Though Disney was the first film studio to put out feature-length animations, they wouldn’t be the only leader in this department forever. In 1994, DreamWorks Animation hit the scene, and by 1998, the studio released its first-ever animated film.
While many of DreamWorks’ movies are entertaining, their explorative creative approach has created a lot of winners but quite a few flops. We’re here to look at the latter of these two categories now, but rather than picking our least favorite films produced by DreamWorks, we’re turning to IMDb for answers.
The popular movie and TV show website has assigned every film a star rating. This score, based on the votes of registered users on a scale of one to ten, is what we’ll be using to stack up the movies.
With that said, it’s time for the movies to begin; Here are the worst animated DreamWorks movies according to IMDb.
Antz (6.5)
Dreamworks’ debut animation, Antz, crawled its way to the big screen in 1998 despite being entangled in a public feud with the release of Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, which premiered a month later.
This adventure comedy told of a worker ant named Z who, while longing to express himself, falls for a princess. After the ants and termites get involved in a war, Z is given an opportunity to not only make a name for himself, but also ends up with the princess by trading places with a soldier.
The themes, humor, and visuals were enjoyed despite the film’s age showing today.
Trolls (6.5)
Based on the iconic Trolls dolls, this musical comedy tells of a cheery community of trolls being discovered by the menacing Bergens who want to eat them on a holiday called Trollstice. A group of the little creatures escape, and 20 years later, Poppy hopes to throw a celebration in honor of their sneak-away. The problem comes when this party attracts the attention of the Bergens yet again.
Though the film was pretty and positive, it lacked any substance. But really, what else could you expect from characters this colorful?
Monsters Vs. Aliens (6.4)
This 2019 sci-fi monster comedy follows a woman named Susan who is set to be married to the man of her dreams in California. However, right before the ceremony can take place, she is struck by a meteorite, which causes her to grow in size and gain strength. This has the military taking her to a secret facility at which monsters are held.
It’s not long before Susan finds herself teaming together with other creatures to keep the earth safe from an extraterrestrial robot that has settled on the planet.
The humor and effects received a round of applause, though critics pointed out that there wasn’t enough soul in the film.
Turbo (6.4)
Ever wanted to see a snail race? Now’s your chance.
This 2013 sports comedy told of a snail named Turbo who dreams of becoming the fastest racer in the entire world. Despite having doubters in a snail community that is used to being slow and careful, Turbo sets out on an adventure to win the Indianapolis 500 after unexpectedly gaining speedy superpowers.
Though the premise was promising, the story came off as generic. Thankfully, the energetic voice cast upped the entertainment value.
Shrek Forever After (6.3)
While Shrek has fully settled into family life with Fiona and his kids, he’s longing for the days in which he felt like a real ogre. His wish comes true after taking his family to Far Far Away and making a deal with Rumplestiltskin. However, he is soon sucked into an alternate reality where people fear him and he and his true love have never met. This new dark timeline has Shrek working hard to reverse the fate he’s brought upon himself.
Though the film was entertaining, it did feel as if the franchise had been a little over-done by the point of its release.
The Boss Baby (6.3)
Loosley based on the picture book of the same name by Marla Frazee, The Boss Baby tells of a 7-year-old named Tim who has to deal with the arrival of his new little brother: an infant who is able to talk and refers to himself as “The Boss.” Though Tim is at first jealous of no longer being the only child, he soon learns that Boss Baby is on a spy mission related to a dispute between babies and puppies.
Though the comedy had its moments, it turned out to wear thin and ultimately came off as uninspired.
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (6.2)
Next in line is the superhero comedy based on Dav Pilkey’s kids book of the same name.
Captain Underpants tells of two boys from Ohio, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, who work up all sorts of mischief at school. When their principal says that he will separate the friends if they keep up the pranks, the kids mistakenly make him believe through hypnosis that he is a superhero they created named Captain Underpants.
Though the film featured fresh animation and funny humor, the frenzied nature of it all was distracting for some critics.
Bee Movie (6.1)
While this film buzzed into theaters in 2007, it rose to internet popularity in the 2010s.
The comedy tells the tale of a bee who, right out of college, is bored with the idea of taking a normal honey-filled job. He ends up trying to find his own path by flying outside his home and talking to a human, and it’s not long before he learns that they have been stealing honey for all of time. And this issue is the issue he sets out to fix.
The film may have felt empty or lacking, but that didn’t stop it from eventually gaining a sizeable audience.
Shark Tale (6.0)
Frustrated by how little he has done in life, tiny fish Oscar crafts a story that he murdered a shark named Frankie. The rest of the fish praise him for this feat, however, the lie comes back to bite him when Frankie’s mob boss father, Don Lino, enlists his followers to hunt down Oscar.
The 2004 comedy might have been stocked with pop culture gold, but it seems like the movie ultimately flopped because the plot was far more geared toward adults and lacked entertainment value for children.
Shrek The Third (6.0)
The worst-rated DreamWorks movie on IMDb is none other than Shrek the Third.
This 2017 comedy has Prince Charming attempting to take the newly crowned Shrek and Fiona off the throne. Shrek tries to rid himself of power in a separate attempt, feeling unready to be king. To do this, he attempts to convince Fiona’s cousin Artie to take over his duties.
While serious Shrek fans might not be complaining, the heart of the first two films was overgrown with pop culture puns.
