Nickelodeon Orders Monsters vs. Aliens Pilot
DreamWorks Animation Making TV Show From Hit Reese Witherspoon Movie
May 26, 2009
Now that Monsters vs. Aliens has (as of this writing), pulled down $193 million at the box office, DreamWorks Animation wants to take the movie to the small screen.
According to DWA CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg (via The Hollywood Reporter), Nickelodeon has ordered a pilot based on the flick. The series will follow the adventures of Ginormica, B.O.B., Dr. Cockroach PhD and the other monsters as they make jokes and beat up bad guys.
At this point, it's doubtful how many of the original cast will reprise their roles in the TV series. One of the drawbacks of DreamWorks Animation's star-based voice casting system is that many of the leading actors in their films are (a) too busy with other projects or (b) to expensive to bring to the small screen.
Nickelodeon, DreamWorks Animation to Produce Monsters vs. Aliens, Kung Fu Panda TV Series
This marks the 3rd series that DreamWorks Animation and Nickelodeon are working on together. The previous week, the two companies announced that they were developing Kung Fu Panda: the Series, based on last year's hit movie. This, of course, follows the success of their first collaboration, The Penguins of Madagascar, based on the Madagascar franchise.
Naturally, Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation will launch an aggressive licensing campaign for both series, beginning next year. Katzenberg claims that successful television shows make for some of the best licensing opportunities in the industry these days, because they aren't event-driven like movies.
He hopes DWA's television division will initially earn between $40 and $60 million a year, and develop from there.
DreamWorks Animation's attempt to conquer the television world doesn't end there. The Glendale-based studio is also planning Scared Shrekless, a Halloween special based on the Shrek franchise. It comes out in 2010, swiftly followed by a Kung Fu Panda Christma- sorry, holiday special. Unlike the previous Shrek the Halls (which was on ABC), both these specials will air on NBC.
DreamWorks, Disney/Pixar Taking on the Small Screen?
DWA isn't the only CGI studio to court the world of television, although they are certainly the most aggressive. Disney/Pixar recently announced that they were setting up an animation studio in Vancouver to concentrate on a series of shorts based on "legacy characters" such as Toy Story's Buzz and Woody and Lightning McQueen from Cars.
"The operation will be small in size and dedicated to producing short-form quality computer animation for theme parks, DVDs, television and theatrical exhibition . . . for several different divisions of the Walt Disney Co.," Disney/Pixar president Ed Catmull told The Hollywood Reporter at the time.
Observers of the announcement immediately wondered why Pixar would only have 75 to 100 employees rattling around in a 20,000 square-foot studio. Could these "legacy shorts" be a potential preparation for TV series based on the popular characters? Various Pixar and Disney executives said they wanted to keep those characters regularly in the public view, and nothing's more regular than a weekly television program. Could Disney/Pixar be looking to take on the small screen as well?
As always, stay tuned.
