Non-Disney Animated Films

DreamWorks - Part 1

Like Don Bluth before him, Jeffrey Katzenberg was a member of the Walt Disney Studios team until 1994, when he left after a major disagreement with Disney chief Michael Eisner. Katzenberg is credited with the string of Disney hits that ran from 1989's The Little Mermaid to 1994's The Lion King. Along with Steven Spielberg, he formed DreamWorks SKG as a rival to Walt Disney Studios. DreamWorks has also had a string of memorable animated features, culminating in 2001's Academy Award winning Shrek.

Antz
(1998 - 83 min. - DreamWorks) ***

Plot: Computer-animated: A shy worker ant leads a rebellion against the war-mongering soldier ants in his colony.

The Prince of Egypt
(1998 - 97 min.- DreamWorks) ***

Plot: A retelling of the Bible story of Moses as he leads the Hebrew people out of Egypt. There was a 1999 video-only sequel about the Bible story of Joseph, King of Dreams.

The Road to El Dorado
(2000 - 89 min. - DreamWorks) ****

Plot: Two con men in Spain travel to the New World in search of El Dorado, the legendary City of Gold, but instead find a series of misadventures trying to evade the Spanish Conquistadores.

Chicken Run
(2000 - 84 min.- Aardman/DreamWorks) *****

Plot: Stop-action animated: With the help of an American circus rooster, a plucky chicken in an English chicken farm leads a massive escape attempt by all the chickens when they learn that the farmer's wife intends to turn them into chicken pies.

Shrek
(2001 - 88 min. - DreamWorks) *****

Plot: Computer animated: A green ogre named Shrek and his pesky sidekick, a talkative donkey, set out on a mission to rescue Princess Fiona from a terrible dragon and bring her back to become the wife of the power-hungry Lord Farquaad. [2001 Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature]

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
(2002 - 82 min. - DreamWorks) ****

Plot: A free-spirited stallion in the American frontier resists attempts to be tamed by humans, yet forms a strong friendship with a young Indian brave. [2002 Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature]

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
(2003 - 85 min. - DreamWorks) ***

Plot: To save his childhood friend's life, Sinbad must travel to a mythical city beyond the horizon to recover the Book of Peace that was stolen by an evil godess.

Shrek 2
(2004 - 105 min. - DreamWorks) *****

Plot: Shrek and Princess Fiona, with Donkey in tow, travel to the Kingdom of Far, Far Away to meet Fiona's parents, who aren't happy about the marriage. [2004 Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature]

Shark Tale
(2004 - 90 min. - DreamWorks) ****

Plot: A fast-talking fish finds himself in trouble when his tall tales of heroism are found to have been fabrications. [2004 Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature]

Madagascar
(2005 - 80 min. - DreamWorks) ****

Plot: Four animal friends who live at the Central Park Zoo break out in the hope of getting to Africa, but they soon find themselves stranded on the island of Madagascar in the company of the local animal residents.