DreamWorks Animation has usually been synonymous with the very concept of sequels. Consider this studio for quite a lot of seconds and titles like Shrek 2 or Kung Fu Panda 3 or Trolls World Tour will inevitably come to thoughts. If it’s doable to increase any of its motion pictures right into a long-running saga or Netflix cartoon, DreamWorks Animation has exploited every a kind of nooks and crannies. In reality, it’s extra peculiar to discover a title inside the DreamWorks Animation library that hasn’t gotten a franchise extension of some type. Even notorious money-losers like Turbo and Mr. Peabody and Sherman spawned animated TV reveals!
A uncommon exception to this rampant franchising, although, may be present in one of many earliest DreamWorks Animation titles. Shark Story was solely the fourth computer-animated movement image to be launched by this studio. Regardless of coming round early within the studio’s lifespan (again once they didn’t have a ton of stuff to endlessly exploit for sequels) and making a reasonably penny in its preliminary theatrical launch, there has by no means been a Shark Story 2. What occurred? Why hasn’t Shark Story 2 ever swam its approach into film theaters?
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‘Shark Story 2’ Was As soon as Imagined to Occur
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The strangest a part of Shark Story 2 by no means present is that DreamWorks Animation initially deliberate to make this film. Again at the beginning of 2004, earlier than Shrek 2 (the studio’s first sequel) premiered, DreamWorks Animation started work on the screenplay for Shrek the Third. Concurrently, the studio was additionally engaged on getting issues collectively for a sequel to Shark Story. The maneuver demonstrated plenty of pre-release confidence in each of the 2004 titles DreamWorks Animation was planning to unleash on audiences. Plus, after the field workplace failure of Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas almost capsized all of DreamWorks, the promise of tons of sequels sooner or later may quell the issues of Wall Avenue and different outsiders fearful concerning the firm.
As soon as Shark Story arrived in October 2004, its field workplace appeared to point that it will certainly be inspiring a franchise. It’s exhausting to recollect now, in an age the place Common motion pictures recurrently trounce animated Disney titles on the field workplace, however as late because the mid-2000s, it was nonetheless uncommon to see non-Disney animated motion pictures crack $150 million on the home field workplace. The primary two Shrek installments and Ice Age have been the one animated options to hail exterior of the Mouse Home to perform that feat earlier than Shark Story got here alongside. Although the $160 million home haul of Shark Story didn’t make it the following Aladdin or The Lion King, it nonetheless drummed up lots of money. DreamWorks was doubtlessly going to be hankering for extra sequels starring Oscar and mates.
After all, in a short time, it turned clear Shark Story 2 wouldn’t change into a actuality. Whereas DreamWorks Animation was very fast to announce launch dates for varied Shrek sequels and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, there have been by no means additional updates on a possible Shark Story follow-up. Talking of that different DreamWorks title, Madagascar would debut about seven months after Shark Story and make considerably extra on the field workplace, notably internationally. Among the many first post-Shrek computer-animated titles within the DreamWorks Animation canon, one with such world attraction as Madagascar could be the plain precedence for turning right into a franchise.
By 2011, DreamWorks Was Shifting Away From Motion pictures Like ‘Shark Story’
Let’s transfer ahead a bit to Could 2011. DreamWorks Animation founder Jeffrey Katzenberg is speaking to stockholders about what sort of motion pictures the studio shall be producing within the close to future. Katzenberg referenced Shark Story for instance of the sort of movement image DreamWorks would not be specializing in for now, particularly citing it alongside Monsters vs. Aliens and Megamind as examples of style film parodies that simply did not translate nicely internationally. Whereas DreamWorks acquired launched to the following stage of stardom by skewering fairy tales with Shrek, doing different parodies like Shark Story was not on the playing cards for the corporate.
This shift away from style film pastiches didn’t assist the possibilities of Shark Story 2 from ever present, however this sequel was additional prevented from present by one other computer-animated fish film from the early 2000s. Discovering Nemo loomed giant over popular culture even when Shark Story got here out (simply 17 months after Nemo first premiered), however Nemo’s enduring fanbase and presence in popular culture solely helped to push Shark Story additional and additional away from the highlight. The eventual sequel, Discovering Dory, simply strengthened how powerfully distinguished Discovering Nemo was within the world consciousness. Any potential Shark Story 2 was going to have an enormously troublesome time grappling with Discovering Nemo spending a number of many years being an inescapable phenomenon.
Getting the Solid of ‘Shark Story’ Again Collectively Would Have Been a Main Problem
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Even the star-studded forged of Shark Story, initially a ploy to get adults to return and see a brand new animated film, possible prohibited Shark Story 2 from present. For starters, doing a sequel would inevitably imply greater paydays for all of the voice actors. Did DreamWorks Animation wish to pony up a lot money to make sure the ensemble forged of the unique Shark Story was nonetheless round? Moreover, simply 4 years after Shark Story debuted, its main man, Will Smith, launched his remaining movie (Seven Kilos) earlier than happening a four-year-long hiatus from appearing. Whereas different DreamWorks Animation franchises recurrently launched new installments each three years or so, Smith’s eventual relaxation from the grind of film appearing would’ve made turning Shark Story into an ongoing saga a problem.
However extra essential than anything is the truth that Shark Story, regardless of inspiring some memorable memes, simply isn’t that beloved of a film. At the same time as a contemporary nostalgia sequel, a follow-up would inevitably be catering to a really small fanbase and wouldn’t have that a lot to supply newcomers. It’d simply be perceived as one other CG fish film within the mildew of Discovering Nemo. Shark Story got here out at simply the proper second in time, when CG-animated options have been nonetheless contemporary sufficient to make each new title made on this know-how (save for the occasional Valiant), an occasion. A sequel many years later would simply really feel like some relic from 2007 that acquired misplaced for many years. There are many explanation why Shark Story followers haven’t returned to Southside Reef, but it surely additionally merely boils right down to the unique film not being sufficient of a beloved movement image to justify one or a number of follow-ups.