DreamWorks Pictures
American film studio founded by Spielberg, Katzenberg, and Geffen.
DreamWorks Pictures is an American film studio and distribution label of Amblin Partners, founded on October 12, 1994, by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen. The studio has released, produced, or distributed more than ten films with box-office grosses exceeding $100 million each. It is distinct from its former animation division, which was spun off in 2004 and later acquired by Comcast.
Quick Facts
- Trade name
- DreamWorks SKG
- Founded
- 12 October 1994
- Headquarters
- Universal City, California, U.S.
- Founders
- Steven Spielberg
- Jeffrey Katzenberg
- David Geffen
- Industry
- Film
- Products
- Motion pictures
- Subsidiaries
- Pacific Data Images (2000–2004); GameWorks (50%; 1996–2001)
Facts from the source article.
History
In 1994, after leaving the Walt Disney Company, Jeffrey Katzenberg asked Steven Spielberg and David Geffen to join him in creating a new studio for live-action and animated films. Each of the three put in $33 million, with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen adding $500 million and CJ Group heiress Miky Lee contributing $300 million, which gave CJ Group an 11% ownership share. The original arrangement covered distribution across Asia except Japan, but CJ only ended up handling China, South Korea, and Hong Kong, while United International Pictures took care of other international markets. The studio set up shop on the Universal Studios Lot, sharing a bungalow with Amblin Entertainment. Though DreamWorks had access to sound stages and sets, it often chose to shoot on location, though it did use studio facilities regularly. The press soon called the three founders "the three amigos." In October 1994, reports said DreamWorks would focus on live-action and animated films, TV shows, and interactive entertainment. After Geffen left Geffen Records in April 1995, the company moved into music, hiring Mo Ostin to run that division that October. By 1998, DreamWorks was seen as a multifaceted entertainment company, and in 1997 it stated its goal was to encourage creative breakthroughs across every entertainment field.
Logo
The original DreamWorks logo depicts a boy sitting on a crescent moon with a fishing rod at night. Steven Spielberg conceived the idea for a CGI image, and illustrator Robert Hunt executed it as a painting using his son as a model. Industrial Light & Magic, in collaboration with Kaleidoscope Films, Dave Carson, and Clint Goldman, turned the painting into a motion graphic, animated by ILM's Wes Takahashi, with music composed by John Williams. A reimagined animation logo debuted in 2004 with Shrek 2, featuring music adapted from the track "Fairytale" and composed by Harry Gregson-Williams. In 2019, a new fanfare composed by John Powell incorporated cues from Shrek 2 and tones from Williams' original fanfare, debuting with How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. In 2022, Harry Gregson-Williams returned to compose another version of the fanfare for Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
DreamWorks Home Entertainment
DreamWorks Home Entertainment was formed on March 10, 1998, as a home media unit of DreamWorks Pictures. Its releases were initially distributed by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and through CIC Video internationally. The pre-2011 library is owned by Paramount, the 2011–2016 library by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, and most of the 2016–present library by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
More in Related People
Elsewhere in Christopher Nolan
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced