DreamWorks Animation Joins Hollywood Rush Trading Discounts for Amazon Exposure

In a promotion that creates some strange checkout-cart pairings, Amazon offers a free download of DreamWork’s original animated film when you buy another item

A still from Kung-Fu Panda
DreamWorks Animation/20th Century Fox

If you already had Play-Doh or a Kindle on your shopping list today, then Amazon and DreamWorks have a deal for you.

The giant online retailer and DreamWorks Animation are giving away free downloads of “Kung Fu Panda” to customers who buy another eligible item on Amazon’s site, as a promotion for the third installment of the animated franchise set to hit theaters next month.

It’s the latest example of Amazon giving Hollywood the chance to discount its products in a promotion to the retailer’s massive customer base. The company, which surpassed Wal-Mart this year as the world’s biggest retailer by market value, launched a program earlier this month that lets programmers like Showtime and Starz bundle their streaming video catalogs with its Prime membership program, including the potential for promo rates.

It’s also the largest-scale movie giveaway Amazon has ever done, the company said. Amazon didn’t initially disclose how the companies are footing the bill for the freebies, and DreamWorks declined to comment.

Amazon said eligible purchases include anything sold or fulfilled by Amazon.com. On a landing page that suggests various eligible items, the retailer is emphasizing holiday movies, its own electronics, and toys like Jenga and Play-Doh.

The offer if good through Jan. 1.

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