DreamWorks and Aardman part company

The animation giants will go their separate ways following the disappointing performance of 'Flushed Away'.

Jan 31 2007

After months of speculation, DreamWorks have finally announced the termination of their five-year partnership with Aardman Animation.

The companies collaborated on 'Chicken Run', 'Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit' and more recently 'Flushed Away', the latter of which failed to make much of an impression at the box office following a massive initial outlay.

'Both companies are aware that our ambitions have moved apart' said Aardman co-owners Peter Lord and David Sproxton.

In his own statement, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said 'Today, DreamWorks Animation is focused on producing two computer animated movies per year, with a full film slate laid out into 2010. While I will always be a fan and an admirer of Aardman's work, our different business goals no longer support each other.'

Personally, I think this is the right move for Aardman. 'Chicken Run' and 'Wallace and Gromit' were works of genius, up there with the best of both Disney and Pixar in terms of creativity, entertainment and universal appeal. But the largely CG 'Flushed Away' was a noisy mess of a movie that, like most of the animated movies coming out of America at the moment, tried too darn hard. So get back to your roots boys, and maybe kick off the new era with that long-overdue 'Morph' movie!

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