__NOTOC__ The following is a list of unmade and unreleased animated projects by DreamWorks Animation. Some of these films or shows were, or still are, in development limbo. These also include the co-productions the studio collaborated with in the past (i.e. DreamWorks Animation Television, Oriental DreamWorks, Aardman Animations, Columbus 81 Productions, Bullwinkle Studios, World Events Productions, Double Dare You Productions, Scholastic Corporation, Harvey Entertainment, and Amblin Entertainment), as well as sequels to their franchises and one-off films. Contents:1990s: 1991199619981999 2000s: 200020012002200420052006200720082009 2010s: 2010201120122013201420152016201720182019 2020s: 202020212022202320242026 See alsoExternal sourcesReferences
1990s 1991 Type Title Description Feature film Bugs: Lights Out Before Disney and Pixar's Toy Story was released and DreamWorks was incorporated, the animation studio Pacific Data Images (PDI) pitched several computer-animated film projects throughout 1991. Page 5 One of the pitches was a film called Bugs: Lights Out about microscopic insect-like robots who were responsible for the entropy of electronics and machinery. Despite a completed script, character designs, and test animations, the project was shelved when PDI was selected by DreamWorks to instead produce Antz.
1996 Type Title Description Feature film InterWorld The idea of InterWorld surged in 1996, when Michael Raeves was developing an animated series for DreamWorks. Suggesting to Gaiman an idea for a possible animated television series, they collaborated on the story and unsuccessfully tried to sell it to various studios, including DreamWorks, which was not interested. The InterWorld idea ended up as a novel that was not released until 2007. In June of that same year, author Neil Gaiman reported in his journal that he had pitched the idea of InterWorld to DreamWorks back in 1996, but the executives were confused on the concept. Along with Michael Raeves, they later published their work into the novel, in which DreamWorks Animation had optioned into producing an animated film. Nothing came of it until June 2016, when the plans to make InterWorld as television series were revived by Universal Cable Productions, in association with Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller and his partner Flody Suarez. Nothing came of it since then.
1998 Series / type Title Description Antz Untitled Antz sequel A direct-to-video sequel to Antz was in development at DreamWorks at the time of its release. Like the first film, it was planned to be produced by Pacific Data Images (PDI). By early 1999, when DreamWorks closed its television animation unit and merged the direct-to-video unit with the feature animation, the sequel was still planned, but eventually the project was cancelled. Feature film Rockumentary In 1998, DreamWorks and PDI started development on a parody of The Beatles film A Hard Day's Night, about a Beatles-esque penguin rock band. The idea was shelved when they could not secure the music rights. When Madagascar went into production, director Eric Darnell decided to revive the penguins and make them a commando/spy unit instead of a rock band. Feature film Tusker In December 1998, DreamWorks and PDI announced their third computer-animated project titled Tusker, which was meant to follow Shrek. It would have been an original story chronicling a herd of elephants crossing southeast Asia. In their travels, they encounter a wide variety of dangers, including a band of marauding poachers. Tim Johnson and Brad Lewis, the co-director and producer of Antz respectively, were slated to direct and produce the project, and Morgan Freeman, Jodie Foster, Garry Shandling, Dana Carvey, Bruno Kirby and Don Knotts were part of the cast. Goosebumps Back in 1998, Tim Burton was attached to produce a film adaptation of the Goosebumps children's horror books by R.L. Stine, and it was going to be a co-production with 20th Century Fox. However, it was later scrapped because there was no script they liked nor a determined book or monster to adapt. It would take until 2015 for Goosebumps to be adapted into a feature film, when Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation released their own adaptation directed by Rob Letterman, along with a sequel in 2018, both of which starred Jack Black in the main role. Jurassic Park Chaos Effect An animated series based on the 1997 film The Lost World: Jurassic Park was commissioned by Steven Spielberg, and was to be developed by DreamWorks under the supervision of Steve Lyons. The series would have been released after the film with the same name and would have involved hybrid dinosaurs similar to Jurassic World, but was eventually shelved due to a variety of internal conflicts. Feature film The Wanderer Intended to be directed by Brizzi Brothers and Simon Wells, the story centered on a stray bear who joins a group of circus bears and changes their lives. The cast would have included Ellen Greene, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Jon Cryer, Amy Yasbeck, Joey Fatone, Dick Van Dyke, and James Gandolfini. The project was cancelled when Wells decided to direct the 2002 film The Time Machine.
1999 Type Title Description Feature film Tortoise vs. Hare By October 1999, Aardman was developing a film adaptation of the Aesop fable, The Tortoise and the Hare, with DreamWorks. In July 2001, they postponed production on the film as they continued to rework the script. Bob Hoskins, Orlando Jones, Brenda Blethyn, Alice Cooper and Lee Evans were set to voice the characters. Karey Kirkpatrick and Mark Burton were writing the script, though more writers were expected to be brought on to revamp the script. Peter Lord and Nick Park were slated to be executive producers while Richard Goleszowski was attached as director.
2000s 2000 Series Title Description Sonic the Hedgehog Untitled Knuckles the Echidna film On Twitter, comic book writer Ken Penders claimed that he was approached by DreamWorks to write a film starring the character from the Sonic the Hedgehog universe, Knuckles the Echidna.
2001 Type Title Description Feature film Moby Dick In December 2001, the Brizzi Brothers pitched an animated feature adaptation of Moby Dick to DreamWorks. It was expected to move forward into production following Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas for a potential 2004 release date. The Brizzi Brothers left DreamWorks and placed their project into turnaround at Sony Pictures Animation in 2003. Feature film Truckers A film based on The Nome Trilogy books was in the works from 2001 to 2011. DreamWorks acquired the film rights in 2001, and announced plans to combine all three books into a single film. It was to be directed by Andrew Adamson. In late 2008, Danny Boyle was attached to direct Truckers, but the project fell apart due to his financial problems. The following year, the Slumdog Millionaire'''s Oscar-winning screenwriter Simon Beaufoy was hired to work on the project. Plans to move forward with DreamWorks' adaptation resurfaced in 2010 with the announcement that Legend of the Guardians screenwriter John Orloff would pen the script for director Anand Tucker.
Tucker was later announced to direct another DreamWorks film Trolls'', which was planned to be partially based on a Pratchett novel, before he was replaced by Mike Mitchell.
2002 Series / type Title Description VeggieTales The Bob and Larry Movie The origin story of VeggieTales hosts Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber reveals how they met, how they got their own show, and answers the question how vegetables and fruit talk. This was the first film in the series to feature humans. According to Phil Vischer, Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie was their The Ten Commandments, while The Bob and Larry Movie was to be their Toy Story. The Bob and Larry Movie was originally planned to be the second VeggieTales movie with a released date in late 2005. It was placed into production in early 2002, toward the end of production of Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie. However, Big Idea Productions fell into bankruptcy in late 2002 and the film was placed on hold, as it was deemed too expensive. Vischer then wrote The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie as a replacement. In 2008, it was considered to be the sequel to The Pirates who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie, but talks stalled after the bankruptcy of VeggieTales owners Entertainment Rights and Classic Media. A decade later, Vischer said that The Bob and Larry script exists, but does not want it released because VeggieTales is now owned by Universal and DreamWorks. Gorillaz Celebrity Harvest After the release of the debut album Gorillaz, Jamie Hewlett announced a film adaptation of the fictional band titled Celebrity Harvest. The film was further teased in the 2003 album Think Tank, which had the words "Celebrity Harvest" printed on a corner of the booklet. The film was described as a "very dark film" with "cannibals and zombies". The script stated that it revolves around the theme of the world being trapped in an endless night and the sickness of celebrity culture. The project was canceled as DreamWorks thought it was too dark.
2004 Type Title Description Feature film The White Seal An adaptation of The White Seal, one of the stories featured in The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. Composer Eric Whitacre recounted being contacted by DreamWorks to write music for the project after the presentation of Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings at the ASCAP Musical Theater Workshop in spring 2004. He then submitted a musical rendition of "The Seal Lullaby", a poem featured in the story, only to find weeks later that the film had been canceled in favor of Kung Fu Panda. Whitacre would later serve as the conductor for vocal arrangements for the soundtrack of Kung Fu Panda 3.
2005 Type Title Description Feature film Route 66 In September 2005, DreamWorks announced an original film, with Mulligan, a giant golf ball statue standing on a side of Route 66 who goes on a journey to save a giant blueberry statue named Betty when she gets taken away. The concept came from comedian Harland Williams, alongside Conrad Vernon and Rej Bourdages. Williams and Vernon were slated to pen the screenplay. In 2009, Williams revealed in an email inquiry that the film had been shelved. Feature film It Came From Earth! In September 2005, DreamWorks announced they were developing an original film with Sheira & Loli's Dittydoodle Works creator Cory Rosenberg. The film would have been an alien invasion spoof revolving around a planet of Martians who are visited by human astronauts. Josh Lobis and Darin Moiselle were attached to write the script.
2006 Type Title Description Feature film Punk Farm In April 2006, DreamWorks Animation had the rights to develop a computer-animated film adaptation of the children's book of the same name by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. In June 2011, the project was eventually picked up by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, but with no further news since.
2007 Series Title Description Feature film Gullible's Travels In January 2007, DreamWorks bought a spec script titled Gullible's Travels which would have been about a man who travels through time via a porta potty to find the woman he loves. Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman were slated to write and produce the project. Feature film The Book of Life DreamWorks initially optioned to make The Book of Life back in 2007, but it was cancelled due to "creative differences" with director Jorge Gutierrez. The film was eventually made at 20th Century Fox Animation and Reel FX Creative Studios and was released by 20th Century Fox (which also had a distribution deal with DreamWorks Animation at that time) in 2014 to critical praise. It was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature.
2008