Editing DreamWorks Animation (section)

=== DreamWorks SKG era (1994–2004) ===
{{see also|DreamWorks Pictures}}
On October 12, 1994, a trio of entertainment players, film director and producer [[Steven Spielberg]], former [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] executive [[Jeffrey Katzenberg]], and music executive [[David Geffen]], founded [[DreamWorks Pictures|DreamWorks SKG]] (the three letters taken from the surnames of the founders). To build the talent base, Spielberg brought over artists from his London-based studio, [[Amblimation]], while Katzenberg recruited some of the top animation staff from Disney.<ref name=AWN2DRenaissance>{{cite web|last1=Sito|first1=Tom|title=The Late, Great, 2D Animation Renaissance — Part 2|url=https://www.awn.com/animationworld/late-great-2d-animation-renaissance-part-2|website=Animation World Network|access-date=October 16, 2015|date=March 16, 2006|archive-date=June 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625002237/https://www.awn.com/animationworld/late-great-2d-animation-renaissance-part-2|url-status=live}}</ref> Some of Amblimation's artists came to DreamWorks in 1995, when the studio's last feature, ''[[Balto (film)|Balto]]'', was completed,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://fmx.de/about-us/boards/advisory-board/shelley-page-dreamworks-animation.html | title=Shelley Page (DreamWorks Animation) | website=FMX.de | access-date=July 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201161237/http://www.fmx.de/about-us/boards/advisory-board/shelley-page-dreamworks-animation.html |archive-date=February 1, 2011}}</ref> with the rest doing so following the studio's closure in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Simon|first1=Sam|title=Balto|url=https://animatedviews.com/2003/laserdisc-archives-balto/|website=Animated Views|access-date=October 16, 2015|date=May 11, 2003|archive-date=September 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906192202/http://animatedviews.com/2003/laserdisc-archives-balto/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1995, DreamWorks signed a co-production deal with [[Pacific Data Images]] to form subsidiary PDI, LLC (PDI owned 60% of PDI, LLC, while DreamWorks SKG owned 40%). This new unit would produce computer-generated feature films, beginning with ''[[Antz]]'' in 1998. In the same year, DreamWorks SKG produced ''[[The Prince of Egypt]]'', which used both CGI technology and traditional animation techniques.

In 1997, DreamWorks partnered with British [[stop-motion]] animation studio [[Aardman Animations]] to co-produce and distribute ''[[Chicken Run]]'' (2000), a stop-motion film already in pre-production with [[Pathé]] taking rights in several European territories.<ref>{{cite news |title=Chicken Run: Deal clinched with DreamWorks & Pathe |url=http://www.telepathy.co.uk/aardman/news/recent/recent10.html |access-date=August 30, 2011 |website=telepathy.co.uk |publisher=Telepathy Ltd |date=December 3, 1997 |archive-date=March 31, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331112534/http://www.telepathy.co.uk/aardman/news/recent/recent10.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Two years later they extended the deal for an additional four films. With Aardman doing stop-motion and the existing traditional and computer productions, they covered all three major styles of animation.<ref>{{cite news|last=Moerk|first=Christian|title=DW-Aardman pact drawn|url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/dw-aardman-pact-drawn-1117757480/|access-date=September 3, 2011|newspaper=Variety|date=October 27, 1999|archive-date=May 22, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522043308/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117757480|url-status=live}}</ref> This partnership had DreamWorks participating in the production of stop-motion films in Bristol, and also had Aardman participating in some of the CGI films made in the United States.

Three years later, DreamWorks SKG created DreamWorks Animation, a new business division that would regularly produce both types of animated feature films. The same year DW acquired a majority interest (90%) in PDI, and reformed it into PDI/DreamWorks, the Northern California branch of its new business division.<ref>{{cite web | last=Carlson | first=Wayne | url=https://excelsior.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~carlson/history/tree/pdi.html | title=Pacific Data Images | website=design.osu.edu | publisher=[[Ohio State University]] | access-date=July 4, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811134916/http://design.osu.edu/carlson/history/tree/pdi.html | archive-date=August 11, 2011 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref>

In 2001, ''[[Shrek]]'' was released and went on to win the first [[Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Animated Feature|Best Animated Feature Film]]. Due to the success of CGI animated films, DWA decided the same year to exit hand-drawn animation business after their next two films, ''[[Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron]]'' (2002) and ''[[Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas]]'' (2003), making a total of five hand-drawn films. Beginning with ''[[Shrek 2]]'' (2004), all released films, other than the stop-motion film ''[[Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit]]'' (2005) co-produced with Aardman, were produced with CGI.<ref name="Annual2007">{{cite web | url=https://www.dreamworks.com/2007AR/pdf/DWA_07AR.pdf | title=2007 Annual Report | website=DreamWorks Animation SKG | date=March 17, 2008 | access-date=July 3, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928232607/http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/2007AR/pdf/DWA_07AR.pdf | archive-date=September 28, 2011 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The releases of ''Shrek 2'' and ''[[Shark Tale]]'' also made DWA the first animation studio to produce two CGI animated features in a single year.<ref name="Annual2004">{{cite web | url=http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/DWA/1132307488x0x429592/93F65FFB-C004-4B6F-AF32-A046FF23C9FF/35766-DreamWorks-AR-2004.pdf | title=Annual Report 2004 | publisher=DreamWorks Animation SKG | website=files.shareholder.com | date=March 25, 2005 | access-date=July 4, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529090957/http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/DWA/1132307488x0x429592/93F65FFB-C004-4B6F-AF32-A046FF23C9FF/35766-DreamWorks-AR-2004.pdf | archive-date=May 29, 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref>