penguins.

BTW, I don't think that Paramount owns DreamWorks Animation Studios. Paramount acquired DreamWorks SKG in 2005, but DWA had split off as its own independent entity before then.

-- Ed
 
I never said they HAD to. I just said that I was surprised that they hadn't. Especially after the success Steven Spielberg had in the `90s with Tiny Toons, Animaniacs, and Pinky and the Brain. You'd think at some point Spielberg would say, "hey I already three successful kids shows. We could try something."



The kids' cable channel market MAY be saturated but the kids show business in general isn't what it used to be. In the `90s we had the three main cable channels (Nick, Disney, and CN) in addition to Fox Kids, Kids WB, UPN, Disney Afternoon, TNT Toons, TBS Disaster Zone, CBS (before it aired Nick shows), ABC (before it aired Disney shows), and USA Network to name a few. DW adding a channel or JUST a line-up like Disney Afternoon wouldn't be that big of a deal.



True.



Quality. If the show is good they'll watch. And they can watch a cartoon on network TV for an hour or two and then switch back to cable. Thats what we did back in the `90s. We'd come home after school, watch Fox Kids from 3pm till 5pm and then switch to Nick or Disney.



I'm sure they'll release it after Spielberg is done releasing his other cartoons on DVD.



I know, but the rumors around Hollywood lately has been that Spielberg hasn't been happy with Paramount and that in 2009 he won't renew the contract and is gonna shop around to other studios. MAYBE one of those studios can hook them up with ATLEAST a line-up. Paramount isn't gonna do it cause they already have Nick. But maybe FOX or Universal may be interested.
 
Well,only somewhat.Shrek is from Dreamworks.As for Dreamworks having it's own animation line-up,I think if they wanted to try topping Nick,CN-and-all-the-other-channels-that-show-animation's rating they'd have tried to done so by now.Clearly they see gaining nothing out of that move,so this is why.I have always wanted to see several series of Dreamworks movies though. ;)
 
Considering Dreamworks TV Animation is no more, I don't think so. Sure, when they first started they had Toonsvalyia and Invasion America but that it. Small Soliders:TAS was never made and so on. Dreamworks would need more than two shows. Nick is making the Peguins animated series plus the Kung Fu Panada spinoff TAS. It is best for them to stay with Nick.
 
Let's not forget they went Halfsies with DIC when they made that terrible "Evolution" series.



I'd love to hear an announcement after TTA volume 1 and F Volume 1 get released. Not gonna happen, but it would be a prime time to release it. I hope they go one volume. What was it? 2 seasons or so?
 
I'm going to see the Kung-Fu Panda movie before I say whether or not a series based on it will be a good idea. Anthropomorphic animals performing martial arts has been done to death, but the movie may be better than the trailer led me to believe.
 
My bad, it's the movie that's based on the comic strip...but the movie was written by the creators of the strip, so no matter. :sweat:
 
Back
Top