Troll dolls, Rihanna as a bratty teenage alien, and plenty of "How to Train Your Dragon" sequels.
DreamWorks is attempting to pull out all the stops to compete with its main animated competition.
This morning, the studio announced their plans to put out a dozen films through 2016 filled with sequels and spinoffs of its most popular franchises.
Despite a full slate in the next four years, DreamWorks, recently undergoing a five-year distribution deal by Fox, may be in over its head.
Since it's first film in 1998 (Antz), the studio has put out an average of two animated films per year. With its new release slate, the studio will now be upping production to three-four films per year.
Compared with the competition, Pixar has a total of five films in the works from now until 2016, two of which are sequels.
- "Monsters University" a Pixar prequel to "Monsters Inc." June 21, 2013
- "The Good Dinosaur" answering what would happen if an asteroid never destroyed the dinosaurs. May 30, 2014
- "Finding Nemo 2" 2016
- An untitled film that "Takes You Inside the Mind" June 15, 2015
- Another untitled film about "El Dia de Los Muertos" TBA
There are rumors of another two films—a sequel to "The Incredibles" and Tom Hanks hinted a fourth "Toy Story" was in the works—however, even with a count of seven films, the guys at Disney will be spending much more time on fewer films.
Dreamworks will rely on its big three moneymakers of late—"Madagascar," "How to Train Your Dragon," and "Kung Fu Panda." Plans focus on a spinoff of the first film following the popular "Penguins of Madagascar," while the latter will comprise of sequels for "Dragons" and "Panda."
Here's a look at jam-packed film slate below:
The Croods
Release Date: March 22, 2013
Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, and Cloris Leachman will star as a pre-historic family in search of a new home after their cave gets destroyed.
Turbo
Release Date: July 19, 2013
A slew of stars including Ken Jeong, Snoop Lion, Samuel L. Jackson, and once again, Ryan Reynolds will lend their voices to the story of a garden snail with super speed powers who wants to win the Indy 500.
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Release Date: November 1, 2013
The film is based off Jay Ward's cartoon about the adventure of the world's smartest dog and his boy after they go on an unexpected trip into their time machine.
Me And My Shadow
Release Date: March 14, 2014
Josh Gad ("Jobs," "Love and Other Drugs") and Bill Hader will play one character and his shadow who are at odds with each other. The film comes from the minds of "How to Train Your Dragons" and "Kung Fu Panda."
How To Train Your Dragon 2
Release Date: June 20, 2014
Happy Smekday!
Release Date: November 26, 2014
Music star Rihanna and Jim Parsons ("Big Bang Theory) will join forces as aliens to save their planet in the film based on the novel "The True Meaning of Smekday" by Adam Rex.
The Penguins Of Madagascar
Release Date: March 27, 2015
Trolls (working title)
Release Date: June 5, 2015
Remember Troll dolls? The producers of the Shrek series bring the toys to life five years after talk of the film was first mentioned in 2010.
B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations
Release Date: November 6, 2015
Casper with cops? Seth Rogen will star in the cartoon about an FBI group of ghosts.
Mumbai Musical (working title)
Release Date: December 19, 2005
A Bollywood-style musical adventure with Chris Chase and Kevin Lima of Disney's "Enchanted" and "Tarzan" serving respectively as director and producers.
Kung Fu Panda 3
Release Date: March 18, 2016
How to Train Your Dragon 3
Release Date: June 18, 2016
