DreamWorks is busy

DreamWorks Animation recently unloaded their entire production slate for the next three years and, as expected, a good chunk of their slate is sequels. They do have a few adaptations that could prove to be quite interesting, if done right. But let’s not hold our breath on that one. It’s notable that Robert Downey Jr. has signed on to play the dastardly villain in OOBERMIND alongside Tina Fey and JoBlo.com patron saint Salma Hayek has signed on to play Puss-in-Boots’ love interest Kitty in the eponymous spin-off. That’s right, Kitty. Here’s a breakdown of the films with release date, director, voice cast and a short synopsis.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON – March 26th, 2010. Director – Chris Sanders. Voice Cast – Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Craig Ferguson, Kristen Wiig, TJ Miller, Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

The son of a Viking trains his scrawny, toothless dragon to be a brave hero. Based on Cressida Cowell’s children’s book, “How to Train Your Dragon.”

SHREK FOREVER AFTER – May 21st, 2010. Director – Mike Mitchell. Voice Cast – Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, ian McShane, Justin Timberlake, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Cheri Oteri, Eric Idle, Larry King, Amy Sedaris.

The further adventures of the giant green ogre, Shrek, living in the land of Far, Far Away.

OOBERMIND – November 5th, 2010. Director – Tom McGrath. Voice Cast – Robert Downey Jr., Ben Stiller, Tina Fey.

A satirical take on superhero movies, in which a notorious villain loses his oomph after he accidentally kills his nemesis.

KUNG FU PANDA: THE KABOOM OF DOOM – June 3rd, 2011. Director – Jennifer Yuh. Voice Cast – Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross.

A new villain has emerged with a mysterious weapon so powerful it threatens the very existence of kung fu. It is up to Po and the Furious Five to protect all that they know. But first, Po must confront his long lost past.

THE GUARDIANS – November 4th, 2011. Director – Jeff Lynch. No voice cast announced.

Jack Frost, North (Santa Claus), Bunnymund (Easter Bunny), Tooth (Tooth Fairy), and Sandy (Sandman) – come together to stop an ancient evil called Pitch (Boogeyman).

PUSS IN BOOTS – March 30th, 2012. Director – Chris Smith. Voice Cast – Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek.

A swashbuckling ride through Puss’s early years as he teams with mastermind Humpty Dumpty and the street-savvy Kitty to steal the famed Goose that lays the Golden Eggs.

MADAGASCAR 3 – May 27th, 2012. Director – Eric Darnell. Voice Cast – Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer.

This time the road home takes them through Europe where they meet a traveling circus.

November 12th, 2012 – original feature. Possibilities include THE CROODS, a caveman comedy, TRUCKERS, based on Terry Pratchett’s best-selling The Bromeliad Trilogy and SUPER SECRET GHOST PROJECT, a story told from the ghosts’ perspective.