{"id":366,"date":"2009-02-06T21:13:00","date_gmt":"2009-02-06T21:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/filmchat\/2009\/02\/spielberg-and-disney-make-an-odd-couple\/"},"modified":"2009-02-06T21:13:00","modified_gmt":"2009-02-06T21:13:00","slug":"spielberg-and-disney-make-an-odd-couple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/filmchat\/2009\/02\/spielberg-and-disney-make-an-odd-couple.html","title":{"rendered":"Spielberg and Disney make an odd couple."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

The big<\/a> news<\/a> story<\/a> today<\/a> is that DreamWorks \u2014 the studio co-founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen back in 1994 \u2014 will probably finalize a distribution deal with Disney in the next few days, rather than with Universal, as everyone had expected.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a startling turn of events for several reasons.<\/p>\n

For one thing, Universal had seemed like a natural \u201cfit\u201d for Spielberg, because he got his start there back in the \u201960s and because his personal production company, Amblin Entertainment, is based on the Universal lot.<\/p>\n

Also, DreamWorks was created in the first place partly to give Katzenberg something to do after he had a really bad falling out with Disney, whose animation \u201crenaissance\u201d he had overseen in the late \u201980s and early \u201990s. So for DreamWorks to find a home with Katzenberg\u2019s former employer, now, would be more than a little odd.<\/p>\n

(Katzenberg currently runs the show at DreamWorks Animation<\/a>, which has been separate from the regular DreamWorks for the past five years; the animated films are distributed by Paramount.)<\/p>\n

In addition, Disney is quite possibly the only major studio for which Spielberg has never directed a film. Going through Spielberg\u2019s IMDb page<\/a>, and checking the \u201ccompany credits\u201d on each of the films he has directed since Duel<\/i> (1971), his first major artistic and critical success, his releases seem to break down like so:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. DreamWorks\n
      \u2013 The Terminal<\/a><\/i> (2004)
      \u2013 Catch Me If You Can<\/i> (2002)
      \u2013       Amistad<\/a><\/i> (1997)<\/ol>\n

      <\/p><\/li>\n

    1. Universal\n
        \u2013 The Lost World: Jurassic Park<\/a><\/i> (1997)
        \u2013         Schindler\u2019s List<\/a><\/i> (1993)
        \u2013         Jurassic Park<\/a><\/i> (1993)
        \u2013 Amazing Stories<\/i> (1985-1987)
        \u2013         E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial<\/a><\/i> (1982)
        \u2013         Jaws<\/a><\/i> (1975)
        \u2013 The Sugarland Express<\/i> (1974)
        \u2013 Savage<\/i> (1973)
        \u2013 Duel<\/i> (1971)<\/ol>\n

        <\/p><\/li>\n

      1. Universal \u2013 United Artists\n
          \u2013 Always<\/i> (1989)<\/ol>\n

          <\/p><\/li>\n

        1. Universal \u2013 Columbia\n
            \u2013 1941<\/i> (1979)<\/ol>\n

            <\/p><\/li>\n

          1. Universal \u2013 DreamWorks\n
              \u2013 Munich<\/a><\/i> (2005)<\/ol>\n

              <\/p><\/li>\n

            1. Columbia\n
                \u2013 Close Encounters of the Third Kind<\/a><\/i> (1977)<\/ol>\n

                <\/p><\/li>\n

              1. TriStar\n
                  \u2013 Hook<\/i> (1991)<\/ol>\n

                  <\/p><\/li>\n

                1. Paramount\n
                    \u2013 Indiana Jones<\/a> and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull<\/a><\/i> (2008)
                    \u2013 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade<\/i> (1989)
                    \u2013 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom<\/i> (1984)
                    \u2013                     Raiders of the Lost Ark<\/a><\/i> (1981)<\/ol>\n

                    <\/p><\/li>\n

                  1. Paramount \u2013 Sony \u2013 DreamWorks\n
                      \u2013 The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn<\/a><\/i> (2010)<\/ol>\n

                      <\/p><\/li>\n

                    1. Paramount \u2013 DreamWorks\n
                        \u2013 War of the Worlds<\/a><\/i> (2005)
                        \u2013                         Saving Private Ryan<\/a><\/i> (1998)<\/ol>\n

                        <\/p><\/li>\n

                      1. Warner\n
                          \u2013 Empire of the Sun<\/a><\/i> (1987)
                          \u2013 The Color Purple<\/i> (1985)<\/ol>\n

                          <\/p><\/li>\n

                        1. Warner \u2013 DreamWorks\n
                            \u2013 A.I. Artificial Intelligence<\/a><\/i> (2001)<\/ol>\n

                            <\/p><\/li>\n

                          1. Fox \u2013 DreamWorks\n
                              \u2013 Minority<\/a> Report<\/a><\/i> (2002)<\/ol>\n

                              <\/p><\/li>\n

                            1. CBS\n
                                \u2013 Something Evil<\/i> (1972)<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                Now, Spielberg has produced many, many other films, in addition to the ones he directed, and I do know that at least one of them \u2014 Who Framed Roger Rabbit<\/i> (1988) \u2014 was co-produced by Disney\u2019s Touchstone division.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                But still. When I hear the word \u201cSpielberg\u201d, the word \u201cDisney\u201d is just about the last thing that comes to my mind.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                The big news story today is that DreamWorks \u2014 the studio co-founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen back in 1994 \u2014 will probably finalize a distribution deal with Disney in the next few days, rather than with Universal, as everyone had expected. This is a startling turn of events for several reasons. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1116,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nSpielberg and Disney make an odd couple.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The big news story today is that DreamWorks -- the studio co-founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen back in 1994 -- will\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/filmchat\/2009\/02\/spielberg-and-disney-make-an-odd-couple.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Spielberg and Disney make an odd couple.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The big news story today is that DreamWorks -- the studio co-founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen back in 1994 -- will\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/filmchat\/2009\/02\/spielberg-and-disney-make-an-odd-couple.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FilmChat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-02-06T21:13:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Peter T. 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