Pixar vs. DreamWorks

[Cginm96]

Which one is better, Pixar or DreamWorks? Let the debate begin!

[GraySunProductions]

Pixar is by far superior.

First they get a point for being founded by Steve Jobs.

Pixar then brought into existence the very thing DreamWorks emulates.

As for the long term, take a look at the top movies on RottenTomatoes. (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt_year.php) It's clear that Pixar films have a lasting appeal. Toy Story 2 is currently the second best rated film of all time. Now I personally don't think it deserves that spot, but critics have ranked it there.

Wall-E, a recent Pixar film, has a 96/100.

Granted, Dreamworks has created some memorable animated movies; most notably the first Shrek movie, but they just don't have as wide of an appeal.

Not to mention, DreamWorks is really milking the cow when it comes to Shrek sequels. They have Shrek movies planned up to number 5!

Pixar is known for making original, memorable, widely-appealing movies. DreamWorks is more geared towards the younger age, I think.

That's all I got.

[elscottomagnifico]

Pixar has a fanciful story written and then creates an animation to portray it in an appealing way for the screen.

Dreamworks comes up with (or finds) a basic goofy/silly concept, draws up some storyboards for a series of unrelated shenanigans/physical humor and then eventually pays a guy to force a story to relate the mess.

[WesScog]

They make totally different kinds of films. It's like trying to compare Classical Disney and Warner Bros. shorts, and then demanding to know which is superior.

They aren't trying to make Pixar films, and that's the whole point.

They both make good movies, so who cares? Just enjoy them.

[Cginm96]

They're not that different. Both make animation films for kids. I was just wondering.

[Fisherking]

As for the long term, take a look at the top movies on RottenTomatoes. (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt_year.php) It's clear that Pixar films have a lasting appeal. Toy Story 2 is currently the second best rated film of all time. Now I personally don't think it deserves that spot, but critics have ranked it there.

That's not 'best rated,' just most overwhelmingly positive reviews. RottenTomatoes, as far as I understand, ranks films based on critics giving good/bad reviews, but does not take into account how positive or negative they are. 100% luke-warm reccomendations beats out a greater but more polarising film.

I'm not really the target audience, but it seems to me that Dreamworks are more geared towards pop-corn movies. I don't think they'll have the longevity of the Pixar films.

And I sincerely hope Shrek - that green monstrosity - dies a deserved death.

[Cotton Wool James]

I've always felt that with pixar you get quality where with dreamworks you get quantity. I'm not a huge fan of the dreamworks films, other than the sherk films I can't call to mind any other 'outstanding' films they have made. This may be down to lack of memory but I'm siding with Pixar.

[dkg productions]

very hard choice for me cause I love the CG animated movies no matter who makes them cause they always are hilarious. I dont like disney animation studios though, when they were in that fight with pixar we got stuff like "Meet the Robinsons" and i personally didn't like that. Although Wall E looked amazing I thought the past couple dreamworks movies have been hilarious, such as Kung Fu Panda or Monsters vs Aliens. But I will probably have to give it to Pixar cause Toy Story 1 & 2 are my favourites. Cant wait for Toy Story 3!!!!

[TheMightySeamus]

I think this sums it up:
http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss251/SupplanterAU/pixar-vs-dreamworks.jpg

[Steelersk36]

^ After reading that I have to go with pixar! ^

[theN]

I think this sums it up:
http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss251/SupplanterAU/pixar-vs-dreamworks.jpg

Hahaaahhahaah thats awesome

[GraySunProductions]

That's not 'best rated,' just most overwhelmingly positive reviews. RottenTomatoes, as far as I understand, ranks films based on critics giving good/bad reviews, but does not take into account how positive or negative they are. 100% luke-warm reccomendations beats out a greater but more polarising film.

Excellently put.

I tried to make it clear that that's just where critics have ranked TS 2 on Rotten Tomatoes, but failed miserably compared to your explanation.

For a list much more along the lines of "best ever" take a look at the list the American Film Institute compiled (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI%27s_100_Years..._100_Movies_%2810th_Anniversar y_Edition%29). Keep in mind however that no foreign films were considered.

Wescog brings up the point that Pixar and Dreamworks are just fundamentally different and can't be compared. While this point is valid to a certain extent, I think the point of this thread is to compare audience's reactions, the cultural impacts, and the longevity of the two companies films on average.

It can certainly be said that the two are just different, but one of the two is bound to be more appealing to the masses on average, and that's the one, in the case of this thread, that would rank superior.

[BTT Grace]

TheMightySeamus, that chart is hysterical!!! :)

And Wes, I agree that Disney versus Warner Brothers is a good comparison for Pixar versus Dreamworks.

To me, Pixar movies have heart while Dreamworks movies are wittier. Many Pixar characters capture my imagination, but I rarely laugh as hard at a Pixar movie as I do at a Dreamworks movie.

Personally, if they could combine to make one then we'd have the perfect CG animated movie!

[The_Count]

I think this sums it up:
http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss251/SupplanterAU/pixar-vs-dreamworks.jpg

As soon as i saw the thread title i was gonna post this. You beat me to it. *scowl*

[Cginm96]

I don't know why people think that pixar and dreamworks can be conpaired to classical Disney to Warner Bros. They are not THAT different. They both make animated movies for kids!

[Miten Soni]

i do laugh a lot at dreamworks movies, but none of them are that memorable to me.
something about a pixar movies make me leave the theater with a sense of magic, their much more memorable to me and the stories are always very original and the quality is just fantastic.
i enjoy both dreamworks and pixar films, and although dreamworks is able to crank out movies at a faster rate, i think i enjoy pixar a lot more overall.

[dukattack]

pixar hands down! just more creative and thought out movies

[jpeenut]

id go with pixar cuz of toy story but dreamworks is good too, the first shrek was awesome

[JonMolly]

What Seamus said. Dreamworks movies generally range from bad to clever with most movies falling toward the bad end of the spectrum. Pixar movies range from clever to brilliant with most movies falling toward the brilliant end of the spectrum.

I get the feeling Dreamworks starts with a concept and then shoehorns a story into that concept, where Pixar starts with a great story and lets the concept flow naturally from the story. Did that make any sense?

[sonnyfromda02]

I don't know why people think that pixar and dreamworks can be conpaired to classical Disney to Warner Bros. They are not THAT different. They both make animated movies for kids!

Just because they both make animated movies does not mean they are directly comparable. That's like saying since Chevy and Huffy, (the bike company), both make vehicles, they can be compared.

I'm with Miten Soni, I laugh more at Dreamworks movies than Pixar. I like both companies and own most of the movies each has produced.

[Fisherking]

The comparison of Pixar and Dreamworks to Disney and Warner Bros. is, to my mind, inappropriate. I'd say it's more like Marx Bros. vs. Three Stooges.

[Nonsensical studios]

The comparison of Pixar and Dreamworks to Disney and Warner Bros. is, to my mind, inappropriate. I'd say it's more like Marx Bros. vs. Three Stooges.

Is that the three stooges with Curly, or Shemp?

[TreasureBox Films]

Pixar all the way.
Dreamworks= "Let's make a movie about animals"
Pixar="Let's make a movie about the secret life of toys. Or about a robot left to clean up the world. Or a story about a family of super heroes?"

[Westcroft]

Pixar pulled a George Lucas and began creating technology to accomplish their goals... that's pretty cool. Also, Pixar has always stayed classy.

[UberMoguler]

Its gotta be Pixar!

Finding Nemo FTW.

"I can speak whale"

[JD]

Dreamworks is a bit hit and miss and relies too much on celebrity voice casts.

[JD]

Pixar pulled a George Lucas and began creating technology to accomplish their goals... that's pretty cool. Also, Pixar has always stayed classy.

dude thats not pulling a george lucas, pulling a george lucas is when you lose what talent you had go back and rehash old ideas and tarnishing your great films by creating poor ones in the franchise.

so pixar would pull a lucas if they made toy story 3 and it was terrible then plowed on with 4 and 5 regardless.

fun fact George Lucas sold Pixar to Steve Jobs in the 80s

[google550]

Pixar all the way. Their movies are more engaging, I find they TEND to be funnier, the animation is incredible, the visual elements are incredible... And the one thing they do is focus on an engaging story.

Also, it's pretty damned cool that they've been around since the very beginning. So props to them.

[theSarge00]

I think it's valid to compare Pixar and Dreamworks, as it is to compare Disney and Warner, on the basis of type of story you prefer.

Pixar makes iconic movies: movies with unique individual stories.
Dreamworks makes consistent movies: movies that for the most part are interchangeable, that if you stripped away the settings, could be told with the same characters. The jokes are new, but on the whole, the characters and stories are less so.

As to Disney and Warner, you'd have to compare the Disney shorts with the Warner shorts, as Warner didn't for the most part, make features. There, for my money, Warner wins. The writing quality and content changed from decade to decade at Warners, whereas Disney kept an even keel. The fact that Warner zigged and zagged meant that while some of the zags were pretty pedestrian, some of the zigs set the benchmark. And let's be honest: Bugs Bunny cartoons remain watchable classics, whereas aside from being the spokesman for Disney, no one much watches old Mickey Mouse cartoons, except for his brief stint in Fantasia. That's something I'd actually like to see: a visionary (not a by the numbers) modern set of Bugs and Mickey cartoons. While Bugs can rest on his record, Mickey needs to get back into the mix in a significant way.

In fact, there's the solution right there: give Mickey to Pixar (god knows they've been carrying Disney for some time now). See the creativity and genuine character crafting of Pixar applied to Mickey.

[Fossilized-Productions]

I would totally go with Dreamworks :)
Partially because the "S" in Dreamworks SKG stands for Spielberg :)

[holroydfamilyfilms]

no they were found by lucas films and there they did animtion and made computers then they were sold to apple then disney

[theSarge00]

dude thats not pulling a george lucas, pulling a george lucas is when you lose what talent you had go back and rehash old ideas and tarnishing your great films by creating poor ones in the franchise.

so pixar would pull a lucas if they made toy story 3 and it was terrible then plowed on with 4 and 5 regardless.

fun fact George Lucas sold Pixar to Steve Jobs in the 80s

At the time however, Pixar was a software company, makers of Renderman - can't remember when Luxor Jr came out (mid 80's?), but the Pixar shorts weren't Pixar as a _studio_, so much as show pieces of their software in action.