Splitsville for DreamWorks and Aardman?

Tuesday, October 03, 2006
By: Ryan Ball

Citing anonymous sources, the New York Times reports that DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Animations are splitting up. With Aardman principals reportedly upset over creative control issues and DreamWorks under-whelmed with the box-office performance of Oscar winner Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, the entities are likely to part ways after the Nov. 3 release of Flushed Away.

DreamWorks and Aardman first teamed for the 2000 clay-animated feature Chicken Run, which earned more than $100 million domestically and $224 million worldwide. The two companies then entered into a three-picture deal, kicking things off with the Wallace & Gromit feature, which was a hit overseas but made just $56 million in North America. For their latest collaboration, Flushed Away, the studios agreed to put aside stop-motion in favor of CG animation, but apparently clashed over creative differences and constant changes to the script.

In May of 2005, DreamWorks and Aardman announced at the Cannes Film Festival that they were collaborating on a fourth film, a Stone Age comedy-adventure titled Crood Awakening, which comic legend John Cleese was co-writing with Quest for Camelot scribe Kirk DeMicco. Now DreamWorks tells the Times that it has no immediate plans to work with Aardman beyond Flushed Away. Aardman will likewise seek out a new U.S. distribution partner, according to sources.

Reader Comments

• Sholeh Soltanpour : International Affairs Manager : Rasaneh Fard Co.

  Wednesday, October 04, 2006

  Dear Sir or Madam,
  
  We are an Iranian animation production company known by Norouz Producton which has made Babak & Friends and one of the persons called Mrs. Shabnam Rezaie is completely familiar with our compnay. She visited us in Tehran.
  We need some sponsors to help us in our new animation and puppet animated projects.
  It would be a great honor for us to have you as our friends and to have your partnership in our projects.
  Hope this can have mutual benefits for either party.
  
  Best Regards,
  
  Sholeh Soltapour
  Rasaneh Fard Co. Ltd.
  Iran, Tehran
  Tel: +98-21-88681467
  Mobile: +98-912 606 4196

• Sholeh Soltanpour : International Affairs Manager : Rasaneh Fard Co.

  Wednesday, October 04, 2006

  Dear Sir or Madam,
  
  We are an Iranian animation production company known by Norouz Producton which has made Babak & Friends and one of the persons called Mrs. Shabnam Rezaie is completely familiar with our compnay. She visited us in Tehran.
  We need some sponsors to help us in our new animation and puppet animated projects.
  It would be a great honor for us to have you as our friends and to have your partnership in our projects.
  Hope this can have mutual benefits for either party.
  
  Best Regards,
  
  Sholeh Soltapour
  Rasaneh Fard Co. Ltd.
  Iran, Tehran
  Tel: +98-21-88681467
  Mobile: +98-912 606 4196

• oladiolada : Designer : Shadow CG

  Sunday, February 10, 2008

  i love 3D

• Chris :

  Friday, July 04, 2008

  I wish aardman would team up with this. This movie looks good to see but now im not seeing because its not with done of aardman anymore