Every DreamWorks Movie - Ranked II

Welcome to the second part of my DreamWorks ranking. Only 20 movies left. Let's continue.

In case you somehow missed it: Part I

Mr. Peabody & Sherman isn’t honestly as great as I was led to believe. It’s a fun watch about a dog dad and his human son that I do care about and want their relationship to work despite the challenges. The time travel stuff, on the other hand, isn’t that interesting. It allows for some whimsical and funny things, but during the third act, it just gets too messy. Time travel is a fun concept, but it’s been executed much better in other works I like, such as Futurama. Some historical inaccuracies are also sadly prevalent.

The movie is great when it focuses on the titular characters and has a good sense of humor. It’s a hard movie to hate. This ranking might seem a bit low, but it’s still a good film that I just don't vibe with that much.

It’s the fan favorite of DreamWorks movies. I’ll admit, The Road to El Dorado is a joyful watch and it has great elements, but as a whole, it’s just fine.

Miguel and Tulio are great main characters, their chemistry and humor is brilliant. The animation and art direction are pretty and impressive. The Elton John songs are unsurprisingly great, even though the movie had every reason to be a full-on musical, considering how awesome “It’s Tough to Be a God” was. The story is fine, and it’s funny. And what else? Um…

The plot gets really messy. There are things that seemingly come from nowhere and the movie tries to juggle a lot at once, and none of them feel complete towards the end. Several things, including the falling out scene between Miguel and Tulio, and the climax, should’ve been better. Chel is fun and is responsible for the best sex scene out of any movie in this list but isn’t that intriguing of a character. I can see why people really love or dislike this film. In my opinion, it’s a classic, good movie that’s nowhere near the studio’s best work.

Captain Underpants is actually good, I’m surprised. I did read the books when I was younger, and I’d say the movie stays true to its source material. The animation and stylistic tones are wonderful. The characters are great, George and Harold make for a fun main duo. The story, while simple, is good as well. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and flows decently. Professor Poopypants is a good villain. There are problems, for example, I feel like the final battle could’ve been better and didn’t see that Melvin kid to be that necessary. It’s obviously not a flawless movie, but I had a good time watching it. Well done, Captain Underpants movie.

Chicken Run is a charming film. Beautiful stop-motion animation, great score, funny jokes, menacing villain, stellar action. What keeps it from being genuinely great is the story, I wasn’t really feeling it. It seems to jump back and forth with the Mel Gibson rooster pretending to be able to fly in order to save the chickens from the murderous farm owner, the inevitable liar reveal scene, and a random plane building plan. It doesn’t feel that cohesive or well-paced for me. Then again, there are enough good things in here to make the movie overall enjoyable. The characters are fun (although I really didn’t think Ginger and Rocky should’ve fallen in love), Mrs. Tweedy is a threatening villain, and the plane escape scene is wonderful. A neat film, no doubt.

I actually enjoyed Over the Hedge. Even if the movie admittedly has a mellow premise, tiresome tropes, and a few jokes that don’t land, it is still a joy to watch. I like RJ and his attempt to exploit primitive animals to get food in order not to get eaten by a bear. The woodland family is fun, and they never feel like overly comedic, one-note characters. Verminator is a great villain. The cast is wonderful, I honestly really liked Bruce Willis as a voice actor in this.

The usual tropes are prevalent in the movie and it kinda lost me at the climax, but they’re still nothing that annoying. It’s a good-looking, joyful film with great Ben Folds songs. Obviously nothing that special, but Over the Hedge isn’t trying to be more than a fun movie.

Alright, let’s get this over with. Kung Fu Panda 3 is good movie, but easily the worst of the trilogy. It just does not reach the heights of the first two movies. That said, there are good things here. The father dynamic is pretty good. Po’s arc and the expectations he has to deal with are done well. I like Li. Master Oogway is great. The movie clearly is a Kung Fu Panda movie, it stays respectful to its world and builds and develops it further. The Spirit World battle is stunning.

And for the worse parts: the movie’s pacing, rhythm, and timing are kinda off at times. Sometimes it makes the viewing genuinely jarring. The panda village is a good addition, but it kinda is to blame for those problems. Kai is also good, but nowhere near as intimidating or interesting as the other villains in the franchise. The mastering chi -stuff just kinda happens.

I have my problems, but Kung Fu Panda 3 is still a movie worth watching. Considering DreamWorks’s output during the release, it’s somewhat of a surprise it turned out this good.

Out of all controversial takes in this blog, this might be the biggest one. HTTYD 2 is easily the least good from the trilogy and I don’t just see it in the same light as most. It is still definitely a good movie, great sequel, and has a lot of good things in it.

I’ll start with those. This is a HTTYD movie, it doesn’t drift from that fact tonally, artistically, or in any other way. It has a lot of worldbuilding and picks up from the first movie well enough. Every single scene with Valka and Stoic is incredible, Gobber is great as always, Eret is a decent character. It is dark, has stakes and heart.

And yet, there is a lot going on not in the favor of the movie. Drago as a villain is not anything great and honestly embarrassing. The pace and tone feel lost, things like discovering Hiccup’s mother and Stoic’s death just aren’t executed as well as they should’ve. The sidekick kids are never that good and are way more annoying on this movie. The humor on its own is also very hit-or-miss. A lot is going on, but somehow it ends up feeling like nothing happened. HTTYD 2 is good, but so disappointing when thinking of what it could’ve been.

From one sequel to another. I have no idea how Shrek 4 manages to be this good. The themes of losing grasp of what you once thought was important and not appreciating the good things in your life are extremely well told. The whole take on the original Shrek movie and telling a deep, interesting story with it is so cool. Rumpelstiltskin is a brilliant, quirky villain. The stakes are high, and the movie never forgets it. Seeing Shrek trying to make Fiona fall in love with him is great, even if tedious at times. That scene in which Shrek disappears from the timeline unironically made me cry, something the other Shrek movies never did.

The Ogre village stuff is sometimes lame, the timeline of the story becomes a bit messy, and the plot and pace could’ve used some tuning. Despite flaws, I still absolutely like and appreciate Shrek 4. It has actual stakes, heart, great humor and is easily better than Shrek the Third as a sequel. Definitely not the best Shrek sequel, but we’ll get to that soon.

Rise of the Guardians is great. From the worldbuilding and animation to the story and characters, it’s a very thought-out, smart, and pretty distinct movie. It is about Jack Frost and other mythical guardians trying to stop the world from Pitch Black. It is a great premise and makes for an exciting watch. The titular guardians are all stellar. Jack Frost is a really intriguing and well-written main character that you want to figure out who he really is, I have to give props for that. The villain, Pitch Black, is probably the weakest element in the movie. He is nothing interesting or even that frightening and just serves (adequately enough) as the bad guy the guardians have to stop.

I honestly don’t have any bigger complaints. Rise of the Guardians manages to be very balanced, gripping, touching, and warm. It is a movie that definitely deserved more success.

It’s kinda hard to believe how epic Megamind is. It’s a great, subversive superhero/villain turned good movie. It’s got smart writing, great pacing, good sense of humor, brilliant cast, heart, and stellar animation.

The story takes a great approach to the themes of what society thinks you are and how expectations and your environment affects you. Megamind is the bad guy because everything that’s happened has led him to believe that. Seeing him accept that he can be much more is wonderful. I also want to mention Hal, a really intimidating and well-executed villain. It’s a great take on someone getting super strengths, this is exactly what would happen if a self-entitled incel like him got powers.

Megamind is funny, exciting, heartfelt, and surprisingly mature and developed for being a superhero movie spoof. Impressive to say the least.

Shrek is a classic, and for a reason. It has great humor, heart, and tons of rewatchability. It is also very influential and a huge middle finger to the fairytale tropes expected in animated movies back then.

The story is great, well-paced and still holds up. Shrek is an intriguing and well-realized character that’s misunderstood by others. He and Donkey make a genuinely good and fun duo. Fiona is great and Lord Farquaad is a decent villain. The pop culture references and songs fit really well. The animation, even if a bit dated, is great. The falling-out misunderstanding scene is probably the only thing that could’ve used major improvement. Even if Shrek has kinda turned into a meme, the movie fully holds up and had a big influence in animation. A great film, even if it’s just the 10th best quality-wise, it’s the most important one this studio has released.

I like Aardman, and from the movies they’ve made with DreamWorks, Wallace and Gromit is definitely the best one. Very funny, witty, and cheeky. It’s exactly what you’d expect from Wallace and Gromit. The story and premise are great. The Ralph Fiennes hunter is a fun and menacing villain. The climax of the third act is so funny and exciting. I love the animation, music, characters, sense of humor, and the way the movie handles the horror film parody angle. Maybe the story’s pacing and the inevitable realization that Wallace is the Were-Rabbit could’ve been a bit better, but that’s nitpicking. It is not a compelling masterpiece, just a very charming, entertaining, and fun movie.

I have no shame in saying that the random horse movie is insanely good. Even if it has noticeable problems, it is still incredible and underrated. The said problems are the songs: apart from maybe one, they suck. Also, I have no idea why 4 of them were crammed in the first 25 minutes. Another one is the odd decision to have Matt Damon narrate Spirit’s thoughts. It doesn’t bother me that much, thanks to it not happening that often and the lines being pretty well-written, but the film would’ve probably been better without him.

And the good things? Almost everything else. This is an artistic, passionate, and beautiful film. I love the horses’ animation, the backgrounds, the way the nature looks. I deeply care about Spirit and his struggles, joy, and pain. I love the side characters. The action and riding scenes capture pure excitement perfectly. The score is goddamn phenomenal, easily in the DreamWorks top 5. It fits every scene and captures all the emotions. This is emotional to watch. I wish I could rank this higher, sadly not because of the prevalent problems and the fact that the following movies are somehow even better. Speaking of…

Yes, it’s this good. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a subversive, epic, and beautiful movie. The story might be a little simplistic on its own and it takes a bit to start properly, but when it does, it’s amazing and entertaining.

The storybook illustration animation works incredibly well. Every action scene is beautifully and excitingly animated and executed. The themes of fear of death and running away from the inevitable are done really well. The characters are all great and engaging, from the titular character to the villains. Puss, along with Kitty and Perrito are obviously great. Jack Horner is really funny. Death is amazing and intimidating.

The movie is funny, frightening, and emotional. This shows that the Shrek franchise, and DreamWorks as a whole, still has something new to offer. Go watch this movie and be amazed.

I stand by this. HTTYD 3 is an incredible movie and finishes this brilliant trilogy beautifully. I’ll admit, it has prevalent problems, and I did lower its place upon my recent rewatch, but I still find its place up here deserved.

The less good elements are extremely prevalent: the pacing is weird, and the story gets clunky at times. Things seem to just happen. The sidekicks are probably the most annoying they’ve ever been.

But these things don’t even matter when I think about everything else. This movie has massive stakes, constant feeling of threat, great, menacing Grimmel as the villain, insane action and flying scenes, beautiful animation, and score. I’m really glad the movie went for such a bittersweet ending, it absolutely had to. Humans and dragons cannot coexist freely because of such threats as Grimmel. It is for the best for both. This movie probably has the greatest ending out of all DreamWorks movies. This feels like a genuine HTTYD series finale. You might not like this, and I can see why. But I do, a lot.

Kung Fu Panda 2 is incredible. With clear flaws in it. Sometimes the movie’s humor and jokes don’t hit, and they genuinely make some scenes jarring and annoying. It’s also not as epic as its predecessor.

At the same time, this is a very powerful and emotional movie. Po’s discovery of his past and the need to face trauma is very intense and well-written. Lord Shen is one of the best villains DreamWorks has created. He is evil, scary, and him being very personal foe to Po makes him all the more compelling. The scenes where Po faces his traumatic past, manages to find inner peace and defeats Shen are some of the best this studio has ever created.

The movie is well-animated, the fights are exciting, it has funny jokes, and the other characters are great. This is a stunning, personal movie and a great sequel.

I honestly consider Shrek 2 to be one of the best DreamWorks films. It’s amazing how well-made and executed it is as a movie and a sequel. Shrek’s fears and him having to cope with them are shown in a very mature and smart fashion. You begin to question his and Fiona’s relationship and fear how the different challenges will affect it. Fairy Godmother, along with her plan, presence, and evilness, make her an awesome villain.

The story feels complete, it’s really tightly written and still has room for great jokes and new characters. The direction, visuals, and mature tone are brilliant. The “I Need a Hero” climax is one of the most epic things out of any animated movie. Almost everything feels thought-out and earnt. This is the best sequel and Shrek movie by DreamWorks, just barely better than Kung Fu Panda 2. And we’re not even in the top 3 yet. These are movies that hold a special place in my heart, and I doubt they’ll ever be topped.

The fact that Kung Fu Panda is this amazing is pretty noteworthy. The premise of a fat Jack Black panda studying kung fu could’ve easily become lame, but no, it became one of the best works of this studio. It is a subversive, epic movie that clearly had love and passion behind it.

Po just might the best DreamWorks protagonist. His struggles with impostor syndrome and fitting in a world that he clearly isn’t expected to live in are extremely well told and developed. Master Shifu’s struggles with reaching expectations set by his master and trying to succeed in his mission despite having no faith in Po or himself is compelling. Tai Lung is a textbook example of an intimidating, personal villain. The Furious Five are also great. And then there’s Master Oogway, of course. He’s epic.

And that’s just the characters only. The action sequences, from Tai Lung’s prison escape to the bridge battle, are insane. You know shit’s about to go down every time the animation slows down. The score and animation soar. The message of no secret ingredient existing and finding value in yourself is great. Overall, an awesome movie.

I love this movie. How To Train Your Dragon is enjoyable, exciting, funny, gripping, passionate, and magical. I adore almost everything in it. From Hiccup’s character arc, to the brilliant worldbuilding and design, to the development of Toothless and Stoic. The story and pace are great, hitting every note they need to.

The score and animation sell it all. Every time there’s a brilliantly executed flying scene, I can’t help but fall in love again every time I watch this movie. As you can tell, I really appreciate HTTYD. The concept, the world in the movie, the story, and themes it sets out to tell all work wonderfully for me. It’s also funny and almost every character is great and memorable. And “almost” refers to the comedic relief sidekicks, who honestly aren’t even as annoying and don’t mess the mood as much as in the sequels. I always enjoy watching HTTYD. It might be my favorite from DreamWorks, but I couldn’t put it first. There is one more movie which truly is in a league of its own.

The Prince of Egypt is a masterpiece. Movies like this just shouldn’t exist. It tells the story it wants to tell with full respect and leaves really no room for improvement in any aspect. It looks, sounds, and feels like pure passion.

I’m not religious nor do I believe the story of Moses to be true, but that doesn’t take anything away from watching this movie. It is a perfect adaptation. Anyone can enjoy this. The brother dynamic is powerful. This movie might just have the best beginning out of any animated movie. Every single song is great. The celebrity voice actors and jokes don’t take anything away from a serious film, just add more. Killing of the first born and splitting the Red Sea -scenes petrify me every time I see them. I can’t do this movie justice with words.

Is this the best animated movie of all time? Well, definitely not, but it doesn’t take anything away from what an immersive experience The Prince of Egypt is. It is the best movie DreamWorks Animation has ever made, not even a close call.

That sure was exhausting. What I learned from watching all these movies is that DreamWorks has a very diverse filmography. Some are great, some are bad, some are just fine. I still enjoyed doing this project and got a chance to watch brilliant movies. Congrats if you managed to make it this far, thanks a lot for your time. I'll probably go watch some movies now.