Miguel LegoasAugusta Chronicle
DreamWorks' new movie "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken" will open in theaters this weekend. While the studio has made a lot of films, its animated features have been especially hot properties from the "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda" series to singular hits like "The Prince of Egypt" and "Rise of the Guardians."
But, there have also been a fair share of DreamWorks animations that were definitely not a dream come true. Below are the top and bottom five according to Rotten Tomatoes for the families who want to turn on a childhood favorite or a guilty pleasure.
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DreamWorks' Best
Toothless is among the most beloved dragons in pop culture, and the film that brought him to life was "How to Train Your Dragon." Based on The New York Times bestselling book of the same name, its the story of a Viking society that has always killed dragons until a young underdog starts to befriend them. This first installment and its sequels have been so popular that DreamWorks is currently developing a live-action adaptation. The film scored 99% on the Tomatometer (critics' score), 91% on the audience score and collected about $500 million off a $165 million budget. It's available to stream on Netflix.
DreamWorks' first stop-motion film was among the studio's best. "Chicken Run" tells the tale of an American rooster that ends up in a British chicken farm and tries to help his feathered friends escape. With a conservative $45 million budget and more than $200 million in revenue, "Chicken Run" continues to hold the record for highest grossing stop-motion movie of all time. It also scored 97% on the Tomatomer, 65% with audiences and is available to stream on Netflix.
Making a sequel or a spin-off that's as good or even better than its predecessor is not at all easy. That's what makes "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" especially successful. This was a sequel to the 2011 spin-off centered on the Zorro-like cat, Puss in Boots, who was introduced in "Shrek 2." But the vibrant animation and sweet story of Puss trying to restore his nine lives earned 95% on the Tomatometer, 94% with audiences and about $481 million off a $90 million budget. The movie is available to stream on Peaco*ck.
Another incredibly successful sequel for DreamWorks was "How to Train Your Dragon 2." It managed to have a smaller budget while investing more into the beautiful design and story as Toothless and his rider Hiccup work to protect their home and friends from a power hungry dragon master. The film scored 92% on the Tomatometer, 90% with audiences and collected more than $620 million. It's available to stream on Netflix.
Rounding out the trilogy is "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World." While it has the lowest budget, it debatably has the best animation in the trilogy and provides an emotional, satisfying ending to this story as Hiccup and Toothless grapple with starting their own families and leadership roles. The movie scored 90% on the Tomatometer, 87% with audiences and got more than $500 million at the box office. It's available to stream on FX Now and Fubo TV.
DreamWorks' Worst
Sinking to the bottom of the sea is "Shark Tale." It's a strange tale involving a gangster-themed plot involving a vegetarian great white shark and a fish claiming to be a "Sharkslayer." Despite a star-studded cast including Will Smith and Robert De Niro, the movie sent critics into a frenzy, with one calling it "one of the worst mainstream animated films of the last 20 years." It scored 35% on the Tomatometer, 46% with audiences and received about $375 million off a $75 million budget. The film is available to stream on Netflix.
Despite being a part of one of DreamWorks' biggest franchises, "Shrek the Third" is where the series really soured. It largely centers on the beloved ogre's struggles with his role as a husband, soon-to-be father, and a member of a royal family. However, many found it lacked the charm of its predecessors and was very boring in comparison. It scored 41% on the Tomatometer and 52% with audiences. Nevertheless, it was fairly successful at the box office with more than $800 million off a $160 million budget. The movie is available to rent across several streaming services for about $4.
There were two swashbuckling features released in 2003: the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas." While the former became a cultural touchstone, the latter was all but forgotten. It was DreamWorks' own story about the fabled sailor who must travel to the end of the world to save his friend. Despite a relatively low budget of $60 million, the movie performed fairly poorly with about $81 million. It scored 45% on the Tomatometer and 56% with audiences, and is available to stream on Peaco*ck.
What do you get when you combine environmental messaging, Jerry Seinfeld's comedy and a buzz-arre legal battle? It's "The Bee Movie," another "hidden world underneath our own" concept like in "A Bug's Life" or "Wreck-It Ralph" but this one is all about honey bees. Despite the name, it scored far below a "B" with 49% on the Tomatometer and 53% with audiences. It nearly doubled its $150 million budget at the box office. The movie is available to rent across several streaming services for about $4.
Another strange feature in DreamWorks' collection is "The Boss Baby." It revolves around an imaginative boy and his new baby brother who turns out to be an aspiring executive voiced by Alec Baldwin. The story is particularly perplexing as it plays a lot with reality and ideas like "Is love finite?" It ended up scoring 53% on the Tomatometer, 51% with audiences and more than $500 million off a $125 million budget. The movie is available to stream on Netflix.
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