| Series | Title | Description |
|---|
| Feature film | Bugs: Lights Out | Prior to the release of Toy Story and even the formation of the actual DreamWorks company itself, the animation studio PDI was shopping around many pitches for a computer-animated film in 1991.[3] [4] One of the pitches was a film called Bugs: Lights Out about microscopic insect-like robots who were responsible for the entropy of electronics and machinery. Despite a developed script and some test animations made to pitch the film, the idea was scrapped when the studio was picked up by DreamWorks to make Antz, which said film shares many aspects.[5] [6] |
| Shrek | Shrek | In 1991, Steven Spielberg purchased the rights to William Steig's 1990 children's book Shrek!. Spielberg originally envisioned his adaptation as a traditionally animated film, with Bill Murray as the voice of the titular character and Steve Martin as the voice of Donkey. Despite co-founding DreamWorks Animation—the eventual owner of the Shrek franchise—in 1994, Spielberg moved on to other projects. This film is starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz when the film was completed in 2001.[7] [8] |
| Feature film and television series | The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob | Following the release of the album of the same name, Virgin Music and Universal Pictures briefly discussed producing a live-action/animation feature film featuring MC Skat Kat, but nothing ever materialized. Singer Paula Abdul had even pitched the idea of a live-action/animation series starring Skat Kat to air on Fox Kids, but it failed to materialize due to the poor reviews and sales of the album.[9] | |
| Series | Title | Description |
|---|
| Alvin and the Chipmunks | Alvin and the Chipmunks | In June 1997, director Robert Zemeckis was slated to direct a live-action adaptation of Alvin and the Chipmunks,[19] but in September 2000, the estate of Ross Bagdasarian Sr. filed suit against Universal Pictures for which development on the film was cancelled.[20] A live-action/CGI film was ultimately released by 20th Century Fox in 2007. |
| Feature film | Just So Stories | This project from Amblimation and Universal back in the 90's was Just So Stories based on the book by Rudyard Kipling. Amblimation did only 3 films such as (1991), We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993), and Balto (1995) but never released Just So Stories and the animated musical adaptation of Cats as the studio closed its doors in 1997 and everyone involved moved on to DreamWorks.[21] The other animation studios of Just So Stories are Soyuzmultfilm, Marble Arch/Interama/Strengholt Films, Bevanfield Films, Les Films de l'Arlequin and Je Suis Bien Content. |
| Jurassic Park | Jurassic Park: Chaos Effect | Part three of the four-part comic adaptation of The Lost World: Jurassic Park, published by Topps Comics in July 1997, confirmed to readers that a cartoon series based on the film was in development. The animated series was commissioned by Steven Spielberg and was to be developed by DreamWorks Animation under the supervision of Steve Lyons.[22] [23] The cartoon was to be accompanied by Jurassic Park: Chaos Effect, a series of dinosaur toys produced by Kenner and based on a premise that scientists had created dinosaur hybrids consisting of DNA from different creatures. The new toys were based on the then-upcoming cartoon. The cartoon was scheduled for release date of March 1998, as a mid-season replacement.[24] The Chaos Effect toyline was released in June 1998,[25] but the animated series was never produced, for unknown reasons.[26] [27] | |
| Series | Title | Description |
|---|
| Feature film | Frankenstein | In October 1998, Universal Pictures and Industrial Light & Magic jointly announced to produce a computer-animated film featuring Frankenstein. S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock were attached to write the script under the condition that it would not be a family-oriented film. Tom Bertino was attached to direct the film. It was intended to be released by Halloween 2000.[28] [29] [30] |
| Antz | Untitled Antz sequel | A direct-to-video sequel to Antz was in development at DreamWorks at the time of its release. Like the first film, it was planned to be produced by Pacific Data Images, and was also considered for theatrical release.[31] By early 1999, when DreamWorks closed its television animation unit and merged the direct-to-video unit with the feature animation, the sequel was still planned, but eventually the project was cancelled. Also, under the same name of Antz, Pixar Animation Studios debated with DreamWorks over whether Antz was a rip-off of their 1998 film A Bug's Life. Eventually, these two studios resolved their conflict and didn't try to sue the other company.[32] [33] |
| Feature film | Rockumentary | In 1998, DreamWorks and PDI started development on a film parodying The Beatles, which featured a Beatles-esque penguin rock band. The idea was scrapped, but after production on Madagascar started, director Eric Darnell decided to revive the penguins and make them a commando unit instead of a rock band.[34] |
| Feature film | Tusker | In December 1998, DreamWorks and PDI announced their third computer-animated project titled Tusker, which was meant to follow Shrek. It would have been an original story chronicling a herd of elephants crossing southeast Asia. In their travels, they encounter a wide variety of dangers, including a band of marauding poachers. Tim Johnson and Brad Lewis, the co-directors and producers of Antz respectively, were slated to direct and produce the project, and Morgan Freeman, Jodie Foster, Garry Shandling, Dana Carvey, Bruno Kirby and Don Knotts were part of the cast.[35] |
| Feature film | The Wanderer | A traditional animated feature film that was going to be directed by the Brizzi Brothers and Simon Wells of the story of a stray bear who joins a group of circus bears and changes their lives with the voices of Ellen Greene and James Gandolfini. The film's production was canceled following studio changes when Wells went to direct The Time Machine. As of 2012, some concept art was shown online of what the film's characters would've looked like.[36] | |
| Series | Title | Description |
|---|
| VeggieTales | The Bob and Larry Movie | The origin story of VeggieTales hosts Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber reveals how they met, how they got their own show, and answers the question how vegetables and fruit talk. This was the first film in the series to feature humans. According to Phil Vischer, was their The Ten Commandments, while The Bob and Larry Movie was to be their Toy Story.[53] The Bob and Larry Movie was originally planned to be the second VeggieTales movie with a released date in late 2005. It was placed into production in early 2002, toward the end of production of Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (2002).[54] However, Big Idea Productions fell into bankruptcy in late 2002 and the film was placed on hiatus, deemed too expensive. Phil Vischer then wrote to replace this film. In 2008, it was considered to be the sequel to The Pirates who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie, but talks stalled after the bankruptcy of VeggieTales owners Entertainment Rights and Classic Media. Phil Vischer said in 2018 that his copy of The Bob and Larry script exists, but doesn't want to release it because it is owned by Universal and DreamWorks. |
| Feature film | Celebrity Harvest | After the release of the debut album Gorillaz, Jamie Hewlett announced a film adaptation titled Celebrity Harvest. The film was further teased in the 2003 album Think Tank, which had the words "Celebrity Harvest" printed on a corner of the booklet. The film was described as a "very dark film" with "cannibals and zombies". The script stated that it revolves around the theme of the world being trapped in an endless night and the sickness of celebrity culture.[55] The project was canceled as DreamWorks thought it was too dark.[56] | |
| Series | Title | Description |
|---|
| Feature film | Route 66 | In September 2005, DreamWorks announced an original film, with Mulligan, a giant golf ball statue standing on a side of Route 66 who goes on a journey to save a giant blueberry statue named Betty when she gets taken away. The concept came from comedian Harland Williams, alongside Conrad Vernon and Rej Bourdages. Williams and Vernon were slated to pen the screenplay.[57] In 2009, Williams revealed in an email inquiry that the film had been shelved.[58] |
| Feature film | It Came From Earth! | In September 2005, DreamWorks announced they were developing an original film with Sheira & Loli's Dittydoodle Works creator Cory Rosenberg. The film would have been an alien invasion spoof revolving around a planet of Martians who are visited by human astronauts. Josh Lobis and Darin Moiselle were attached to write the script.[59] |
| Feature film | Crood Awakening | In 2005, DreamWorks started to develop a stop-motion film with Aardman Animations called Crood Awakening, an adaptation of the book called The Twits by Roald Dahl in caveman times. It was cancelled because of the split between the two companies in 2007. Both companies have now made their own prehistoric caveman films, The Croods for DreamWorks and Early Man for Aardman, but neither of these two films are related to said book. | |
| Series | Title | Description |
|---|
| Feature film | The Legend of Spyro 3D | By September 2007, the film rights for Spyro the Dragon were purchased by The Animation Picture Company.[65] Daniel and Steven Altiere wrote the script, which was going to be based on the recently released The Legend of Spyro trilogy. The film was going to be titled The Legend of Spyro 3D and was planned to be made from Los Angeles, California, with animation by a South Korean Animation studio, Wonderworld Studios, alongside Universal Animation Studios. The film was planned to be produced by John Davis, Dan Chuba, Mark A.Z. Dippé, Brian Manis and Ash Shah, and distributed and advertised by Velvet Octopus along with Universal Studios. Mark Dippe was going to direct the film, which would've made it the first theatrical film Dippe directed since Spawn. This film was originally planned for release in theaters on Christmas 2009 in the United States and Canada, but was delayed to April 10, 2010, for its North American release. It was later confirmed by Daniel Altiere himself that the film had been officially cancelled due to decisions made by Activision to go in a different direction,[66] which was later revealed to be in the form of Skylanders. |
| Bee Movie | Bee Movie sequel | While it was never announced by the studio (although Jeffrey Katzenberg briefly joked about one in 2007[67]), comedian Jerry Seinfeld, the producer, writer, and star of 2007's Bee Movie, said that he has no interest in making a sequel. During a Reddit AMA in June 2016, a fan asked about the possibility for Bee Movie 2. Seinfeld responded: |
| Feature film | Gullible's Travels | In January 2007, DreamWorks bought a spec script titled Gullible's Travels which would have been about a man who travels through time via a porta potty to find the woman he loves. Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman (Open Season, Chicken Little) were slated to write and produce the project.[68] |
| Over the Hedge | Over the Hedge sequel | In May 2007, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said that 2006's Over the Hedge, which was based off the titular comic strip, would not receive a sequel due to its box office performance. He claimed that "It was close. An almost."[69] In October 2010, an article explaining the possibility of a sequel was posted on the official Over the Hedge blog, saying that if a sequel failed to perform as well financially as the first film, DreamWorks could lose money on the project.[70] |
| Feature film | InterWorld | In June 2007, author Neil Gaiman reported in his journal that he had pitched the idea of InterWorld to DreamWorks back in 1996, but the executives were confused on the concept. Along with Michael Raeves, they later published their work into the novel, in which DreamWorks Animation had optioned into producing an animated film.[71] |
| Feature film | The Book of Life | DreamWorks initially optioned to make The Book of Life back in 2007, but the production was cancelled due to "creative differences" with director Jorge Gutierrez.[72] The film was eventually made at 20th Century Fox Animation and Reel FX Creative Studios and was released by 20th Century Fox (which also had a distribution deal with DreamWorks Animation at that time) in 2014 to critical praise. | |
| Series | Title | Description |
|---|
| Feature film | Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians | DreamWorks Animation acquired the film rights to Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians in June 2008.[73] By January 2011, Brandon Sanderson, the author of the novel, revealed that DreamWorks did not renew the rights.[74] |
| Feature film | Emily the Strange | Since 2000, Rob Reger has been trying to make a feature film adaptation of Emily. In 2005, Fox Animation went to make a live action/animated feature film,[75] with Chris Meledandri and John Cohen producing it.[76] Mike Richardson, of Dark Horse Entertainment, came on board as a producer in 2008.[77] The same year it was unofficially reported that the film moved to Universal Studios' owned Illumination Entertainment, along with the studio's founders, Meledandri and Cohen.[78] In September 2010, Universal Studios acquired the rights to the comic, and the actress Chloë Grace Moretz was cast in the role of Emily.[79] Melisa Wallack, who wrote the script for Mirror Mirror, was hired to write the adaptation in the following year in August.[80] Two months later it was confirmed that the film was indeed in the works at Illumination Entertainment.[81] Kealan O'Rourke was brought to rewrite the film's script.[82] By December 2016, Universal abandoned the project, and Dark Horse Entertainment and Amazon Studios were in negotiations to make an animated film.[83] | |
| Series | Title | Description |
|---|
| Feature film | Flanimals | An animated feature film based on the Flanimals book series was in production at Illumination by April 2009. Series creator Ricky Gervais was set to be the executive producer and also lend his voice to the lead character, while The Simpsons writer Matt Selman wrote the script,[84] but the project was later removed from the development schedule.[85] |
| Where's Waldo? | Where's Waldo? | In June 2009, Universal and Illumination Entertainment acquired the rights to turn Where's Waldo? into a live-action film, was to be produced by Chris Meledandri with Classic Media's (now DreamWorks Classics) executive producer Eric Ellenbogen,[86] but the project was later cancelled.[87] |
| Feature film | Untitled Cryptozoology film | In December 2009, Illumination Entertainment was producing an animated film based on a pitch by actor-comedian Jack Black and Jason Micallef on cryptozoology, which is the study of legendary creatures whose existence has never been confirmed (i.e. the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot). Black intended to produce the film alongside Ben Cooley and Chris Meledandri through his production company Electric Dynamite. Additionally, Black did not intend to provide a voice for the characters as he did with DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda.[88] |
| Feature film | Dinotrux | In March 2009, the studio had rights to the children's book Dinotrux, originally planned as a CG-animated film. It wasn't until 2015 when the studio produced an animated series based on the books for Netflix. The series ended up lasting for eight seasons from 2015 to 2018.[89] As of 2019, the film was still in development, this time with a different plot for the film. |
| Feature film | Gil's All Fright Diner | By December 2009, the studio had set screenwriters Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris (Kung Fu Panda) to write a film adaptation of the book, Gil's All Fright Diner, with Barry Sonnenfeld attached to direct the feature.[90] In 2011, the book's author A. Lee Martinez was working with DreamWorks on a project based on an original idea, and not on Gil's All Fright Diner.[91] In March 2013, Martinez expressed uncertainty for any film adaptation: "Your guess is as good as mine. It's all a matter of convincing someone with the clout necessary to make it happen".[92] | |
| Series | Title | Description |
|---|
| Feature film | Alma | By October 2010, a film adaptation of the animated short Alma was in development with the short's director Rodrigo Blaas slated to direct and Guillermo del Toro was to serve as executive producer.[93] The studio later hired Megan Holley, a writer of Sunshine Cleaning, to write a script.[94] Del Toro, who was also helping with the story and the design work, said in June 2012 that the film was in visual development.[95] |
| Feature film | Imaginary Enemies | In August 2010, DreamWorks Animation announced a first live-action/animated project. The project was to be told from the point of view of the imaginary friends who had long been used as scapegoats by unscrupulous children looking for someone else to blame for their misdeeds. Eventually fed up, the imaginary people would come looking for revenge when the kids are grown up. Screenwriters Joe Syracuse and Lisa Addario were attached to write the script.[96] |
| Feature film | Maintenance | In December 2010, DreamWorks bought the film rights to the comic book series Maintenance from Oni Press. The film rights were first acquired by Warner Bros. as a potential project for director McG, but DreamWorks then got rights after Warner Bros. dropped out.[97] |
| Feature film | Me and My Shadow/Edgar Wright's Shadows | In December 2010, DreamWorks Animation announced a project titled Me and My Shadow, scheduled for a March 2013 release date. The plot involved Shadow Stan who serves as a shadow to Stanley Grubb, the world's most boring human. Wanting to live a more exciting life, he escapes the "Shadow World" and takes control of Stanley. With Mark Dindal slated as the film's director (who also developed the film's concept and story), the film was meant to combine traditional and CGI animation.[98] In January 2012, Bill Hader, Kate Hudson, and Josh Gad had joined the voice cast. Additionally, Alessandro Carloni replaced Dindal as director and the release date was pushed back to November 2013.[99] Its release date was pushed back to March 14, 2014, with Mr. Peabody & Sherman taking its November 2013 release.[100] By February 2013, Me and My Shadow went back into development with Mr. Peabody & Sherman re-assuming its original March 2014 release.[101] In 2012, there was a press screening of Me and My Shadow where Jeffrey Katzenberg fell asleep. The crew working on the film knew "he wasn't it". After the screening he said it wasn't a $200 million film, which is what he "needed".[102] In 2015, Edgar Wright signed to direct and co-write an animated feature for DreamWorks, in which the story was described as a "new take on a previously developed concept about shadows".[103] In an interview with Collider published in June 2017, Wright explained that he and David Walliams had written three drafts, but the project is in limbo due to management changes at DreamWorks Animation.[104] Even with the project being in limbo, the public attention has risen high of the unreleased film a whole decade after it was announced; though many are eager to see it, the status of Me and My Shadow is uncertain.[105] |
| Feature film | Monsterpocalypse | In May 2010, DreamWorks acquired the rights to a film adaptation of the game.[106] The studio approached Tim Burton for the project[107] and Burton was attached to direct in July,[108] but the film went unproduced partly due to being similar to another Kaiju film called Pacific Rim directed by Guillermo del Toro. In 2016, Warner Bros. won the bidding war over film rights of the game, with Fede Álvarez co-writing and directing the film.[109] |
| Feature film | The Pig Scrolls | By April 2010, the studio was developing an animated feature film based on The Pig Scrolls. As a possible directing job, Barry Sonnenfeld was tasked to develop the film, while Kirk DeMicco wrote the most recent script revision.[110] |
| Feature film | Plants vs. Zombies | A film based on the video game was pitched.[111] [112] |
| Feature film | Vivo | In 2010, DreamWorks Animation began production on Vivo, an animated musical film which was based on an idea by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a concept by Peter Barsocchini. The film was to have centered on a kinkajou obsessed with music and adventure who embarks on a treacherous journey from Havana, Cuba, to Miami, Florida in pursuit of his dreams to fulfil his destiny.[113] [114] The film was eventually cancelled by DreamWorks Animation due to a restructuring, but in 2016, the film was later revived and eventually fast-tracked by Sony Pictures Animation with Kirk DeMicco as the director, and Brandon Jeffords as co-director, and Lisa Stewart and Rich Moore as producers, Laurence Mark as executive producer, and Quiara Alegría Hudes as screenwriter, and Peter Barsocchini as story writer, and Roger Deakins as visual consultant, and Yong Duk Jhun as cinematographer. The film was released on August 6, 2021, on Netflix, after being delayed multiple times from its original theatrical release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[115] |
| Curious George | Curious George | By July 2010, Illumination was developing a live-action animated film based on Curious George, with Larry Stuckey writing the script,[116] but in November 2015 the film project was cancelled.[117] |
| Feature film | Pluto | In October 2010, Illumination Entertainment and Tezuka Productions jointly announced to develop a live-action/animated film of the Japanese manga series Pluto.[118] |
| The Addams Family | The Addams Family | In 2010, Universal and Illumination acquired the underlying rights to the Addams Family drawings.[119] The film was planned to be a stop-motion animated film based on Charles Addams's original drawings. Tim Burton was set to co-write and co-produce the film, with a possibility to direct.[120] By July 2013, the film was cancelled; had been made, this would have been Illumination's first stop-motion animated film.[121] Eventually, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picked up rights to the film and an animated film was released in 2019, with Sausage Party directors Greg Tiernan and former DreamWorks Animation staff member Conrad Vernon to direct.[122] Universal handled the international distribution rights for the film, as well as physical home media worldwide distribution rights. | |
| Series | Title | Description |
|---|
| Feature film | Flawed Dogs | By February 2011, DreamWorks optioned the rights of Berkeley Breathed's book Flawed Dogs.[123] By September 2013, it was revealed that Noah Baumbach had been secretly writing and directing the project.[124] |
| Feature film | Lidsville | In January 2011, a computer-animated musical film adaptation of the Lidsville TV series was announced to be in development with Conrad Vernon slated to direct while Alan Menken was to compose the songs with Glenn Slater.[125] Menken said that the songs were to be a homage to '60s psychedelic concept-album rock,[126] but in June 2016, Lidsville creator Sid Krofft told to The Wall Street Journal that it was going to be like Hair or Tommy, a full-blown musical, but they went in a "strange" direction and it didn't work.[127] |
| Feature film | Monkeys of Mumbai | By January 2011, DreamWorks was fast-tracking a Bollywood-styled musical adaptation of The Ramayana, but told through the point of view of its monkeys. It would have follow two common monkeys who become unlikely heroes in a last ditch effort to stop an ancient, thought-to-be-mythical demon from conquering the world. Gurinder Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges were set to write the film, while Stephen Schwartz and A. R. Rahman were attached to compose the songs and score.[128] The project underwent a series of working titles: Monkeys of Bollywood, Monkeys of Mumbai, Mumbai Musical, and Bollywood Superstar Monkey. That June, Kevin Lima signed on to direct the project.[129] Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kal Penn, Lea Michele and Rohan Chand were in talks to join the cast in 2014.[130] The film was originally scheduled to be released on December 18, 2015,[131] but its release date was pushed back to March 18, 2016, and March 10, 2017.[132] [133] In December 2017, Lima revealed that DreamWorks quietly cancelled the film in an interview with Den of Geeks UK: |
| Feature film | Rumblewick | In March 2011, DreamWorks announced an animated adaptation of the book My Unwilling Witch (The Rumblewick Letters) and was to be titled Rumblewick. Tim Johnson and Jim Herzfeld were slated to write and direct the project.[134] In 2016, Brenda Chapman stated she had worked on the project.[135] |
| Feature film | Uglydolls | In May 2011, Illumination acquired the rights to Uglydolls to make an animated feature film,[136] but the project never came into fruition. An animated film based on Uglydolls became the first family and animation project produced by STXfilms[137] and was released in May 2019.[138] |
| Woody Woodpecker | Woody Woodpecker | By November 2011, Universal and Illumination planned a Woody Woodpecker feature film. John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky (King of the Hill) were in talks to develop a story,[139] but in July 2013, Illumination canceled the project.[140] The film was eventually released as a live-action/CGI hybrid film in 2017. | |
| Series | Title | Description |
|---|
| Feature film | B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations | In September 2012, DreamWorks announced an animated film about ghosts that would have starred Seth Rogen, Matt Bomer, Melissa McCarthy, Bill Murray, Octavia Spencer, Rashida Jones, and Jennifer Coolidge. It was to be directed by Tony Leondis and written by Tom Wheeler from a story by Leondis. It was about two bumbling apparitions who find themselves in an extraordinary after-life adventure when they join the Bureau of Otherworldly Operations (B.O.O.) – the ghost world's elite counter-haunting unit – and ultimately must face off against the planet's greatest haunter.[141] It was scheduled to be released on June 5, 2015, but was pulled from its release to avoid competition with Disney•Pixar's Inside Out, and also due to a string of box office bombs like Rise of the Guardians, Turbo, and Mr. Peabody and Sherman.[142] In 2015, Leondis later moved from DreamWorks to Sony Pictures Animation to develop his next film, The Emoji Movie.[143] |
| Madagascar | Madagascar 4 | Then-DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg stated in December 2010 that there was likely to be a fourth installment in the Madagascar franchise, in which would have been set in New York.[144] In June 2012, DreamWorks Animation's head of worldwide marketing, Anne Globe, said that it was too early to talk about the project.[145] A month later, Eric Darnell, who co-directed all three films, spoke of the possibility of the fourth film, saying that if the audience wants a new film, then Eric and his crew would have an idea that is different from the previous films.[146] The film was scheduled to be released on May 18, 2018,[147] but was removed from the release schedule following a corporate restructuring and DreamWorks Animation's new policy to release two films a year.[148] [149] In April 2017, Tom McGrath said that the project was in the works, but nothing officially was announced.[150] |
| Rise of the Guardians | Rise of the Guardians sequel | Following the release of Rise of the Guardians, the creators expressed hope that the strong A− Cinemascore average for the film and an enthusiastic word-of-mouth would gather support for the "chance to make a sequel or two".[151] William Joyce, the film's co-producer and author of the book The Guardians of Childhood, stated he was in talks with the studio to make a sequel.[152] |
| Feature film | Giants: Forces of Nature | In 2012, DreamWorks filed a trademark for an unannounced film titled Giants: Forces of Nature.[153] [154] Peter Zaslav, an art director and visual development artist, posted concept art for the film (albeit password-protected).[155] |
| Feature film | The Cat in the Hat | In March 2012, following the financial success of The Lorax, the animated film adaptation of the Dr. Seuss book of the same name, Universal and Illumination announced plans to produce an animated adaptation of the book The Cat in the Hat.[156] Rob Lieber was set to write the script, with Chris Meledandri as producer, and Audrey Geisel as the executive producer, but the project never came into fruition.[157] By January 2018, Warner Animation Group was in development of an animated Cat in the Hat film as part of a creative partnership with Seuss Enterprises which is set to be released in 2026.[158] |
| Feature film | Clifford the Big Red Dog | In May 2012, Universal and Illumination began to develop a live-action/animated feature film based on the Clifford the Big Red Dog book series. Matt Lopez was hired to write the script, while Chris Meledandri and Deborah Forte were attached to produce the film.[159] In July 2013, Illumination dropped the project.[160] Paramount Pictures later acquired the rights to develop the film, which was eventually released on November 10, 2021, following a number of delays due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[161] [162] [163] |
| Feature film | Goblins | Laika Entertainment was interested to adapt the Philip Reeve's book named Goblins into an animated feature, but nothing came up of the project since the initial announcement.[164] [165] | |
| Series | Title | Description |
|---|
| Feature film | Larrikins | By June 2013, Tim Minchin was attached to compose the songs and score for Larrikins, which was based on an original concept by Harry Cripps.[166] The project was about a desert-dwelling bilby named Perry who leaves his home under a rock to go on a road trip with a music band in Australia. Three years later, Minchin and Chris Miller were attached to direct the film while Margot Robbie, Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts, Rose Byrne, Ben Mendelsohn, Jacki Weaver, Josh Lawson, Damon Herriman, and Ewen Leslie were to voice characters for the film. The film was slated to be released on February 16, 2018.[167] In 2017, Minchin announced on his personal blog that the project had been cancelled. Minchin wrote on his blog: Shortly after the film's cancellation, Peter de Sève revealed some concept art for the film via Twitter.[168] [169] Certain characters from the cancelled project later appeared in the 2018 animated short film Bilby.[170] |
| Feature film | The Tibet Code | When DreamWorks Animation announced its then-newest division called Oriental DreamWorks in China, a film adaptation of The Tibet Code was in development.[171] Its production was shut down due to problems at Oriental DreamWorks and the company could not come to terms with the producer who owned the rights to the book.[172] |
| Feature film | Untitled Blue-footed Booby film | In September 2013, DreamWorks announced an animated film about blue-footed booby birds. Writer-director Karey Kirkpatrick was slated to direct and co-write alongside his writing partner Chris Poche. The project was to be about a dim-witted blue-footed booby who learns that it "isn't the size of your brain, but the size of your heart that counts".[173] | |
| Series | Title | Description |
|---|
| Feature film | Hot Stuff the Little Devil | In April 2014, DreamWorks Animation was developing a live-action/CGI film based on the character Hot Stuff the Little Devil, with Lizzie and Wendy Molyneux (Bob's Burgers) set to write the film's script.[174] It was going to be the second attempt for a DreamWorks Animation film to use live-action and computer animation and the second DreamWorks animated film to feature characters from the Classic Media library, the first being Mr. Peabody & Sherman. Since then, there has been no further news on the project. |
| Feature film | Untitled Rocky and Bullwinkle film | A possible plan to make a feature film with the Rocky and Bullwinkle characters was to be made if the Rocky and Bullwinkle short film was to be successful if shown with Mr. Peabody & Sherman. But for unknown reasons, it was replaced by Almost Home to promote the movie Home. And due to the box office failure of the movie, the short was later released as a direct to video on the Blu-ray 3D release of the Mr. Peabody & Sherman movie and plans for a feature film was ultimately scrapped. |
| Feature film | Zodiac | Another animated feature film that was going to be made by Oriental DreamWorks was to be called Zodiac about an anthropomorphic kitty in a modern society with anthropomorphic animals trying to make sure he becomes the first cat on the Chinese zodiac while also discovering a sinister conspiracy, set to be released in 2014. While the film's storyboards were released online, the film's production was canceled due to some problems at Oriental DreamWorks.[175] |
| Feature film | Hitpig | In November 2014, Berkeley Breathed announced another film for DreamWorks Animation called Hitpig. The film would have been a loose adaptation of his 2008 children's book Pete & Pickles, set within a cyberpunk world, with Pete the pig being reimagined into a futuristic bounty hunter.[176] [177] The film was quietly scrapped not long after but in October 2020, Aniventure and Cinesite revived the project, with Dave Rosenbaum and Tyler Werrin penning the screenplay alongside Breathed and Cinzia Angelini and David Feiss directing. The now completed film is currently set for a 2023/2024 release.[178] [179] | |
