Top 10 Worst DreamWorks Movies
#10: “Bee Movie” (2007)
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It’s obvious that one of the biggest highlights in Jerry Seinfeld’s career was his namesake sitcom, “Seinfeld.” Inversely, one of the most bizarre points in his career was DreamWorks’ 2007 animated film, “Bee Movie.” While it boasts some impressive animation and a hilarious ensemble of voice actors… the narrative is incredibly confusing. It doesn’t know if it wants to be a romantic comedy, a fish-out-of-water story, or a courtroom drama, so it tries to be all of them at once… with underwhelming results. As a result, “Bee Movie” fell under the radar for several years, but more recently has gained a cult following thanks to meme culture poking fun at its absurdness.
#9: “Trolls World Tour” (2020)
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The first “Trolls” film managed to turn the iconic dolls into a sparkly musical adventure that was pretty to look at but felt a little too sugary for some. Can the sequel, “Trolls World Tour” hit a higher note than the original? Well, it’s clear they stepped up the animation, and the story had a lot of neat ideas for worldbuilding. However, all that glitters is not gold as that worldbuilding is underutilized, and the story is reduced to a paint-by-numbers, repetitive quest film. There is, admittedly, an attempt to discuss the dangers of prejudice in a way that’s more easily digestible for kids but, beyond that, it feels a bit like a padded-out music video more than anything else.
#8: “Turbo” (2013)
How do you manage to create a film that is both cliched AND unique? We’re not sure either, but DreamWorks figured it out when they made “Turbo”. The concept is essentially “The Fast and the Furious” but with snails, where the titular Turbo gains super speed in a freak accident and zooms off to achieve his dream of being a racing champion. It’s harmless overall, with plenty of color, great voice acting, and humor to spare, but it felt rather basic compared to the company’s other notable hits, which ultimately left it underperforming at the box office. It did, however, manage to gain its own Netflix show which produced new episodes from 2013 to 2016.
#7: “The Boss Baby” (2017)
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Whether we like it or not, “The Boss Baby” made bank at the box office. But despite its financial success, critics and viewers felt very bankrupt with this film. Can you blame them? It’s a weak story that tries to dress itself up as a masterpiece by putting a baby in an executive suit and making him a secret agent. Beyond the initial “oh, that’s cute,” reaction, there isn’t much else going on here. The voice acting is decent and there are bits of good humor here and there, but all that is overshadowed by a dense narrative. Unfortunately, money talks, and “The Boss Baby” made enough to guarantee a whole franchise – including TWO Netflix series and a sequel… Don’t worry, we’ll get to that one later.
#6: “Home” (2015)
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Based on the kid’s book “The True Meaning of Smekday”, “Home” features the budding friendship between teenage Tip and alien outcast Oh as they journey across the universe to find Tip’s mom. The animation and character designs are nicely handled, the emotional moments do their job, and Jim Parsons and Rihanna’s voices compliment each other well. With that said, the narrative is painfully predictable and the humor is a far cry from some of DreamWorks’ best. While many of the studio’s movies gear to all audiences, this one is definitely for the kids and the kids alone. It also has a Netflix series…which is starting to seem like a DreamWorks requirement lately.
#5: “Spirit Untamed” (2021)
The original “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” is considered an underrated gem in DreamWorks’ library. The gorgeous animation and down-to-earth story are all complimented by an ingenious way to understand the titular stallion with limited dialogue. However, no one expected this overlooked classic to get a Netflix series several years later, or a sequel even further down the line. While the CGI in “Spirit Untamed” isn’t too bad, it has no connection to the original, VERY unoriginal character and story cliches, and really boils down to just another quirky “girl and her horse” story. While horse lovers might enjoy “Untamed”, fans of “Stallion of the Cimarron” will agree the original was better off as its own standalone entity.
#4: “The Boss Baby: Family Business” (2021)
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Remember we said how bad “The Boss Baby” was? Would you believe the sequel was downright forgettable? Taking place years after the original film, “Family Business” sees the now grown-up brother duo teaming up again with a NEW Boss Baby to save childhoods from being erased. It steps up a little in terms of social satire and delivering a heartwarming message from the original, but it’s more of the same and suffers too much from sequel-itis. It’s another generic way to distract the kids without being anything of substance. The first film’s success might see the franchise sticking around for a while but, if there was any steam to lose in the first place, we’d say it’s certainly headed that way.
#3: “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas” (2003)
You may look back on DreamWorks gems such as “The Prince of Egypt” and ask why the company doesn’t do traditionally animated films any more. Unfortunately, their last one, “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas” played a role in that. It was an ambitious project with a lot of pressure to live up to. An all-star cast with names like Brad Pitt and Michelle Pfeiffer, and an epic quest combining both traditional and CG animation upped the stakes. While viewers nowadays look back at this as an underrated gem, critics were a tad more scrutinizing, citing a less-than-thrilling narrative and a lackluster conclusion. Sadly, the box office sealed Sinbad’s fate, and the company abandoned traditional animation in favor of its notable CGI films.
#2: “Shrek the Third” (2007)
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Undeniably DreamWorks’ biggest cash cow is the “Shrek” franchise. Can you blame them? The first film hilariously challenged the fairy tale standards, and the second is considered just as inventive. And yet, by “Shrek the Third,” it’s become obvious that the series’ magic had run out. It has plenty of pop culture references and a talented cast, but the humor falls flat, the tension feels watered down, and the heart that was plain to see in the first two installments feels absent. While the follow-up, “Shrek Forever After” is considered a mild improvement, the damage was already done by then, and another powerhouse movie series fell victim to franchise fatigue… at least until the “Puss in Boots” spin-offs shook things up.
#1: “Shark Tale” (2004)
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Do you want to take your youngster to a mafia film even though they probably won’t get literally any of the jokes? Then “Shark Tale” may be the perfect flick for you. It boasts a fantastic ensemble cast with the likes of Will Smith, Jack Black, and Robert De Niro. However, none could compensate for a noisy script that can’t figure out its target audience, a heavy reliance on pop culture humor, and rather unflattering Italian-American stereotypes. Surprisingly, this confusing little fish swam well at the box office, but it still ended up belly-up with the critics, showing once again that just because a film makes bank doesn’t make it good.