The recent announcement that Pixar’s next release, “Up!,” would be screening at the Cannes Film Festival in May presumably did not go over very well with DreamWorks Animation’s Jeffrey Katzenberg -- especially as he stands at the ready with this weekend’s release of the highly anticipated “Monsters vs. Aliens.”
For years, Katzenberg has used the Croisette as a launching pad -- and parade grounds -- for such films as “Shrek” and “The Bee Movie.” In one memorable publicity stunt, Jerry Seinfeld leapt off the roof of the Carleton Hotel in a bee suit -- secured by wires.
Chalk one more up for Pixar, which has been in a nonstop tug-of-war with DreamWorks for the animation mantle ever since the two studios went head-to-head with two bug movies in 1998. Setting the tone for who would be trumping whom in this latest race, Pixar’s “A Bug’s Life” beat out DreamWorks’ “Antz” at the box office. (see accompanying chart).
Indeed, over the years, Pixar has largely prevailed, which means Katzenberg has a lot a stake with “Monsters.” The film -- about a group of monsters who band together to save the Earth from an attack by aliens -- is the company’s first-ever 3D release, and Katzenberg has been tub-thumping even more vigilantly than usual, proclaiming that, with the advent of 3D, a “revolution” is at hand.
He has motivation to talk big: No less than his company is riding on the success of the film, seeing as going forward, all DWA movies will be made in the 3D format as opposed to being made as 2D movies and converted afterwards. The switch puts an even larger burden on the budget -- the 3D process adds another $15 million to production, so that “Monsters” cost about $175 million -- plus another hefty sum to market.
And Pixar had to go ruin the party.
The rivalry between the two studios, at least from the DreamWorks side, has always been intense, made all the more so by Pixar’s cozy relationship with Disney -- which unceremoniously axed Katzenberg after a decade’s worth of service in 1994. (Before buying Pixar in 2007, Disney distributed Pixar’s movies.)
At one point, several years ago, Katzenberg ordered a raid on Pixar talent, telling one executive, “We need to get those guys -- we need to hurt ‘em.” Needless to say, the ploy was unsuccessful. Like its Silicon Valley cousin Google, Pixar is known as a comfy, creative beehive, and is not a company people like to leave.
Disney -- which, in another perverse twist, just signed a distribution agreement with DreamWorks Studios, Katzenberg’s erstwhile sibling company, run by Steven Spielberg -- was also a fierce competitor with DreamWorks in the 1990s, until Disney’s animation division petered out with films such as “Hercules” and “Tarzan.” Recently, Disney re-entered the game, since being retooled under the direction of Pixar's Ed Catmull.
Now, as if stealing Cannes weren’t enough, “Up!” -- about a curmudgeonly old man and a young boy who find themselves on an airborne adventure around the world -- has also snagged DWA’s traditional, sweet-spot May release date.
