The best DreamWorks movies include many amazing animated films, but a select few rise to the top as the best. Often described as the jazz to Disney's classical music, DreamWorks is by far one of the most impressive and well-known Western animation studios outside of Disney's employ, telling more unorthodox stories compared to Mickey Mouse's safer narratives. Coming a long way since the release of their first feature animation, Antz, in 1998, DreamWorks' recent animated domination has added to its legacy of excellent movies.
Identifying the greatest hits among DreamWorks' impressive catalog of films comes down mainly to taste. Still, tangible variables can help measure how the best of the studio's offerings stack up. From the art style, critical response, and box office numbers of DreamWorks' best films, a solid picture of which films have been the most iconic for the animation titan begins to develop. Whether it's an original, genre-breaking trendsetter or a sequel that puts Disney's direct-to-video animated spinoffs to shame, DreamWorks' filmography is full of impressive contenders.
15 Monsters Vs Aliens (2009)
A Sci-Fi Comedy Adventure
Monsters vs. Aliens
- Release Date
- March 27, 2009
- Runtime
- 94 Minutes
- Director
- Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon
Cast
Susan Murphy / Ginormica
B.O.B.
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky, Rob Letterman, Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Conrad Vernon
While there are some DreamWorks movies that showcase truly heartfelt and special storytelling, Monsters vs Aliens is a reminder that some animated films can just be hugely entertaining romps that make for great family-friendly fun. The movie features an all-star voice cast that includes Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, and Hugh Laurie as a group of monsters locked away by the government, only to be promised their freedom if they help fight the invading alien army.
The movie was also a big enough hit and remained a favorite among enough fans to launch a mini-franchise of sorts, including two TV specials and a TV series.
Once again, the movie does not go too deep beyond the fun sci-fi comedy premise, but it still delivers exactly what fans would be looking for. The animation makes for a wild sci-fi story that is also filled with humor and colorful characters. The movie was also a big enough hit and remained a favorite among enough fans to launch a mini-franchise of sorts, including two TV specials and a TV series.
14 Antz (1998)
The More Mature Animated Bugs Movie
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Antz
- Release Date
- October 2, 1998
- Runtime
- 83 minutes
- Director
- Eric Darnell, Tim Johnson
Cast
Sharon Stone
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Todd Alcott, Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz
The very first DreamWorks animated movie showcases a studio that was willing to be much different from Disney and other competitors. Antz is a comedy that follows a neurotic and lowly worker ant trying to find his place in the large community. However, when he is mistaken for one of the colony's heroic soldiers, his life is changed and he is sent on a grand adventure.
Antz is mostly ed as the other movie about ants that came out around the same time as A Bug's Life. While Antz has long suffered from that comparison, it is a much different film that is not for the youngest moviegoers. There are some surprisingly intense scenes and crude humor that relate more to an older crowd. It also boasts a star-studded cast, including Woody Allen, Gene Hackman and Sylvester Stallone. It makes for a funny and exciting animated adventure with an irably bold approach.
13 Wallace And Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit (2005)
The Iconic Duo's Oscar-Winning Adventure
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Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
- Release Date
- October 7, 2005
- Runtime
- 85 Minutes
- Director
- Nick Park, Steve Box
Cast
Peter Sallis
Helena Bonham Carter
Peter Kay
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Nick Park, Steve Box, Mark Burton, Bob Baker
The characters of Wallace and Gromit are beloved and they predate DreamWorks as a company. However, DreamWorks was responsible for producing one of their most acclaimed works. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was a production in collaboration with Aardman Animations which finds the titular duo in the midst of their own hilarious and fun horror movie as they must contend with a giant rabbit that is targeting the community's vegetable gardens.
The movie is a great reminder of the kind of innovative and exciting sequences that can be presented in an animated project. It is an action-packed ride that is fun for all ages. The sheer fun of the movie helped it to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, becoming the first stop-motion animated picture to achieve this. It is also the kind of animated movie that remains a timeless gem to be enjoyed for years to come.
12 Over The Hedge (2006)
A Woodland Critters Heist Movie
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Over The Hedge
- Release Date
- May 17, 2006
- Runtime
- 83 minutes
- Director
- Karey Kirkpatrick
Cast
RJ (voice)
Garry ShandlingVerne (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- David Hoselton, Len Blum
- Producers
- Bill Damaschke, Bonnie Arnold, Jim Cox
While there are so many animated movies that feature adorable critters as their ensemble, Over the Hedge forms a genuinely entertaining and funny movie around these characters. Bruce Willis leads the voice cast as RJ, a cunning raccoon who finds himself in a lot of trouble when he is caught stealing a hibernating bear's supply of food and accidentally destroys it all. Needing to replace the supply before winter, RJ tricks a bunch of woodland critters into helping him invade the local suburbs for food.
Willis gives one of his most lively and charming performances as the con artist raccoon, bringing to mind his breakout role in Moonlighting. There are also some standout ing players, including Garry Shandling, Nick Nolte, and Steve Carell. While the movie doesn't go for the same heartfelt feelings as some of DreamWorks' other offerings, it is a hilarious madcap adventure with some heist movie elements to it.
11 Megamind (2010)
An All-Star Cast Firing On All Cylinders
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Megamind
- Release Date
- November 11, 2010
- Runtime
- 96minutes
- Director
- Tom McGrath
WHERE TO WATCH
From Dreamworks Studios, Megamind follows the titular character, played by Will Ferrell, an alien supervillain who, after defeating his arch nemesis Metro Man (Brad Pitt), must do battle with the new superhero he created to replace Metro Man when his powers start to become out of control. Along the way, Megamind struggles to share his true self with Roxanne (Tina Fey), a reporter who has been dating in the disguise of a normal human.
Just as the superhero genre was beginning to establish its chokehold on Hollywood, Megamind came along to shatter audience expectations for the genre. Beyond the all-star cast of comedy actors at the top of their game (Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill) and the impressively aged animation, Megamind presents a poignant message about doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, and vice versa, that many viewers need to hear.
Even though the film echoes The Incredibles and Despicable Me, it's a shame about the disappointing follow-ups without Will Ferrell. This included a sequel movie, Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate (which has a 9% Rotten Tomatoes score), and a TV series called Megamind Rules!, which premiered on Peacock but brought in none of the original movie's voice cast.
Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate and all eight episodes of Megamind Rules! are now streaming on Peacock.
While the first movie won no awards, it was still a box-office success and an underappreciated animated movie. The talented voice cast, impressive animation style, and some legitimately funny laughs have helped it withstand the test of time and remain entertaining over a decade later.
10 The Prince Of Egypt (1998)
An Epic In The True Sense Of The Word
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The Prince of Egypt
- Release Date
- December 18, 1998
- Runtime
- 99 Minutes
- Director
- Simon Wells, Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner
Cast
Val KilmerMoses-
Rameses
WHERE TO WATCH
The Prince of Egypt, directed by Simon Wells, Brenda Chapman, and Steve Hickner, portrays the story of two brothers with conflicting destinies. Their once strong bond is tested as their paths diverge, leading to significant ramifications as they navigate their responsibilities.
The Prince of Egypt is a biblical saga on par with the likes of Ben-Hur in of scope, beauty, and sheer awe but in animated form. The film is, at its core, a tale of faith and family told through the lens of two brothers, torn apart by their allegiances and duty to a higher power.
Hans Zimmer's euphoric score and the breathtaking imagery of Egypt's wind-swept landscape make the saga a true marvel for the senses. That said, the film pushes the PG rating past its breaking point with some macabre divine fury straight out of the Old Testament.
The Prince of Egypt was only DreamWorks' second animated film after Antz, long before it became a box office juggernaut with Shrek. Regardless, it was still a decent box office success thanks to the faith-based crowds, and it received two Oscar nominations, both for the music, one for the score, and the other for the song "When You Believe."
9 Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
A Shockingly Thoughtful Follow-Up To The Original
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Kung Fu Panda 2
- Release Date
- May 26, 2011
- Runtime
- 91 minutes
- Director
- Jennifer Yuh Nelson
WHERE TO WATCH
In this heartwarming sequel, Po now faces his most daunting challenge yet. The emergence of a formidable villain, Lord Shen, who has a weapon so powerful it threatens the very existence of kung fu, propels Po on a journey across China. Alongside the Furious Five, he must confront his past and unlock the strength he needs to defeat his enemies. This animated adventure deepens the lore of Po's world, blending humor, action, and emotional depth.
As brilliant as the quality of Jack Black's Kung Fu Panda was, few could've imagined a follow-up film would go on to nearly outdo its predecessor. Deepening Po's backstory with some surprisingly tragic drama and developing his character with fundamental Eastern philosophy, Kung Fu Panda 2 let audiences know that the franchise wasn't about to start pulling its punches.
It's the rare case of a sequel living up to what the original put out and helped establish Kung Fu Panda as a major animated franchise. While it harbors some truly standout moments, the film struggles with pacing compared to the rest of the films, holding it back from being in DreamWorks' upper echelon of movies.
Despite this, it was still a massive success, bringing in $665 million on a $150 million budget (via Box Office Mojo), one of the highest-grossing movies ever directed by a woman (Jennifer Yuh Nelson). It also earned an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature and ensured the franchise's future.
8 Chicken Run (2000)
An Understated Stop-Motion Masterpiece
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Chicken Run
- Release Date
- June 21, 2000
- Director
- Peter Lord, Nick Park
- Writers
- Peter Lord, Nick Park, Karey Kirkpatrick, Kelly Asbury, Mark Burton, Cody Cameron
Cast
-
Phil Daniels
-
Lynn Ferguson
-
Tony Haygarth
WHERE TO WATCH
In the hen house of an English farm in the 1950s, chickens do their job and live peacefully dreaming of a better life. One of them, Ginger, dreams of freedom and plans to fly away with her companions.
Produced in partnership with legendary stop-motion studio Aardman Animations, Chicken Run was instrumental in reigniting moviegoers' appreciation for the pain-staking art form one frame at a time. The quirky jailbreak story of the rebellious chickens on a small Yorkshire farm has an unmistakable charm, with understated British humor that ages like a fine wine and a genuine sense of terror sure to convert many viewers into veganism. Even if it isn't the most groundbreaking story, Aardman's first foray into feature filmmaking is a feather in DreamWorks' cap.
The movie was a box office success, making $227.8 million on a $45 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). While it didn't earn Oscar attention, it did win the Satellite Award for Best Motion Picture - Animated or Mixed Media and took home awards from various film critics' associations across the country. It even spawned a sequel over 20 years later.
7 How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
A Worthy Return To A Magical World Of Dragons
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How to Train Your Dragon 2
- Release Date
- June 13, 2014
- Runtime
- 105 Minutes
- Director
- Dean DeBlois
Cast
Jonah Hill
WHERE TO WATCH
How to Train Your Dragon 2 is an animated adventure comedy that follows up shortly after the first film. This second entry in the trilogy finds Hiccup and Toothless exploring new worlds and charting unmapped territories. When the two discover a secret cave filled with new dragons and a mysterious Dragon Rider, the two will have to forces to defeat a ruthless dragon hunter - a cruel and dangerous foe who threatens the freedom and safety of all dragonkind.
DreamWork's second expedition to the lands of Berk proved that the success of the first film was no flash-in-the-pan fluke, with returning director Dean DeBlois delivering another breathtaking vision of soaring above through the skies on the backs of dragons. The sequel expands on the lore of the Viking world while introducing new dragons and upping the stakes with the series' first on-screen human death.
How To Train Your Dragon 2 was utterly snubbed at the 2015 Oscars when it lost out to Big Hero 6.
The movie was another box office success for DreamWorks, and it opened up the world by introducing Hiccup's mother, who was long thought to be dead. It remained a smart animated movie and showed why the original was such a success. How To Train Your Dragon 2 was utterly snubbed at the 2015 Oscars when it lost out to Big Hero 6. If it wasn't for the forgettable villain, How To Train Your Dragon 2 could've flown even higher.
6 The Wild Robot (2024)
The Oscar-Nominated Sci-Fi Movie With Heart
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The Wild Robot
- Release Date
- September 27, 2024
- Runtime
- 101 Minutes
- Director
- Chris Sanders
Cast
Lupita Nyong’o
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Chris Sanders, Peter Brown
It may have missed out on winning the Oscar, but there are plenty of people who feel as though The Wild Robot is the best animated movie of 2024. Based on the children's book of the same name, The Wild Robot featured the voice of Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o as Roz, a service robot who crash-lands in the forest on her way to being delivered. Going about her programmed nature to help, she eventually creates a pseudo-family out in the wilderness.
The movie is filled with exciting set pieces and beautiful animated sequences that showcase just how far DreamWorks movies have come over the years in of their production values. However, it is also a wonderful testament to the storytelling which mixes together comedy, adventure, and heart so effectively that it stands up with some of Pixar's masterpieces.
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