The Best Animation Studio Just Launched Its Own Streaming Channel
Dreamworks has launched a kids and family entertainment streaming network in France, joining a number of other countries offering the service.
According to a recent report in Deadline, DreamWorks has launched a kids and family entertainment streaming channel in France, and the channel is now available in 43 nations, having recently rolled out to Mexico, Chile and Brazil. NBCUniversal International Networks & Direct-to-Consumer, which oversees the channel, said that it is now available in 35 million households worldwide, having recently struck a number of affiliate deals in Hong Kong for the Asian market.
Jennifer Lawlor, Senior Vice-President of DreamWorks Animation International, NBCUniversal International Neworks & Direct-to-Consumer, said “This debut in France and our 2022 launches in Latin America and Brazil build upon on-going expansion of the channel – following on from recent launches Africa, India and Australia. We are excited to continue to grow DreamWorks’ footprint attracting new audiences with the very best in kids’ entertainment.”
The DreamWorks slate of properties include The Adventures of Puss In Boots, Home, All Hail King Julien, Rise of the Guardians and Dawn of the Croods, with all programming dubbed into local languages. DreamWorks has released 42 feature films to date, with The Bad Guys as its most recent, and with its 43rd, Puss In Boots: the Last Wish, scheduled for release on December 21st of this year.
Formed as a division of DreamWorks Pictures in 1994 with alumni from Amblin Entertainment’s former animation branch Amblimation, DreamWorks Animation was spun off into a separate company in 2004. NBCUniversal acquired DreamWorks Animation at a cost of $3.8 billion in 2016. The studio originally made traditionally-animated films, but now exclusively relies upon computer animation. Its productions, including The Prince of Egypt, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and the Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon franchises, have received several accolades, including three Academy Awards, 41 Emmy Awards, numerous Annie Awards and multiple Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations.
The Kung Fu Panda franchise is really the property that put DreamWorks Animation on the map, in a field which had previously been dominated by Disney and Pixar for a great many years. The franchise has already made a staggering $1.8 billion in worldwide box office numbers through the first three movies, with all three films being critical and audience successes as well. All three have enjoyed over 70% and 80s% approval ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. In addition, the franchise has spawned three spin-off series: Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, The Paws of Destiny, and the newly announced The Dragon Knight. A growing franchise, the tale of Po also spawned four short films: Secrets of the Furious Five, Secrets of the Masters, Secrets of the Scroll, and Secrets of the Panda Paws. And just like any great franchise, Kung Fu Panda also received its own holiday special back in 2010.
Recently, Jack Black returned to the role of the titular panda in Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, a new series which began airing on Netflix in July. The numbers for that series might have been enough to warrant a new film, as DreamWorks Animation announced that Kung Fu Panda 4 would be kicking its way into theaters in March of 2024.
