For years I have been singing the praises of Pixar and wishing that Dreamworks would get its act together. And I wish that this post was different. But alas, after seeing MegaMind last night, I again have say that Dreamworks' story writing just doesn't make the cut. Not by a mile.
Now here's the thing. Dreamworks has potential. Soooo much potential. They made it big all those years ago with Shrek. Shrek had everything you could want out of an animated film. Beautiful character animation, gorgeous background art, great voice actors, great comedy, suspense, adventure, and oh yea, A GREAT STORY. The reason people went crazy over Shrek, besides it's uniqueness and originality, was it's amazing story.
Did I mention that Shrek was based on a book? Unless I am mistaken, Shrek is the only Dreamworks animated film that was adapted from a book. The writing for the rest of their films, even the Shrek sequels, is just plain sloppy and unmoving.
While I really don't want to compare them to Pixar, I kind of HAVE to. Pixar doesn't even begin animating a film before they have a script so tight that the Oscar committee would probably nominate it without even seeing the movie. They make sure that they have a story that is sure to blow people away, and with very very few exceptions, they have done so every single time. The writers at Pixar push boundaries, they challenge their audience's imagination and preconceptions about what an animated film can be. They don't assume their audience is too dumb to get a concept and they're not afraid to expose an audience that's largely children to things like death, love, redemption, and faith, just to name a few. They make films about things that are important to them, not what they think will sell. (Of course Disney's involvement has diluted that quality in them in past years). The point is, the reason that Pixar is at the top of the entertainment mountain is because of the slogan that they follow every single day: STORY IS KING.
Why is it so difficult for others to grasp this concept? Dreamworks, Disney without Pixar, hell, all the live action studios just don't seem to understand this. Is everyone so money hungry and scared of bankrupcy that they can't see this? Walt Disney did not make Snow White by seeing what Dwarf names would sell the most plush toys. He made it by putting a third mortgage on his own house just to get it made. And it shows. When you watch a Pixar movie, you can tell that people's souls have been poured into every aspect of the creation. Writing, animation, lighting, backgrounds, everything.
When you watch a Dreamworks film... you might laugh a bit but you won't remember the movie after about a month. Maybe you'll remember the joke that had you laughing, but 9 times out of 10 it was the voice actor that made the joke funny, not the writing.
Every time I go to a Dreamworks animated film, I go in hopeful but wary. Just look at the trailers. They usually contain one funny joke after another, with no indication of what the story is about or why we should care. Ok, so comedy is their thing, I get that. But make us care about what we're watching. Make us WANT to laugh with these characters instead of a funny line every 20 seconds. Pixar's trailers usually have a few jokes in there too, but for the most part they suck you into the completely new world that they've created and make you want to be a part of it. And the jokes are just a bonus. (Toy Story 3 was an exception, since we already knew the world and so we needed the jokes to suck us in, but the movie was still awesome)
My main gripe is that Dreamworks has SO MUCH POTENTIAL. Yet every time I go to a Dreamworks film, it falls flat. They're excellent at creating worlds, but there's nothing in those worlds.
I feel like this is a story meeting at Dreamworks:
"Hey, lets make a movie about a panda who wants to do karate!"
"Ok, cool! We can set it in China and have some really gorgeous backgrounds and scenery!"
"Awesome! Now what's gonna happen to this Panda?"
"...Ninja stuff."
"Ok...."
"...It'll be cool ninja stuff! And we'll make him like a fat guy that wouldn't usually do karate! It'll be hilarious!"
"Didn't they already do that with Chris Farley?"
"No, no, this will be better, we'll get someone not as fat.... How about Patton Oswald?"
"Naahh, Pixar just used him, wait how bout Jack Black?!"
"Perfect!"
"Awesome!"
".....so what happens to Jack Black panda?"
"....Ninja stuff...."
"......This is gonna be awesome."
And so a huge animation studio is put to work on Ninja Bear Movie while the writing team tries to make it awesomer and awesomer till they realize they're stuck. When the higher ups realize this, they fire them, hiring new writers who have completely different ideas about what the film should be. Do that a few more times and now you've got a hideous stew of premises and plots that all add up to one thing: "Let's hope Jack Black is funny enough to carry this thing."
I just wish that people would start to realize that cutting corners doesn't get you money faster, it cuts your standards faster, till all you've got is sequel after sequel of films that did well because there was nothing better to go see and at least it looked pretty. Funny jokes will get you box office success but how many people will remember your film when they leave? What will your legacy be?
At times I feel like Salieri in Amadeus, who can appreciate others' genius in music but cannot write it himself. I know great writing when I see it, and conversely, I know crappy writing when I see it. I may not be the best writer in the world, but then I'm not working for one of the biggest studios in history. STEP UP THE GAME and prove me wrong Dreamworks writers. Knock my socks off and prove that you have what it takes to make a film that moves people and doesn't just make them laugh. You have a great gift, please don't waste it. I'll be watching.
