Before we start, I’d like to clarify 2 things: 1. They’re not all bad with the Dragons series and Dinotrux being notable exceptions and 2. I have no ill will towards anyone who likes these shows, especially children, who these shows are aimed towards. If you like these shows, more power to you, but personally, I expected more from DreamWorks Animation. With all that said, let’s talk about their television division.
Okay, so a common and valid criticism when it comes to DreamWorks Animation as a company is some of their movies don’t take full advantage of their concepts. Don’t get me wrong, as much as I like Turbo, Monsters vs Aliens, Trolls, The Boss Baby (yes, really) and to a lesser extant Home, I feel as though they could’ve been so much better than they were. The same is unfortunately true when it comes to their TV shows as I feel as though they barely scratch the surface of what their concepts could be. The Penguins of Madagascar show had some moments of fun, but on the whole, it’s just standard following generic plots and rather unfunny humor. The same can also be said for Monsters vs Aliens, which I thought really squandered it’s premise more so than the movie. Then there’s Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness which…uuuuuugggggghhhhhh. It astounds me how forgettable this show was. You’d think this show would have more effort put into it, but no they just did the bare minimum like all there other shows. Things didn’t get much better when they moved to Netflix. The Adventures of Puss in Boots is really subpar, especially when you know the character was a stand out in Shrek 2 and held his own in his solo film. I like Julian and all, but did we really need a show dedicated to him. He works best when he’s surrounded by the other characters in the Madagascar movies. As much as I hate *she who shall not be named* from the Mr. Peabody and Sherman movie, I’d still watch that film as opposed to the painfully frustrating New Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show. VeggieTales in the House was pretty underwhelming, ditto Home: The Adventures of Tip and Oh, Spirit: Riding Free (aka DreamWorks’ bland version of The Saddle Club), Trolls: The Beat Goes On and most recently, Boss Baby: Back in Business. Turbo F.A.S.T. was the only other DreamWorks animated show I watched more than 5 episodes of and that was really out of boredom. I have not seen Dawn of The Croods, and I never will as I feel it’s just going to be like all the other DreamWorks animated shows.
So, what’s my problem here? Well, there are 3 factors that play into why these shows don’t work for me. 1. The writing is basic with predictable plots, morals we’ve heard a thousand times and underwhelming conflicts. It also doesn’t help that the attempts at humor fall flat as the make easy puns, tired toilet humor and annoying running gags. 2. The voice acting. No disrespect to the talents of John DiMaggio, Kevin Michael Richardson, Jeff Bennett, Tara Strong or Grey DeLisle (among other professionals who work on these shows) but the actors suck. They sound like they’re trying way to hard to imitate the original actors that played the characters in the movies and it just feels so forced. The guy who played Po in Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness just doesn’t sound like Po. He sounds like a guy pretending to be Po. And before you say the original actors were busy, DreamWorks couldn’t afford them to come back for the show, or they were only contracted to voice the characters in the movies, please answer me this: why? Why were there circumstances that prevented Jack Black from voicing Po in the tv series and yet Jay Baruchel had no trouble voicing Hiccup again outside the movies? 3. The animation. Before you say it’s television, no it’s not. Just because it’s cheap that doesn’t excuse it from looking bad. The shows made in flash look awful, with very flat character designs, basic backgrounds and uncanny animation. The shows that use 3D animated look stiff and lifeless, with character models that are restricted when it comes to being expressive. Also the backgrounds and settings just look flat and empty. Of course I’m not expecting film quality animation, but I know for a fact this is not the best DreamWorks Animation can do. Look at the animation in Dragons: Race to the Edge in comparison to Boss Baby: Back in Business. You can tell one has more effort put into it than the other in terms of quality. Money isn’t the problem when it comes to producing these shows; it’s how these shows are produced that makes them feel lackluster.
Overall, I think these shows are the text book example of wasted potential. The writing is basic, the voice acting is terrible and the animation just has no life to them. I must emphasize that I have no ill will towards fans of these shows. I simply expected more from DreamWorks Animation.
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