DreamWorks Animation now officially has an Oscar-winning filmmaker joining their creative team. That filmmaker, in particular, is Guillermo del Toro, the director who brought us the Hellboy movies, Pan’s Labyrinth, Pacific Rim, and his recent masterpiece The Shape of Water.
Fresh off his two Oscar wins from his last movie, Variety has reported that the Mexican filmmaker has signed a multi-year deal to write, produce, and direct animated features at DreamWorks Animation, complete with his own office at the Glendale campus. CBR notes that his first project in the partnership will be revealed in the coming months.
Prior to the deal, del Toro has been a significant contributor to some of the studio’s recent projects. This includes acting as a creative consultant on Megamind and Kung Fu Panda 2, as well as an executive producer on Puss in Boots, Rise of the Guardians, and Kung Fu Panda 3. Most recently in DreamWorks’ television department, he created and executive produced the hit Netflix series Trollhunters, the first part of his planned Tales of Arcadia trilogy.
“Animation is an art form that has influenced my work greatly since childhood,” del Toro boldly stated. “To me, it’s the perfect medium to bring to life any and all ideas, no matter how outlandish or wild. I am eager to work with Chris [deFaria] and the talented artists at DreamWorks – some of the most talented people in the business – to make these images a reality. I have worked with DreamWorks for about a decade and the horizon just keeps getting wider.”
DreamWorks Animation president Chris deFaria added, “We are thrilled that Guillermo is adding a film partnership to the already successful television relationship he has with DreamWorks Animation. He is truly a one-of-a-kind artist, and we are eager to see his imagination on full display in the family animated feature space. Guillermo has a unique talent for creating memorable worlds and characters, and we believe the films we create with him will resonate with animation audiences for many generations to come. I am personally very excited to extend the long working relationship I have enjoyed with Guillermo and look forward to him also collaborating with us on some of our breakthrough advancements in technology and innovation.”
It’s not very often we get big-name live-action filmmakers to be involved in animation. Yet with Guillermo del Toro on board at DreamWorks once again, it definitely sounds like a big advantage for them, more so than their competitors. Along with their line-up for this year’s Annecy Animation Film Festival, having del Toro’s unique cinematic vision applied to DreamWorks films is another bold step in the right direction and truly something to get excited for from the studio.
