(Source: www.animationmagazine.net)
Aardman Animation and DreamWorks Animation will split up after the November 3rd release Flushed Away, according to an article in the New York Times.
Anonymous sources claimed there were many reasons for the split. Aardman was reportedly upset with DreamWorks' attempts to wrest creative control of Flushed Away from the British studio, while DreamWorks was unhappy with the box-office performance of Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
DreamWorks and Aardman first teamed up for 2000's stop-motion claymation film Chicken Run. That movie did very well, making $106 million in the U.S. and $224 million worldwide. Aardman and DreamWorks then announced a 3-picture partnership, beginning with a full-length feature film based on Aardman's highly-successful Wallace & Gromit series.
However, cracks in the relationship developed during production of Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit. DreamWorks demanded that Aardman replace Wallace voice actor Peter Sallis with someone who American audiences would recognize. The British studio saw no reason to replace Sallis, who had voiced the beloved character since 1989. Aardman compromised by casting more familiar names, such as Helena Bonham-Carter (Corpse Bride) and Ralph Fiennes (The Constant Gardener), in other roles but DreamWorks still wasn't satisfied.
Despite unanimous critical praise, and an Oscar win for Best Animated Feature, Were-Rabbit's U.S. box office was disappointing, making only $56 million. The movie (which cost $30 million to produce) did much better overseas, earning $185 million.
Things apparently got worse with Flushed Away's production. The difficulties of using stop-motion and water, plus a fire at their studio, forced Aardman to make a completely CGI production, a first for the company. DreamWorks, in a bid for creative control, animated half of the movie in the States. The two studios also clashed over creative differences and constant revisions to the script.
This break-up puts two productions at risk: a Stone Age comedy written by John Cleese (Monty Python's Flying Circus) and Kirk DeMicco (Quest for Camelot) called Crood Awakening, and Tortoise vs. Hare, a mockumentary of the classic Aesop's fable. Aardman will be seeking a new U.S. distributor while DreamWorks will scale back its animation department, concentrating on such proven hits as the Shrek franchise.
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
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