Last month a DreamWorks Animation ‘theme park’ was announced as part of a shopping and entertainment complex that is under construction at the Meadowlands site in New Jersey. This DreamWorks location would be small, about 15 acres, and part of a larger complex. It’s not known what the budget is for the mall project, but we now know that DreamWorks and a partner in China will spend about $3.14 Billion to build a real theme park in Shanghai.
This is an interesting move for DreamWorks. It’s part of a larger play to grow audience share in China, a large market by any estimation, and includes a partnership with an Animation studio that will see movies like “Kung Fu Panda 3” produced in China. Opening a theme park in Shanghai, of course, will compete with Disney’s new Shanghai park for the city’s over 13 million residents. But it’s also an important foothold to develop mindshare in the Chinese people.
While a DreamWorks theme park does appear to be the next logical step for the brand, Jeffrey “Sparky” Katzenberg just can’t help copying Disney. If he really wants to out-Disney Disney, he’s going to have to truly create something new. I just don’t know if he has that in him at this point in his career. What do you think?
Weird. I like Dreamworks movies, but for me they characters pull on my heartstring like the Disney ones. I think there movies are just to comical and ruff. Good movies, but not Disney storytelling.
Doesn’t Universal Shanghai already have Shrek and Madagascar themed areas? I doubt Universal is happy with this announcement.
I would think their movie base is too small to make a massive theme park. What popular animated movies do they have besides Shrek, KFP, and How to train your Dragon that they could base the theme park on? Are they going to also use live action movies to help theme the park like Universal Studios?
I don’t doubt they could make something successful, but I can’t see what they’re going to base the park on.
I think the Dreamworks movies are okay but not really on a par with Disney storytelling as others have already stated. As for copying they really can’t beyond building in the same area, the Imagineers have been so secretive on this project as opposed to others that I don’t think well know whats in the park until it opens.
This actually makes a lot of sense, considering they just acquired Classic Media. It will give them a large stable of characters to populate the parks with and many of the properties Classic owns are popular in Asia.
If you look into it and read the full press coverage-it’s not a theme park! It’s an entertainment center like “The Grove” or Downtown Disney.
I believe it’s part of a larger entertainment center.
There is no “gate” or admission, there are no rides. It is not direct completion to Disney in Shanghai as both sides have stated. The post title “Dreamworks Announces 2nd Themepark” isn’t really accurate.
There honestly isn’t a harder working, more motivated man in the industry. He loves what he does, and will continue to do everything to make people happy while doing what he loves. He will succeed because that is who Jeffrey Katzenberg is.
Comments are closed.