It has been a rather impressive year for DreamWorks. Having upped their game over the last few years to compete with rivals Pixar, their movies are growing stronger each year. With How To Train Your Dragon 2 and Penguins of Madagascar released in 2014, the studios next outing will be Home featuring an unconventional alien invasion. With more notable films, you have to wonder who their best character is.
With that in mind, here is a countdown of DreamWorks top ten charactersL
Mr. Peabody and Sherman may not be the most successful Dreamworks film or feature the studios best known characters but it's easily their most underrated film. Featuring the time traveling adventures of the World's Smartest Dog - Peabody - and his adopted son. What the film lacks in originality it makes up for in great characters. Peabody is voiced to perfection by actor Ty Burrell who is able to inject the character with both intelligence as well as warmth. His relationship with his son is a great centre to the film and hopefully, over time, the film will gain more recognition.
Chris Rock is one of the funniest comedians on the planet. His adult style of observational humour has made him world famous so the idea of him voicing a family character seemed odd. Yet through DreamWorks animation his voice syncs perfectly with Marty the Zebra. Instead of crude jokes his voice here brings with it sarcasm and early frustration at being taken from The Zoo and stranded back into the wild
This might be something of a fangirl choice but still a valid character. Unlike his fellow Guardians, Jack Frost has no set mythology allowing the studio to fully create a new back-story. The shadow of a boy who lost his life saving his sister. he now acts as the the Guardian of Fun and Mischief. Chris Pine's masculine voice adds an emotional depth to the character and you only have to search his fanfiction to see how audiences have taken to him.
So many forget that this traditionally animated film is the early beginnings of DreamWorks. The religious story of Exodus told in animated form is a beautiful example of hand drawn animation. The struggle of Moses, voiced by Val Kilmer, and his people may seem like a dark subject matter for a family feature yet it's stands as a coming of age tale as well as a history lesson. As if the story were not enough, to place Moses on our list our film editor recommends watching this classic tale over that bloody Ridley Scott trife. (Ed: Here! Here!)
The early controversy over Antz was due to it's similarity to Pixar's A Bug's Life. Allegations that the concept had been taken by those who moved to DreamWorks from Pixar financer Disney plagued the films release. Although, in honesty, the Pixar film is superior this is still a great film. In place of a masculine hero, the film is led by over thinking worker ant Z. Wanting to be an individual in a colony the film tells the audience to always be true to yourself. And being voiced by akward comedian/director Woody Allen does help
Santa Claus is a character that is so recognisable and iconic the idea of recreating him is difficult. Yet with Rise of the Guardians a range of different legends have been re imagined. The most impressive re imagined character is that of North. Through DreamWorks vision and the vocal talents of Alec Baldwin North is both wondrous and intimidating. A santa to live in our day and age complete with Naughty/Nice tattoos and a Russian accent.
In forth place is the funniest sidekick any Orge could ask for, Donkey from Shrek. The character, arguable the funniest in the Shrek franchise, revitalised Eddie Murphy's career. It also reminded us why we loved him so much once. His perfect comedy timing made Donkey one of the films best selling points; loyal and cute all rolled into one. You also have to give any man props who dates a women/dragon twenty times his size who could cook him alive.
In third place is the leader of an elite undercover task force operating right at the heart of DreamWorks. The flightless foursome may have made their debut in the Madagascar series but luckily for us they finally got their own feature last year, The Penguins of Madagascar, who are led but the unshakable Kowaski. Always ready for whatever the film will throw at him he handles each scenario with with and humour. Walking proof the penguins are not just cute and cuddly.
In second place it's the cutest dragon ever created, Toothless from the How To Train Your Dragon series. For anyone who has ever read my work you will understand how hard it was to not crown the beautiful Night Fury first place. Although he dominates the hearts of many he is the runner up in this list. Yet isn't he amazing. The perfect mix of cute and yet powerful he reminds you of why at one point everyone wanted a dragon. His entrance in the first film captured our hearts but it's sequel showed us just what he was made of. Protecting his best friend Hiccup as well as their home who knows what the third film will bring.
In first place on this list of DreamWorks finest characters is the most lovable of ogres Shrek himself. When Dreamworks first released Shrek there was an air of baiting their rivals Disney/Pixar. The film, which features many a classic fairytale character, completely went against convention by making the leading man an Orge. Usually Orge's are evil creatures yet here its prince's and merry men you have to worry about. The reason Shrek steals the crown from my beloved Toothless is simple. Dragon may be the film that put Dreamworks back on track but Shrek is where the studio first established it's self as a studio to be reckoned with.
What Do You Think?
What do you think to the list?
Who would you add or exclude?
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