Dreamworks is a movie company popularly known for its family selection of animated movies. It is the home of iconic animated films like Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon. However, Dreamworks is not just a powerhouse of children’s films, but also live-action films that grown-ups can enjoy.
Below is a list of top Dreamworks movies. The movies listed are compared based on the following factors with corresponding weights: box office in tens of millions (4), Rotten Tomatoes average between critic and audience score (3), and IMDb percentage score (3). Scroll down below to see what movie is Dreamworks’ best so far.
1. Kung Fu Panda
Box office: 63.2/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 85/100
IMDb: 76/100
Rating: 73.58/100
Being about a panda who is mastering the art of kung fu and eventually fulfilling a prophecy, the first Kung Fu Panda movie tops the list of Dreamworks’ most iconic movies. The film showcased an unusual father-and-son dynamic and a clumsy but determined main character. Those dynamics made Po’s (the panda’s) character arc more relatable and enjoyable. Kung Fu Panda was the third highest-grossing film of 2008 and received a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the 2009 Oscars.
2. How to Train Your Dragon
Box office: 49.5/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 95/100
IMDb: 81/100
Rating: 72.6/100
Next to Kung Fu Panda is the movie which introduces viewers to the fan-favorite adorable dragon, Toothless. How To Train Your Dragon is about the enmity of a certain Viking clan towards some dragons. The main protagonist, Hiccup, wanted to become a dragon slayer, but after stumbling upon and being unable to come to kill one, he realized that the hatred was not what it seemed.
3. Shrek
Box office: 49.1/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 89/100
IMDb score: 79/100
Rating: 70.04/100
Shrek is Dreamworks’ most notable character. People may forget the name of the panda in Kung Fu Panda or the trainer of Toothless in How to Train Your Dragon. However, no one can forget who Shrek is, or even the “name” of his donkey. The first Shrek movie in 2001 followed a fairytale-like setting, where Shrek, the titular main character, was introduced as an ogre but acted as the prince who saved a damsel in distress, Princess Fiona.
4. 1917
Box office: 38.5/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 88.5/100
IMDb: 82/100
Rating: 66.55/100
1917 is the first non-animated film in this list, produced by Dreamworks. A thrilling war film, 1917 followed, in a quite literal fashion, Corporal Schofield as he delivered a message that would be vital in preventing massive bloodshed. The film was so impressive that it bagged three Oscar awards – Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Cinematography.
5. Puss in Boots
Box office: 55.5/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 77/100
IMDb: 66/100
Rating: 65.1/100
Another Dreamworks’ inspired by a classic fairy tale, Puss in Boots was about the life of Puss before the events of Shrek 2 (2004). However, Puss in Boots was not adapted from the fairy tale, but rather only focused on the character that came from the said fairy tale, and is a spin-off of the Shrek franchise. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2012 Oscars but did not win.
6. Madagascar
Box office: 55.7/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 60.5/100
IMDb: 69/100
Rating: 61.13/100
This list is not complete without the film that helped popularize “I Like To Move It”. Madagascar takes place in the country of Madagascar after several zoo animals ended up there. Regarding its success, a reviewer from IMDb noted that the film “achieved the perfect fusion between 3D animation and comedy.”
7. Megamind
Box office: 32.2/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 72.5/100
IMDb: 73/100
Rating: 56.53/100
Megamind is a unique movie in terms of character perspective. The film was from the perspective of the villain, who wanted to overturn the hero. Several games were also released on Xbox, PS3, and Wii inspired by the movie.
8. The Boss Baby
Box office: 52.8/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 52/100
IMDb: 63/100
Rating: 55.62/100
The Boss Baby is one of the blockbusters of 2017. It featured a baby who appeared and acted more mature than his older brother. A Netflix series was produced in 2017 while a movie sequel was released in 2021.
9. Over the Hedge
Box office: 34.0/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 73/100
IMDb: 67/100
Rating: 55.6/100
Over the Hedge was about animals scavenging for food but had to face humans along the way. The film had an interesting message, it was that a family would always be there, and there was no need for anyone to hide anything from their family. It was also the first movie in this list where the humans were seen as an antagonist against the animals.
10. Penguins of Madagascar
Box office: 37.3/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 68.5/100
IMDb: 66/100
Rating: 55.27/100
Penguins of Madagascar took place after the events of Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. It is a spin-off of the Madagascar franchise whose main focus was the penguin characters. Penguins of Madagascar also left a mark on the Internet culture with one particular meme template.
11. Mr. Peabody and Sherman
Box office: 27.6/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 77/100
IMDb: 68/100
Rating: 54.54/100
Like Kung Fu Panda, Mr. Peabody and Sherman had an unusual father-and-son pair. The film was ahead of its time by integrating time travel with schooling life in an animated movie. It took its viewers to some majestic scenes of the past like the French Revolution and Ancient Egypt.
12. Trolls
Box office: 34.7/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 71/100
IMDb: 64/100
Rating: 54.38/100
Trolls was a colorful and musical film featuring the voices of Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake. The movie paralleled the Smurfs by having the theme of a greater being that wanted to “eat” them, as well as the central characters being small creatures living in nature. Trolls received a nomination for Best Original Song in the 2017 Oscars for the song “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
13. Letters from Iwo Jima
Box office: 6.9/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 88.5/100
IMDb: 78/100
Rating: 52.71/100
Letters from Iwo Jima is a war film from the Japanese perspective. The title is inspired by the last scene, where there were countless letters sent by the soldiers defending the eponymic island but never arrived to their loved ones on the mainland. This is one of the two films in a foreign language on this list.
14. Home
Box office: 38.6/1007Rotten Tomatoes: 58.5/100
IMDb: 65/100
Rating: 52.49/100
This 2015 film featured a race of aliens who were inferior to humans in terms of intelligence. They colonized the Earth as they were on the run from their main enemy, the Gorg. They relocated the humans to a single piece of land; however, one human was not relocated and it was up to the fugitive alien, Oh, to bring the human back to her family.
15. The Kite Runner
Box office: 7.3/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 74.5/100
IMDb: 76/100
Rating: 48.07/100
The Kite Runner is based on the Khaled Hosseini novel of the same name. It took place in Pakistan and Afghanistan during the political turmoil which would also see the rise of the Taliban. The tale was about two childhood friends separated by their circumstances, with the title being inspired by “runner” that went after losing kites in the kite fighting games in Afghanistan.
16. Perfume: Story of a Murderer
Box office: 13.5/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 66.5/100
IMDb: 75/100
Rating: 47.85/100
Perfume followed the story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a slave with an extraordinary sense of smell as he was brought to several masters while he tried to concoct the “best” perfume in the world. The twist, however, was his perfumes required some highly specific details and ingredients, which ended up making him kill several women. Perfume’s ending had a strong shock factor, the first being the orgy after he released his “perfect” perfume in the air, and the second was when he “applied” the “perfect” perfume on himself.
17. Flushed Away
Box office: 17.8/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 69/100
IMDb: 66/100
Rating: 47.62/100
The 2006 film Flushed Away featured the voices of Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet. It was about a pet rat, Roddy, who was flushed down from their apartment (hence the title) and had to work his way through it. The film won several Annie awards, including Voice Acting in a Feature Production.
18. Bee Movie
Box office: 29.4/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 51.5/100
IMDb: 61/100
Rating: 45.51/100
The Bee Movie was more on the educational side of Dreamworks’ movies. It featured the bees as a main player in the food chain, but their choice to not produce honey anymore meant there was no more pollination and nature died. However, it also highlighted human consumerism, that they essentially profited off the works of the other animals without recognizing them.
19. Shark Tale
Box office: 37.5/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 41/100
IMDb: 60/100
Rating: 45.3/100
Shark Tale was a movie often described on the Internet as “a shark wanting to be vegan.” It featured the voices of Will Smith and Angelina Jolie. The audience disliked the bland plot, but that is what makes Shark Tale notorious and unforgettable.
20. Need for Speed
Box office: 20.3/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 39.5/100
IMDb: 64/100
Rating: 39.17/100
The 2014 Need for Speed movie is produced by Dreamworks. It is the cinematic adaptation of the Need for Speed game franchise by Electronic Arts. The film was about a racer who raced to avenge his father’s death. The cast is led by Aaron Paul.
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