Even though Kung Fu Panda 3 is set to kick off DreamWorks Animation’s newly restructured film division, the company is nowhere near done with the rapid expansion of one of its most profitable business sectors to date: television.
As confirmed by a press release from the studio, DreamWorks Animation and Netflix have agreed to expand their current multi-year production deal. The extension will allow Netflix to remain the home for DreamWorks’ current batch of original shows and will also cover streaming rights for DreamWorks Animation’s feature film library.
In addition, DreamWorks Animation will continue to develop and produce a number of original series for the streaming service. Those shows will be based on both recent and future film projects from the studio, as well as classic IP derived from their Classic Media library of properties.
Now, for the awesome part of this deal. Starting in 2016, DreamWorks Animation will launch several new shows for Netflix. These shows include reboots of the classic animated series Voltron and Trollhunters, the first animated TV project from genre filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. Based on del Toro’s YA novel of the same name, the show will take place in “a new, fantastical world wrapped around two best friends who make a startling discovery beneath their hometown.”
“DreamWorks Animation is synonymous with great storytelling that families around the world enjoy,” said Cindy Holland, Vice President of Original Series for Netflix. “It’s with great pleasure that we expand on an already successful relationship with DreamWorks Animation to bring more premium kids and family television to Netflix members globally.”
“This agreement adds to the incredible foundation we’ve built together with Netflix over a number of years across both film and television,” said Ann Daly, President of DreamWorks Animation.“We are proud to work closely with Netflix to continue delivering high-quality programming to audiences around the world.”
With this deal, its recent move into live-action TV, and its five-year content pact with Canada’s DHX Media, DreamWorks Animation has firmly cemented its status as one of the biggest and most active players in TV animation. It’s also great to see that, with the expanded deal and success of its Netflix output, DreamWorks Animation is starting to venture into more genre-based content like Voltron and Trollhunters. Like Race to the Edge, these shows carry the potential for broad appeal to older audiences on a streaming service where writers and producers have more freedom to develop these shows how they want.
Oh, and just in case you were wondering, both of these shows do have connections to DWA, despite neither of them being based on DWA properties. Guillermo del Toro has had a creative partnership with DreamWorks Animation for years, serving as executive producer on films like Puss in Boots, Rise of the Guardians, and the Kung Fu Panda movies. Voltron, on the other hand, is a Classic Media property and DWA (under their DreamWorks Classics label) has developed shows based on Classic Media properties (VeggieTales in the House and The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show).
What do you think? Are you looking forward to any future DWA/Netflix shows?
Edited by: Hannah Wilkes
