DreamWorks CEO highlights collaboration with China

Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation SKG, said that his studio will strive to bring the best of its over 20 years of experience to China at the Beijing International Film Festival on Tuesday.

(From left to right) Director Tim Johnson, DreamWorks Animation SKG CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chinese singer Li Yuchun, Chinese actor Tong Dawei, who dubbed the new DreamWorks Animation feature "Home," pose at the Chinese premiere of the animated film in Beijing on April 20, 2015. [Photo/China.org.cn]

"Kung Fu Panda 3" is American studio DreamWorks Animation's first co-production with China and will be directed by Korean-born American director Jennifer Yuh Nelson. Katzenberg commented that the film incorporates many "real and authentic Chinese elements" that stem largely from the contributions of the Chinese artists and film professionals working on the project.

Katzenberg also mentioned that both sides have cooperated on each aspect of the film's production, including storylines, drawing, animation, special effects and design, bringing together top talents from China and the U.S.

Katzenberg spoke at a major forum of the Beijing Film Festival and attended the China premiere of DreamWorks' latest animated film, "Home," directed by Tim Johnson, in Beijing on April 20.

Katzenberg said that DreamWorks' "Kung Fu Panda" franchise was created out of filmmakers' love for Chinese culture rather than for business considerations. According to a Chinese transcript of the forum, the executive said, "When we first created 'Kung Fu Panda,' China's film market was comparatively rather small, and its animation film market was even smaller. We can say that we have accompanied China's film market throughout its development and have participated in this process since its very early stages."

The "Kung Fu Panda" series is one of the highest grossing film series ever in China and the highest-grossing animated film series.

To further strengthen collaboration between the two countries' animation industries and enhance its success, DreamWorks Animation and Chinese investment companies founded a joint venture, Oriental DreamWorks, in 2012. The company will mainly produce Chinese-themed animated and live action films and derivative series for distribution within China and worldwide.

Katzenberg explained that Oriental DreamWorks is a comparatively new company. He stated that his studio would strive to bring the best of its over 20 years of experience to China and work closely with Chinese colleagues to ensure that Oriental DreamWorks will be able to independently produce projects in the near future. He also stressed that the process of building Oriental DreamWorks will be a long one that will require patience.

He also believes that the success of Oriental DreamWorks does not lie solely in the popularity of its works in China but also in their popularity all over the world, which he asserted doesn't depend on the speed at which the new studio is able to independently produce films.

Katzenberg also revealed that DreamWorks has plans to release several great new films, including "Kung Fu Panda 3," "Jack the Giant Slayer," "Boss Baby" and "The Croods 2."