DreamWorks Animation Announces 'Madagascar 2'

[ivanisavich]

You've gotta be kidding me.

[JeroenDStout]

Boo!

*throws the first rock*

[skurge13]

Holy cow, I had no idea that movie did so well in the box office. Why is it Dreamworks 3d movies are always so short on story yet do so well?

[mangolass]

Glad they will release that direct~to~video ~ it wouldn't fly as a movie in theaters.

I do feel sorry for the people working in that factory, tho.

LT

[MarGera]

Well i am pleased, i didn't mind the movie at all, why has everything got to have a deep story. FOr me it is a chance to go out and just have a laugh, if i want a deep story i will watch LOTR or somthing! PLus the CGI in this film was lovely, the beach scene's looked amazing.

[MarkusM]

Glad they will release that direct~to~video ~ it wouldn't fly as a movie in theaters.

I do feel sorry for the people working in that factory, tho.

LT

Huh!?
We are a pretty happy bunch of people here actually as far as I can tell.

You should hear stories from other places in the industry. There was a online survey done at
http://www.surveyhell.com/ (http://www.surveyhell.com/?q=worst_vfx_company_to_work_for) it got pretty bad at times.

[SheepFactory]

I do feel sorry for the people working in that factory, tho.

LT

Yes those poor people working at PDI\DW , life must be hell :rolleyes:

[Brettzies]

Glad they will release that direct~to~video ~ it wouldn't fly as a movie in theaters.

I do feel sorry for the people working in that factory, tho.

LT

It says "in addition to the sequel." The direct to dvd/video will be the Penguins movie.

Why feel sorry for people at DW? They work on a beautiful campus, get free lunch and sometimes dinner, get profit sharing if their films do well, have good tools, and produce nice looking films. Most of the artist have zero control over the story, they're just doing their job trying to make it look good.

You make it sound like they are working at POW camp for cold soup and stale moldy bread.

[tntcheats]

Why feel sorry for people at DW? They work on a beautiful campus, get free lunch and sometimes dinner, get profit sharing if their films do well, have good tools, and produce nice looking films. Most of the artist have zero control over the story, they're just doing their job trying to make it look good.
Not good enough.


I haven't watched Madagascar, but I've heard good things about it.
I agree that movies don't need an intricate and detailed plot to be good (never helped the Starwars movies). They just need a good one.

[MarkusM]

Not good enough.



I am not sure if I understood your comment, but I do think that Madagascar and Shrek2 had some of the most stunning visuals ever in CG feature animation.

[agreenster]

Madagascar was hilarious!!

Some people here on CGTalk just like to gripe, while their own work looks lilke crap. It's true.

Keep on rockin DW!! :thumbsup:

[asparapani]

Holy cow, I had no idea that movie did so well in the box office. Why is it Dreamworks 3d movies are always so short on story yet do so well?

Because there is a market for those types of films.

[polygun]

Madagascar was hilarious!!

Some people here on CGTalk just like to gripe, while their own work looks lilke crap. It's true.

Keep on rockin DW!! :thumbsup:

Uh...yeah sure, i guess. Nobody is critisizing the art. However, there are reasons why this movie sucks.

- The storyline sucks to many people.
- COME SEE THIS MOVIE! IT HAS MANY CELEB VOICES!
- They are contributing the the oversaturation plagueing CG movies right now
- The movie has no soul, it feel like it was churned out by suits and not creative minds.

[dax3d]

I liked the movie. I thought it had a very cool stylized look to it, and was "fun". I laughed at parts, even if they were silly gags... I was not a fan of Shark Tale (story not graphics), but really enjoyed this one. Plus if I remember correctly it's doing huge business overseas, and setting a record in some countries for an animated film. I wouldn't feel bad for folks at PDI/Dreamworks, sounds like they're having fun. Could be a lot worse than working on Madagascar 2.

[Bentagon]

I really liked Madagascar, but I just don't see the creative need for those two sequels. I do think the idea of a penguin short was a good one, though. I'm really looking forward to how Over The Hedge, Bee Movie and Kung Fu Panda turn out, cause I thought the posters were really appealing, and I'm hoping this Madagascar 2 doesn't push any of these a couple of years back.

- Benjamin

[Pavlovich]

i have nothing constructive to add to this discussion other than i enjoyed madagascar. :)

[BillB]

While the crit of the story has some justification, they're not making these things for us. I took my kids, and they loved it, and I had a blast too. It was fun, I loved the 50's-animation inspired design, and the animation was great. Not every film has to be some slaved-over pinnacle of the story-telling art. I got my $10 worth.

But what do I know - I just bought the Robots DVD ;)

[andy_maxman]

you gotto switch off your artistic mode and watch a movie like you are in no ways associated with cg.......its the worst thing to do.....it kills the fun....

there were a bunch of kids seated in front of us and they had reason enough to jump out of their seats every minute.....so i dont see any reason why there should not be M2.......besides, it business for some of them.....
cheers!

[Rye]

All the kids I teach loved the first one, so I'm sure they will want to go see the sequel. I'll probably go see it too if the animaton is anywhere near as good as the first. And while it would be great if they created a completely new movie, its more work for animators, which can't be a bad thing.

*ding 800*

[BiGMaCHiNe]

Feel sorry for them? yeah, right. I would kill for an oppurtunity to work in such a studio. And i know at least a hundred other animators that feel the same way.

[syndrome]

the effects and characters looked really lively
second one should be great too


ps. i thought i had heard about the movie doing horrible in box offices... i guess i was wrong.. and im glad to hear that :)

[jasonsco]

Just to let everyone know, the sequel isn't scheduled to push anything else we have currently in the pipeline back. So it's probably going to be a 2008-2009 release.

The film has crossed the $500 million mark world-wide, with $200 million at home and $300 million overseas (betcha couldn't have done that math on your own, eh?). That makes it the 5th most profitable CG movie.

[beaker]

AAnd while it would be great if they created a completely new movie, its more work for animators, which can't be a bad thing.Don't worry, atleast 4 out of 6 of their upcoming films are original material.

[coboman]

I'm glad they are making a sequel. I didn't like the first one, but I think that sequels in animation is a good thing, because it lets people enjoy the characters a second or third time.

In live action, if you like a performance by a movie star, you can watch them again in another movie. It would be ridiculous to just have Angelina Jolie in "Hackers" and never hire her again because they need "original material".

I think animation needs superstars, like Mickey Mouse, or Donald Duck in the past. Characters you can watch again and again and each time love more.

Good luck to Dreamworks animation, since it looks like it is the only division of Dreamworks that is not banckrupt.

[FunkyCowie]

I really liked Madagascar, for pure entertainment value, which is what it was intended for. There were some parts, granted, that didn't having me laughing but mostly it did.

Pixar are better on soul, Dreamworks are better on entertainment. I still lean towards Pixar as being better though but that is a personal opinion because I like a story that has more depth, not that Dreamworks doesn't, its just more obvious.

One of my great friends works at dreamworks, lucky @*&#$#!, and he thinks its the greatest place on earth... well almost :)

[veljko-lemonade]

Well,
eather alot of people here really KICK SOME MAJOR BUTT if they can critique in souch a way a cg movie as good as this- I mean thoes beach scenes totaly rocked! And im no 18een year old kid with 2 months of expirience in the biz...or (and this is more likely), we have lot of people waisting time which they should be using to get their skills on the level of the folks envolved with this flick, rather then posting critiques...
If my stuidio could produce souch lovely cg i would be proud, pleased and veeery happy:)
Saying all this i must admit that the start of the movie was a bit boring for me, and the story was nothing special,- in the second half the movie picks up and is much more funny and entertainig and the whole expirience was most enyojable:)
comparing it to some other hollywood movies (like the "war of the worlds", or the last "star wars") i think its more then fair that it did good in the box office!
So, im looking forward to the sequel and if anyone in the studio is reading this thread, the new web site of my studio will be up and running in a week or so- drop by (www.lemonade3d.com), and if we can help in any way with the sequell give us a ring, will ya?:)

oh yes, i could write 5 pages more of good things in this movie
great work guys!

[Slurry]

lol
That was the funniest post I've read in a while. :D

[Shaderhacker]

You've gotta be kidding me.

Great! :rolleyes: They are making PDI a sequel lab. It should be the other way around. PDI should do the originals and Dreamworks the sequels..

-M

[Shaderhacker]

Huh!?
We are a pretty happy bunch of people here actually as far as I can tell.

You should ask around more Marcus. ;)

I think what she is saying is that even though you are working on a successful franchise, yet again, the artists are forced to work on old material. One of the big positives about Pixar is that EVERY movie is a new original film - not some sequel. I can imagine some of the artists there that worked on Shrek 1 being tired of working on the Shrek characters. Same would go for Mad.


-M

[worker_bee]

You should ask around more Marcus. ;)

I think what she is saying is that even though you are working on a successful franchise, yet again, the artists are forced to work on old material. One of the big positives about Pixar is that EVERY movie is a new original film - not some sequel. I can imagine some of the artists there that worked on Shrek 1 being tired of working on the Shrek characters. Same would go for Mad.


-M


Yeah those poor Shrek artists...i bet your right..i bet they are tired of working on movies that make a billion dollars...and i bet they are sick of there huge bonus checks they got from Shrek and Shrek2...

I wouldnt want to buy a house or a Porche with my bonus either...

[beaker]

One of the big positives about Pixar is that EVERY movie is a new original film - not some sequel.And Toy Story 2 was what exactly?

BTW PDI/DW is pretty flexible about moving people around, so if they didn't want to work on another Shrek then pending the availibility, they could go onto another team, or move to DW Glendale.

[MarGera]

Yeah those poor Shrek artists...i bet your right..i bet they are tired of working on movies that make a billion dollars...and i bet they are sick of there huge bonus checks they got from Shrek and Shrek2...

I wouldnt want to buy a house or a Porche with my bonus either...

I Agree, it would be amazing to work on somthing special like shrek, and i am pleased that there work gets the rewards it deserve's. Better then most of the crap that comes out of Hollywood and you get one big star taking home millions, when they dont deserve it!

[beaker]

You should ask around more Marcus. ;)I know plenty of people that hate working for Disney, and Pixar too, so to each his own. Same for just about every other company(just look at that poll for worst company that was up till a few days ago).

[BillB]

One of the big positives about Pixar is that EVERY movie is a new original film - not some sequel. *cough*ToyStory2*cough*

[BillB]

Saying all this i must admit that the start of the movie was a bit boring for me, and the story was nothing special Isn't that the only thing that's been criticised? You just killed your own rant! :)

[BillB]

In live action, if you like a performance by a movie star, you can watch them again in another movie. It would be ridiculous to just have Angelina Jolie in "Hackers" and never hire her again because they need "original material". A better conclusion of that example is, would you want a "Hackers 2"? :eek:

[Shaderhacker]

Yeah those poor Shrek artists...i bet your right..i bet they are tired of working on movies that make a billion dollars...and i bet they are sick of there huge bonus checks they got from Shrek and Shrek2...

I wouldnt want to buy a house or a Porche with my bonus either...

LOL! Those bonus checks weren't nothing compared to Blue Sky's bonus check for Ice Age. Hell, my bonus check for Shrek 2 wasn't even half of it. So unless you are some Producer or Director, you didn't get Ferrari purchasing money.

And I know quite a few artists that are indeed tired of working on the same stuff.

P.S. It's not always about the money. Most people like to venture forth into new territory which makes the job less redundant.

-M

[Shaderhacker]

I know plenty of people that hate working for Disney, and Pixar too, so to each his own. Same for just about every other company(just look at that poll for worst company that was up till a few days ago).

I didn't mention anything about hating to work at a place. My point was working on the same characters from movie to movie gets old and I can clearly see people saying, "oh no, not again.."

-M

[Shaderhacker]

*cough*ToyStory2*cough*

They didn't want to make this.. Disney did. Even now, if you look into some articles, it is clear that Pixar wants new original films.

-M

[leigh]

So much cynicism... I bet it a lot of it can be chalked up to bitterness.

I loved Madagascar. Time will tell if the sequels are any good, but I'll definitely give them a chance.

[BillB]

They didn't want to make this.. Disney did. Even now, if you look into some articles, it is clear that Pixar wants new original films.
-M Good point. Though I thought I read somewhere that they'd be happy to do a TS3 - if it was them doing it. But generally speaking, you're right, they do take a more purist approach to their art, and that's a good thing.

[Firefox]

I dont know why people are not happy with Madagascar .. i think it freaking :buttrock:ROCKED:buttrock:

We don't need a story driven movie all the time.. Sometimes just a light entertainer like Madagascar RULES!!!...:thumbsup:

And i think making a sequel is just FINE.. after all come on guys its all about making some money and to kee the company running.. and if the movie is a hit overseas and they see a potential for a sequel why not...I think its GREAT

And i think if people complain about getting bored of working on the same characters again and again ( like someone mentioned in the post ).. FOR GODS SAKE UR GETTING PAID FOR YR JOB.....stop complaining about things.... if ur not happy working... look for another job man... OR START YR OWN COMPANY WHERE YOU WILL EVEN MAKE SEQUELS...

No hard feelings guys.. they are just my personal thoughts....

Madagascar ROCKED

cheers

[Shaderhacker]

.... if ur not happy working... look for another job man...

Yeap. That pretty much sums it up. They definitely do look for other jobs.. :thumbsup:


-M

[private]

When does Shrek 39 and Shark Tale 24 come out? What about Madagascar 29?

[dilipale]

Madagascar genuinely made me laugh. Was a little slow at he beginning, with a couple of the early scenes feeling like they were repeating themselves, but once it gets going it is a very easy going movie. The King Lemur did steal the show though. If anyone is listening, make sure he gets a part in the new movie. Best of luck to them I say.

[dax3d]

In live action movies, they have tons of sequels. I'm not saying it's right..but Police Academy 8? C'mon, the kids love these movies...and obviously lots of other people did too. These movies are selling billions.

[worker_bee]

LOL! Those bonus checks weren't nothing compared to Blue Sky's bonus check for Ice Age. Hell, my bonus check for Shrek 2 wasn't even half of it. So unless you are some Producer or Director, you didn't get Ferrari purchasing money.

And I know quite a few artists that are indeed tired of working on the same stuff.

P.S. It's not always about the money. Most people like to venture forth into new territory which makes the job less redundant.

-M

Wow what a horrible comparison. Considering people who got that IceAge bonus came to DW after IceAge and almost doubled there base salary and then got bonuses on top of that....that argument doesnt work

As for redudant projects....as beaker said....if you dont want to work on Shrek sequals or whatever you can easliy goto Glendale and work on original movies like Flushed Away, Over the Hedge, Kung Fu Panda or Bee Movie. Its very easy to move from one place to the other.

[beaker]

LOL! Those bonus checks weren't nothing compared to Blue Sky's bonus check for Ice Age. Hell, my bonus check for Shrek 2 wasn't even half of it. So unless you are some Producer or Director, you didn't get Ferrari purchasing money.Yea, but Blue Sky pays people 3/4-half what people get at PDI/DW and the cost of living there is even worse then the Bay.

[beaker]

The King Lemur did steal the show though. If anyone is listening, make sure he gets a part in the new movie.That was Sacha Baron Cohen. Check out his hillarious "Ali G Show" on dvd or HBO.

[Shaderhacker]

Wow what a horrible comparison. Considering people who got that IceAge bonus came to DW after IceAge and almost doubled there base salary and then got bonuses on top of that....that argument doesnt work

That argument *does* work. I don't think you know the extinct of the amount of money the *average* artist got at Blue Sky for Ice Age. Simply put for a movie like Shrek 2 that made $430M and was capped at $300M for bonus', DW's bonus sucked in comparison to Blue Sky's bonus. That's just fact.


As for redudant projects....as beaker said....if you dont want to work on Shrek sequals or whatever you can easliy goto Glendale and work on original movies like Flushed Away, Over the Hedge, Kung Fu Panda or Bee Movie. Its very easy to move from one place to the other.

A lot of the more valuable talent their have homes in the area and don't want to move to LA (for whatever reason), so they opt to get jobs elsewhere in the bay area.

-M

[Shaderhacker]

Yea, but Blue Sky pays people 3/4-half what people get at PDI/DW and the cost of living there is even worse then the Bay.

A salary and a bonus are two different things. One who accepts a job offer at PDI/DW would probably do so even if there were no bonuses or someone who works at PDI/DW and suddenly they cut off bonuses would more than likely still work there.

Your salary is based on what you are worth and what you can negotiate. That's at any job. Stocks, bonuses, etc.. are extra that may or may not be an option, so I wouldn't count bonuses along with salary because it's too much of an unknown and not an obligation. If they didn't issue out bonuses how many people will say they didn't get paid? On the other hand if they cut off salaries, then all hell would break loose!

-M

[puch]

Glad they will release that direct~to~video ~ it wouldn't fly as a movie in theaters.

I do feel sorry for the people working in that factory, tho.

LT

I would feel more sorry for the people working on Toy Story 3...

...this franchise business is really sucking all the fun out of this job!

[Shaderhacker]

I would feel more sorry for the people working on Toy Story 3...

...this franchise business is really sucking all the fun out of this job!

Yeap, agreed here too. Too many sequels isn't a good thing in my book at least.

-M

[Bentagon]

Simply put for a movie like Shrek 2 that made $430M and was capped at $300M for bonus',...They don't count overseas? Why's that?

- Benjamin

[Shaderhacker]

They don't count overseas? Why's that?

- Benjamin

Don't know. Those were the conditions though. The bonus cap was $300M Domestic only.

-M

[worker_bee]

A lot of the more valuable talent their have homes in the area and don't want to move to LA (for whatever reason), so they opt to get jobs elsewhere in the bay area.

-M


You can also work offsite. Alot of people from Glendale worked on Shrek2 and Madagascar and didnt have to move. The same is happening on Penguins short and Over the Hedge movie. You dont have to relocate to work on original projects.

[Shaderhacker]

You can also work offsite. Alot of people from Glendale worked on Shrek2 and Madagascar and didnt have to move. The same is happening on Penguins short and Over the Hedge movie. You dont have to relocate to work on original projects.

Come to think of it, that is actually true. Since the pipe is becoming shared, this can be more and more common.

You do have to admit though, that it's not as easy as just walking up to your Sup and saying "I want to work on this film down in Glendale." Everyone there gets contracts for particular shows (some of them for a specified time). They would have to go through all the red tape to get what they want.

-M

[beaker]

You do have to admit though, that it's not as easy as just walking up to your Sup and saying "I want to work on this film down in Glendale." Everyone there gets contracts for particular shows (some of them for a specified time). They would have to go through all the red tape to get what they want.It is easy, but people don't like to because they might loose their status by working on a team with supervisors you have never worked with before. Oh, DW doesn't sign per movie deals anymore for their contracts, most are time based now.

[Shaderhacker]

It is easy, but people don't like to because they might loose their status by working on a team with supervisors you have never worked with before.

I disagree.


Oh, DW doesn't sign per movie deals anymore for their contracts, most are time based now.

Hmm.. that's new on me..

[Thakandar]

I have to agree with a lot of people here - madagascar had a really nice artistic
feel, but the story was too predictable and ended (strangely) without a real ending,
like they cut a few corners in the last stage of production.

I used to do the same in my exams at school when i realized i had only 30 minutes to go, just WRITE WRITE, or pretend it's a dream and the protagonist wakes up, or... the rescue boat runs out of fuel followed by a slapstick remark that "we'll tell em later" or something. :p

Hopefully the follow-up will be more thought-through story-wise, but keep the animation and the art direction - beautiful! :applause:

[Michal3d]

There really wasn't much story there, that was for sure. After coming out of the theatre,...I felt like I just watched a long saturday morning cartoon. It just didn't feel like a movie to me. It was generally entertaining here and there......but the animation was WAY to crazy. It was all over the place.....the lion in the beggining almost made me have motion sickness. It like "Let's move around alot because that's good animation!" I don't blame the animators....I blame the producers and the Director for thinking that's what animation is about. When the lion is finally does go crazy, there was no contrast to how he was acting in the beggining of the film. Basically, it had couple of decent moments.......but no way does it warrant a sequel.

[mangolass]

Yeah those poor Shrek artists...i bet your right..i bet they are tired of working on movies that make a billion dollars...and i bet they are sick of there huge bonus checks they got from Shrek and Shrek2...

I wouldnt want to buy a house or a Porche with my bonus either...

I'm sorry if you don't have a house or a Porche, but is your potensial bonus at Dreamworks so important that you have to come on cgtalk hyping~up everything Dreamworks releases and pretending to hate everything made by competitors like Disney, Pixar, etc.?

LT

[Shaderhacker]

I'm sorry if you don't have a house or a Porche, but is your potensial bonus at Dreamworks so important that you have to come on cgtalk hyping~up everything Dreamworks releases and pretending to hate everything made by competitors like Disney, Pixar, etc.?

LT

Come on Lissa. It's been a few weeks now since the last comment on this thread..:shrug:

-M

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.