It's official: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/04/28/comcast-to-buy-dreamworks-animation.html
It's also noteworthy that DWA owns the Classic Media Library, which was acquired four years ago: http://deadline.com/2012/07/dreamworks-animation-buy-classic-media-rocky-bullwinkle-305403/ (this includes the Raskin/Bass holiday classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", which SeaWorld bought the theme park rights for last year for an uncertain amount of time)
For the record, all stateside DWA-franchise park rights have expired and now belong to Universal. Of course, this most likely means more for Universal's Orlando resort which is rumored to be prepping a third gate. Yet for now let's speculate on what this means about our neck of the woods. First off, Shrek 4D no longer will have to be subject to contract renewals. Universal will now fully own the attraction. And that's... well, subjective for sure. (okay it sucks)
Secondly, with the deal being closed by 2017, could we see DWA characters such as Po from Kung Fu Panda, or Hiccup and Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon show up? The animals of Madagascar? That Jerry Seinfeld bee from Bee Movie? Hopefully not the Will Smith fish from Shark Tale.
Jokes aside: what do you think Universal Studios Hollywood could benefit from this bevy of acquired IPs?
The deal is expected to close by the end of 2016. When the acquisition is completed, DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg will become chairman of DreamWorks New Media and a consultant to NBCUniversal.
"Having spent the past two decades working together with our team to build DreamWorks Animation into one of the world's most beloved brands, I am proud to say that NBCUniversal is the perfect home for our company; a home that will embrace the legacy of our storytelling and grow our businesses to their fullest potential," Katzenberg said in a statement.
NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke said that DreamWorks is a great addition to the company and will help it "grow [its] film, television, theme parks and consumer products businesses for years to come."
"Adding DreamWorks to NBCUniversal will help us accelerate all three of these lines of business in the future ... This acquistion is a statement about NBCUniversal's commitment to keep building and investing in the creative part of the business," Burke told CNBC.
DreamWorks will bring a number of popular film franchises to NBCUniversal including "Shrek," "Madagascar," "Kung Fu Panda," and "How to Train Your Dragon."
It's also noteworthy that DWA owns the Classic Media Library, which was acquired four years ago: http://deadline.com/2012/07/dreamworks-animation-buy-classic-media-rocky-bullwinkle-305403/ (this includes the Raskin/Bass holiday classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", which SeaWorld bought the theme park rights for last year for an uncertain amount of time)
For the record, all stateside DWA-franchise park rights have expired and now belong to Universal. Of course, this most likely means more for Universal's Orlando resort which is rumored to be prepping a third gate. Yet for now let's speculate on what this means about our neck of the woods. First off, Shrek 4D no longer will have to be subject to contract renewals. Universal will now fully own the attraction. And that's... well, subjective for sure. (okay it sucks)
Secondly, with the deal being closed by 2017, could we see DWA characters such as Po from Kung Fu Panda, or Hiccup and Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon show up? The animals of Madagascar? That Jerry Seinfeld bee from Bee Movie? Hopefully not the Will Smith fish from Shark Tale.
Jokes aside: what do you think Universal Studios Hollywood could benefit from this bevy of acquired IPs?