Jeffrey Marches On

This is old news, but nevertheless ...

Jeffrey Katzenberg says he feels like he’s in his 20s again — starting a brand-new venture, WndrCo, built around media and technology.

The co-founder and former CEO of DreamWorks Animation, speaking at an event Thursday in New York hosted by Hearst, said it’s actually the sixth time he’s started over in his career, citing his CV at Paramount, Walt Disney Studios, DreamWorks SKG and DWA. “One of the things that has happened for me is that whatever came next was better than what I had before,” Katzenberg said. “You shouldn’t be fearful of starting over.” ...

Katzenberg noted that he had no intentions of selling DreamWorks Animation. He’d been planning to take the company private and sign on as CEO for another 10 years. “I felt passing the baton to Comcast, particularly them in this moment in time, was going to be better for [DWA’s employees], better for the company. ...

Truth out: Different industry execs told me a while ago that Mr. Katzenberg actually wanted to sell DWA for a lengthy period of time. But the economy swooned in '08, and there were no conglomerates who would meet his asking price, so it never happened.

My take? For Jeffrey, the journey was never about an undying love for animation. (Not that there's anything wrong with that).

J.K. likes animation well enough, but animation is (and was) beside the point. It's all about climbing, achieving, reaching the next level. Jeffrey pushed to be the new Frank Wells after Disney's #2 died in a copter crash, and Eisner (stupidly) said no. So Jeffrey partnered with some other big entertainment titans and made a success building a feature animation studio that later added a TV animation subsidy as well, and Comcast swooped in to buy the whole kit and kaboodle.

And whattayaknow? Mr. Katzenberg, who didn't want to sell the company, sold the company.

So now it's on to the next endeavor. Like Walt, Jeffrey has moved on from Cartoonland. Unlike Walt, he won't be keeping one foot in the biz, because animation isn't at the center of his being. Building the next company and scaling the next edifice is what drives him.

Sequelitis

DreamWorks Animation is definitely part of a conglomerate:

Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls is getting a sequel, and stars Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake will be back for it. Universal today set an April 10, 2020, release for Trolls 2, a date they had set aside earlier as an untitled Universal event film. ...

It's about box office, of course, but it's way more than that.

There is character merchandising to consider. And hit songs. And the amusement park tie-ins. (Those Troll costumes have be be accurate down to each tuft of fur).

Because the corporate imperative is to maximize every revenue stream, and spinning turnstiles are only part of the equation. Obviously Trolls has other things going for it besides a worldwide box office $339,528,172.

And the Winner Is ...

The 2017 Academy Award ceremonies are taking place now, providing one more chance for a Chosen Few to take home a shiny gold trophy.

Best Animated Short: Piper, directed by Alan Barillaro. Producer: Marc Sondheimer. From Pixar.

Best Animated Feature: Zootopia, co-directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore. Producer Clark Spencer shared in the win. From the Walt Disney Animation Studios.

What do we learn from the above? That the juggernaut known as The Walt Disney Company rolls triumphantly on. Congratulations are also in order to John Lasseter and Ed Catmull, running not one but two successful studios.

(And the "live-action" (like hell it is) Jungle Book wins for "Best Visual Effects". The hell?)

Lastly, Wilma Baker (below) made it into the "In Memoriam" piece, as did Tyrus Wong. So there is a few shreds of justice in the world.

Strike Time?

This sounds a wee bit like 2007-2008:

... According to the WGA West’s annual reports, screenwriters earned less in 2015 ($362.1 million) than they did in 1996 ($364.4 million) – and that’s in real dollars. Adjusted for inflation, they collectively earned about a third less in 2015 than they did in 1996. ...

“The general feeling is that everybody would prefer to work,” said [a] writer, “but given the companies’ profits and our declining wages, it’s now or never. This meeting was not a strike vote, but we have certain needs that have to be met. Nobody wants to strike, but we are willing to if we have to.”...

Guild records show that “overall median earnings increased 17.4% between 2008 and 2014,” but guild leaders say that “the average income of members in both features and series TV have actually decreased over the (last) decade.” ...

Toward the end of 2007, the WGA went on strike over the issue of New Media. The job action lasted months, and a chunk of the animation industry (not to mention much of live-action) was shut down. The nerves of many were rubbed raw before a settlement was ultimately reached.

This time around, if a lengthy Writers Guild strike happens, less of the cartoon business will be affected, because a smaller percentage of animation work is directly impacted by the WGA. Still in all, job actions are always tricky things. Hopefully the mere threat of a strike will be enough to propel the Writers Guild to a fair and equitable contract.

The Middle Kingdom Chases the Mouse

China has seen Disney Shanghai ... and concluded that there's gold in them there cartoon characters.

China Animation Characters Co, the mainland's leading animation firm, plans to introduce a clutch of globally renowned cartoon characters including Sonic the Hedgehog by Japanese entertainment giant Sega to the Chinese market as it strives to strike a chord with youngsters.

The Shenzhen-based animation company will also quicken the expansion pace of its indoor amusement parks across the mainland. ...

Zhuang Xiangsong, founder and chairman of China Animation, said the Shenzhen-headquartered company could compete against global rivals such as Walt Disney by introducing quality virtual reality products to Chinese people.

"Sega has blockbuster products that already attract millions of fans in Japan, and we believe the fun-filled attractions based on the characters could also make a success at our amusement parks," Zhuang said. "Banking on their reputation and popularity, we are not just a follower of the world's leading entertainment companies. Instead, we are on an equal footing in the Chinese market." ...

Translation: "Okay, we're using Japanese cartoon characters* to jump-start our market share in China, but we are NOT following anybody, okay? We're big boys here in China."

I donno. Sounds like they're aping Disney. But maybe it' an optical illusion.

* China Animation bought an 85.1% stake in Sega Live Creation to help them with amusement parks.

Bojack Win

So BoJack Horseman was the winner for animation at the WGA Awards tonight.

This is all well and good, but to the best of my knowledge, no labor organization represents writers, board artists or anybody else on Horseman, so my thought is

The fck?

"Cloudy", The TV Version

Sony presents the half-hour version of its theatrical hit:

And like DWA TV and Disney Television Animation, Sony opts for a two-dimensional small screen version of its theatrical hit. (Like other producers, Sony has taken note of the fact that CG is wonderful for the big screen, but it doesn't add eyeballs on the small).

... The series takes place before giant food rains down on Swallow Falls. Sardines are still the driving force behind the town’s booming economy. Fave character Flint Lockwood returns as a teenager trying to change the world one invention at a time. ...

The series premiers on Cartoon Network the first week of March.