Jeffrey Katzenberg, the former chairman of The Walt Disney Studios who subsequently formed DreamWorks alongside Steven Spielberg and David Geffen, has been credited with turning around the animation fortunes of both the companies. As he turned 65 last Dec. 21st, MSN Entertainment News listed the best films his studio has produced over the years.
Jeffrey Katsenberg, one of Dreamworks’ triumvirate, turns 65
Photo courtesy of MSN/Getty Images
How many of these must-see films have you watched?
The film focuses on an ant colony in New York City. The protagonist is Z-4195 (Woody Allen), a neurotic and pessimistic worker ant living in a wholly totalitarian society who longs for the opportunity to truly express himself.
The film is an adaptation of the Book of Exodus and follows the life of Moses from being a prince of Egypt to his ultimate destiny to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. The song "When You Believe" from the film became a commercially successful track and went on to win Best Original Song at the 1999 Academy Awards.
The film’s plot centers on a band of chickens who see a smooth-talking Rhode Island Red named Rocky as their only hope to escape from certain death when the owners of their farm decide to move from selling eggs to selling chicken pot pies. It features the voices of Julia Sawalha, Mel Gibson and Miranda Richardson.
Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book “Shrek!,” the film centers on a green ogre Shrek, who loves the solitude in his swamp but later finds his life interrupted when many fairytale characters are exiled there by order of the fairytale-hating Lord Farquaad. It won the first ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. In 2010, the film's main (and title) character was awarded his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The film tells the story of a young fish named Oscar (Will Smith) who falsely claims to have killed the son of a shark mob boss (Robert De Niro) to win favor with the mob boss' enemies and advance his own community standing.
The plot centers on Shrek and Fiona returning from their honeymoon to find they have been invited by Fiona's parents to a royal ball to celebrate their marriage, an event Shrek is reluctant to participate in. "Shrek 2" scored the second-largest three-day opening weekend in U.S. history at the time of release.
The film tells the story of four Central Park Zoo animals who have spent their lives in blissful captivity and are unexpectedly shipped back to Africa, getting shipwrecked on the island of Madagascar. Despite its mixed critical reception, it was a success at the box office.
Based on the Wallace and Gromit short film series, the film follows eccentric inventor Wallace (voiced by Peter Sallis) and his mute and intelligent dog, Gromit, as they come to the rescue of the residents of a village which is being plagued by a mutant rabbit before an annual vegetable competition. It was a critical and commercial success, and won a number of awards including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
The story of RJ the raccoon who enters the cave of Vincent, the bear with a large wagon full of human food. Mistakenly he wakes up the hibernating bear and promises to replace his stash. In the process, he learns about family values.
The films centers on a honeybee named Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld), who recently graduated from college and is about to enter the hive's Honex Industries honey-making workforce alongside his best friend Adam Flayman (Matthew Broderick). The cast and crew include veterans of the NBC sitcom “Seinfeld” (1989–1998), including writer/producers Feresten and Robin, and actors Michael Richards and Patrick Warburton.
The story takes place eight months after the marriage of Shrek and Fiona in the second film. Reluctantly reigning over the kingdom of Far, Far Away, Shrek sets out to find the next heir to the throne — Fiona's cousin Artie - while Prince Charming is plotting to overthrow Shrek and become king.
Set in a version of ancient China populated by anthropomorphic talking animals, the plot revolves around a bumbling panda named Po who aspires to become a kung fu master. When an evil kung fu warrior is foretold to escape from prison, Po is unwittingly named the chosen one destined to bring peace to the land, much to the chagrin of the resident kung fu warriors.
The film starts as a prequel to "Madagascar," showing a small part of Alex the lion's early life, including his capture by hunters. It soon moves to shortly after the point where the original left off, with the animals deciding to return to New York. They board an airplane in Madagascar, but crash-land in Africa, where each of the central characters meets others of the same species.
The film revolves around Susan Murphy, who is struck by a meteorite on her wedding day and its energy causes her to suddenly grow over fifty feet in height during the ceremony. It features the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland and Paul Rudd.
The film takes place in a mythical Viking world where a young Viking teenager named Hiccup aspires to follow his tribe's tradition of becoming a dragon slayer. After finally capturing his first dragon, and with his chance to at last gain the tribe's acceptance, he finds that he no longer wants to kill it and instead befriends it.
The film tells the story of a super-intelligent alien supervillain, Megamind, who after a long-lasting battle one day actually destroys his foe, the much-loved superhero Metro Man. Having the fictional Metro City for himself, Megamind finds out that his villainy has no purpose and thus creates a new superhero to serve as his nemesis. His plan, however, backfires.
Taking place after “Shrek the Third,” Shrek is now a family man and beloved among the local villagers in this film. Yearning for the days when he was feared, he makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin and accidentally wipes out his entire existence. To restore his existence, Shrek has to regain Fiona's love and kiss her before the sun rises, or he will disappear forever.
The film, a spin-off prequel to the Shrek franchise, follows the character Puss in Boots on his adventures before his first appearance in “Shrek 2” in 2004.
In the second installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, Po and his friends battle to stop would-be conqueror Lord Shen with his powerful new weapon. In the process, the giant panda discovers a disquieting link to his past.
In the third "Madagascar" film, Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria are still struggling to get home to New York. This time, their journey takes them to Europe, where they are relentlessly pursued by the murderous Monaco-based French Animal Control Officer Captain Chantel Dubois (Frances McDormand).
The film is set in a fictional prehistoric Pliocene era known as "The Croodaceous" (a prehistoric period which contains fictional prehistoric creatures) when a caveman's position as a "Leader of the Hunt" is threatened by the arrival of a prehistoric genius who comes up with revolutionary new inventions as they trek through a dangerous but exotic land in search of a new home.
The sequel takes place five years after the 2010 film “How to Train Your Dragon,” and features Hiccup and his friends as young adults as they meet Valka, Hiccup's long-lost mother, and Drago Bludvist, a madman who wants to conquer the world.
The story revolves around Peabody, a gifted anthropomorphic dog who has an adopted 7-year-old son, Sherman. He tutors Sherman travelling throughout history using the WABAC, a time machine.
A spin-off of the Madagascar film series, it follows the penguins Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private in their own adventure where they defy the laws of nature to save an egg the other penguins believe to be doomed.
This animated science-fiction buddy comedy film takes place on planet Earth, where an alien race called the Boov invade the planet. However, a girl named Gratuity “Tip” Tucci manages to avoid capture, and goes on the run with Oh, a fugitive Boov (alien life).