16 awesome DreamWorks cartoons that will warm your heart

16. Antz Antz

Antz

• USA, 1998.
• Comedy, adventure.
• Duration: 83 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.5.

Inhabitants of the anthill in Central Park New York divided into two castes: workers and soldiers. Moreover, you cannot choose an occupation on your own. This was always the case, until one ant, named Zed, exchanged duties with a military friend.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, when DreamWorks was born, it constantly had to compete with Disney for viewer attention. As a result, almost every second popular project of those years can find a "pair".

Antz Ant, for example, came out in parallel with Disney's The Adventures of Flick - a month apart. Moreover, even the plots in them are very similar: both paintings tell about ants protecting their communities from invasion.

But the DreamWorks cartoon is still somewhat older and darker. So, the studio invited the king of intellectual humor to the voice acting of the character

Woody Allen, who rewrote many of the hero's phrases for himself.

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15. Puss in Boots

Puss in boots

• USA, 2011.
• Fantasy, action, comedy, detective, adventure.
• Duration: 90 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.6.

Puss in Boots discovers that Jack and Jill's thugs have legendary magic beans. He decides to steal the artifact, but another robber is already hunting for the value - Kisa Softpaw. As it turns out, she works for an old friend of the Cat in an orphanage - Humpty Dumpty. He invites all three to unite for a common goal.

Puss in Boots, the most charming character in the Shrek cartoon series, was so liked by the audience that he got his own spin-off. Moreover, you can watch this picture even in isolation from the rest of the franchise. But it's better to prefer the original English-speaking version - so as not to deprive yourself of the pleasure of listening to the unique voice of Antonio Banderas.

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14. Wash off

Flushed away

• UK, USA, Australia, France, Ireland, 2006.
• Fantasy, melodrama, comedy, adventure.
• Duration: 81 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.6.

The exquisite domestic rat Roddy St. James is used to comfortable living conditions. One day an impudent sewer mouse named Sid appears in his house. Roddy tries to flush the intruder down the toilet, but falls prey to his own ingenuity. So the hero finds himself in an underground rat city - a copy of London.

The collaboration between DreamWorks and Aardman Animations masterfully combines subtle British humor with more obvious comedic tricks and amuses adults and children alike. But, despite this, the tape failed at the box office and could not even recoup production costs.

The fact is that "Flushed Away", like other Aardman projects, was originally supposed to be filmed using the technique of plasticine animation. But the partners insisted that the cartoon be made on a computer, albeit based on plasticine models.

The result turned out to be very strange, although Aardman's signature style is still immediately recognizable - just look at the faces of the characters. This was the end of the cooperation between the two companies.

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13. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

• USA, 2003.
• Fantasy, adventure.
• Duration: 88 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.7.

To save his friend's life, the rogue Sinbad must find and return a priceless relic - the Book of the World. The problem is that a beautiful and very dangerous goddess of chaos named Eris is behind the abduction of the artifact.

This tale was released when the era of traditional, two-dimensional animation was over. The viewers were much more interested in three-dimensional animated films, so "Sinbad" failed miserably at the box office.

The value of the cartoon was recognized only years later, and Eris can rightfully be considered one of the most seductive and charismatic animated heroines. Only screen time was allocated to her to insulting little.

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12. Road to El Dorado

The Road to El Dorado

• USA, 2000.
• Musical, melodrama, comedy, adventure.
• Duration: 89 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.9.

Two rogues, Tulio and Miguel, win a map pointing the way to the legendary city of El Dorado, full of gold. Having accidentally landed on the ship of the famous conquistador Hernan Cortez, the couple hit the road. But when the swindlers get to their goal, the inhabitants of El Dorado mistake them for long-awaited gods.

The famous animator Bibo Bergeron became one of the directors of the film (for example, he was engaged in the cartoon "Monster in Paris"). So the animation in The Road to El Dorado is great.

They worked on the film thoroughly: the artists even traveled to Mexico to get inspired by the ancient cities. Mayan. Alas, the tape failed at the box office. By and large, she was simply unlucky. At first, The Road to Eldorado fell into a funnel of industrial confusion, and then showed poor grossing due to a weak advertising campaign.

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11. Madagascar

Madagascar

• USA, 2005.
• Comedy, adventure.
• Duration: 86 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.9.

Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippopotamus live at the New York Zoo. At some point, Marty is fired up with the idea of ​​running away, but his friends do not approve of his impulse. The stubborn hero still tries to escape. He is quickly caught, but this incident attracts the attention of animal advocates. Under their pressure, the animals are sent to distant Kenya.

But the heroes do not reach their destination. The four is thrown onto the coast of Madagascar, and now the animals, accustomed to the greenhouse conditions of the zoo, will have to survive in the harsh jungle. In addition, suppressed predatory instincts begin to wake up in Alex.

A funny cartoon by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath made a huge box office. At the same time, for some reason, not the main, but the secondary characters became everyone's favorites. It is about penguinstrying to get to their historical homeland - they even made a separate animated series about Skipper and his team.

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10. Chicken coop escape

Chicken Run

• UK, USA, France, 2000.
• Drama, comedy, adventure.
• Duration: 84 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.0.

Chicken Ginger and her friends have long been trying to escape from Mrs. Tweedy's farm, where they can be allowed to fill the pie at any time. The birds are already beginning to lose hope when Rocky's cock literally falls from the sky. With his help, Ginger hopes to teach her companions to fly and thereby save them from a terrible fate.

British animator Nick Park, known throughout the world as a master plasticine cartoons and the creator of Wallace and Gromit, approached the matter with imagination and humor. He took the Hollywood classic "The Great Escape" as a basis, only replaced the prisoners of war with cowardly chickens, and made the plot more harmless and childish.

9. Prince of egypt

The prince of egypt

• USA, 1998.
• Musical, Fantasy, Drama, Adventure.
• Duration: 99 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.1.

The Egyptian prince Moses one day learns that he is only a Jewish foundling who grew up at the court of Pharaoh. Then he decides to leave the palace and become a prophet in order to free his people from the Egyptian slavery.

The Prince of Egypt was produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg. It was very important for them not to offend believers, so the authors of the cartoon consulted with theologians and religious leaders more than once.

As a result, the most cruel moments were removed from the Old Testament history. Instead, she was supplied with musical numbers and expressive drama. And the tape nevertheless paid off at the box office, despite the fact that traditional animation was going through a serious crisis at that time.

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8. Spirit: Soul of the Prairie

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

• USA, 2002.
• Drama, Adventure, Western.
• Duration: 83 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.2.

Wild and free mustang Spirit lives on the banks of the American Cimarron River. One day, curiosity leads a stallion to people, where he is captured. Having made friends with the same freedom-loving and desperate Indian named Brook, the mustang escapes, but not for long. After all, there are still many hardships ahead of him.

Wonderful music Hans Zimmer, songs by Brian Adams, nice hand-made animation and non-childish themes make this cartoon interesting primarily for an adult audience. But those who are younger will have a great time, although they will definitely need to clarify some points further.

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7. The Croods

The croods

• USA, 2013.
• Fantasy, comedy, adventure.
• Duration: 98 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.2.

The prehistoric Croods family lives in a cave. The whole life of the heroes is subject to strict rules, the most important of which are to listen to the head of the Grug family and in no case try anything new. But one day the Croods cave is destroyed by an earthquake and the heroes, willy-nilly, have to go in search of a new home.

In the jungle, they are guided by the resourceful tracker Malaya, who was accidentally met by the eldest daughter of Grug. By his example, the young man shows the Croods that fresh ideas are sometimes much more effective than time-tested wisdom.

The creators (one of which was Chris Sanders - the author of "Lilo and Stitch" and "How to Train Your Dragon") managed to find a balance between explosive action and cautionary plot. This story will teach parents to let go of themselves children, and everyone else - to value their family, even if relatives have completely different views on life.

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6. Megamind

Megamind

• USA, 2010.
• Science fiction, action, comedy.
• Duration: 95 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.2.

Machomen and Megamind arrived on Earth when they were still very young. Over time, the first became a superhero and a universal idol, and the second - a genius, albeit an unlucky villain. Their confrontation lasts for years, but one day Megamind still manages to win.

However, this does not please him at all, because without Machomen, a villainous life lost all meaning. Then Megamind decides to create a new rival for himself. But it turns out that he has his own plans for superpower.

In "Megamind" the handwriting of the director of "Madagascar" Tom McGrath is immediately recognizable. There are also a lot of parodies and references regarding various phenomena of film culture and even Barack Obama's election campaign. And it’s just a cute, shape-shifting story about a supervillain who has found love and his real vocation - to protect people.

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5. keepers of dreams

Rise of the Guardians

• USA, 2012.
• Science fiction, fantasy, action, comedy, adventure.
• Duration: 97 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.3.

Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and Sandman have been guarding children for centuries, protecting their dreams and hopes. Suddenly, the heroes are challenged by the villain Kromeshnik, who replaces childhood dreams with nightmares. The Guardians are not strong enough to resist him. And then they decide to seek help from the spirit-prankster named Ice Jack, but he is not at all eager to become a team player.

"Keepers of Dreams" based on a series of books by William Joyce shows the folklore characters loved from childhood in an unusual way. For example, the Easter Bunny is a strong man with a boomerang, and Santa Claus looks very courageous and brutal. Also, the latter hails from Of Russia and all covered in tattoos.

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4. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Werewolf Rabbit

The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

• UK, USA, 2005.
• Science fiction, fantasy, comedy, detective, adventure.
• Duration: 85 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.4.

The inventor Wallace and his dog Gromit decide to help their neighbors prepare for the annual giant vegetable contest. They set up a firm called Antigryz to combat pest rabbits. However, one of the heroes' experiments ends in an enchanting failure, and a mysterious beast is soon announced in the district, eating vegetables of local residents.

Nick Park's short plasticine cartoons about Wallace and Gromit have always been a great success. Following the triumph of Escape from the Chicken Coop, DreamWorks continued to work with Aardman Animations and commissioned the Park with a full-length film with a solid budget. And she did not lose: "The Curse of the Werewolf Rabbit" has become one of the highest-grossing doll cartoons of all time.

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3. Kung Fu Panda

Kung fu panda

• USA, 2008.
• Action, comedy, adventure.
• Duration: 91 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.6.

A clumsy, well-fed panda named Po works as an assistant in her father's restaurant, but dreams of becoming a kung fu master. The hero's life changes dramatically when he is accidentally chosen as the Dragon Warrior. Now, together with the Furious Five of masters, the panda will have to fight the ruthless Tai Lung, who threatens to destroy the valley. Only now the members of the group, like their teacher Shifu, are not at all happy with the newcomer to the team.

Incredibly funny cartoon subtly parodies genre cinema pro kung Fu. On the wave of success, he received two sequels (by the way, no less bright and successful) and an offshoot in the form of a series.

Kung Fu Panda is one of those DreamWorks movies that definitely needs to be watched in the original. The dubbing itself turned out to be quite good, but most of the jokes (and in some places the puns) are not conveyed quite accurately.

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2. Shrek

Shrek

• USA, 2001.
• Adventure, fantasy.
• Duration: 90 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.9.

The evil Lord Farquad expels all the fabulous creatures from his kingdom to the swamp, where a huge green ogre named Shrek lives. He is very dissatisfied with this decision, and then Farquad proposes a deal. In exchange for peace and quiet, the ogre must rescue Princess Fiona, imprisoned in a tower guarded by a dragon. By marrying a girl, Farquad expects to become king. But he did not take into account one thing: Shrek and Fiona can fall in love into each other.

Shrek has changed the standard of full-length animation in many ways. Big stars were invited to voice the characters, and among the jokes written with children in mind, frankly adult humor began to come across.

The success of "Shrek" multiplied an even more successful sequel, but the continuation of the case did not work: the third part came out weaker in terms of characters. The fourth film failed to fix the precarious position of the franchise, which had lost its former popularity. But the creators are not going to let go of the Shrek theme yet and sayShrek 5: Everything We Know About The Movie So Far / ScreenRant about the impending restart.

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1. How to train your dragon

How to Train Your Dragon

• USA, 2010.
• Fantasy, comedy, adventure.
• Duration: 98 minutes.
• IMDb: 8.1.

Fearless and mighty vikings live on the island of Olukh, where bloodthirsty dragons make constant raids. The son of the leader, Hiccup, alas, does not have the skills of a gallant warrior. But he manages to tame the rare Night Fury.

The hero calls his new friend Toothless and gradually realizes that dragons are not evil at all - they just need to be approached. But it is not so easy to explain to harsh fellow tribesmen that their old enemies are really good ones.

Perhaps this is one of the most touching and cute DreamWorks projects. The cartoon, on which the author of "Lilo and Stitch" Chris Sanders worked, firmly entered the list of animation classics and received two sequels.

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