[
Founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen, DreamWorks SKG has become a titan in the entertainment industry. One of the first studios formed after a six-decade-long drought in the industry, DreamWorks burst onto the scene with captivating animation, clever scripts, and solid character design. One of their most recognizable films, featuring a cantankerous ogre and his donkey friend, would make history as the first movie to win an Academy Award in the newly created category of Best Animated Feature.
Since NBCUniversal acquired DreamWorks in 2016, the studio has not slowed down for a minute, producing hit movies such as Trolls, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and The Bad Guys. With gorgeous animation and compelling scripts, DreamWorks Animation projects outperform their bigger-budget peers time and time again. Distinguishing themselves amongst other studios that have begun to feel formulaic, DreamWorks has always put emphasis on the most important aspect of a film, the story.
One of the hallmarks of telling a great story is having a great opening sequence. The introduction sets the tone for the entire film and is the first impression a movie makes on its audience. With so much at stake and so much to communicate within the first few frames, DreamWorks proves throughout its illustrious canon why they are masters at their craft. These 10 opening scenes are exemplary of the prolific studio’s cinematic genius.
10
‘The Road to El Dorado’ (2000)
A fantastic and funny adventure movie, The Road to El Dorado features Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh as Tulio and Miguel, respectively. The pair of scoundrels gamble with fate when they seize an opportunity to try and discover El Dorado, the fabled city of gold. Of course, when they do eventually find their treasure, it is unlike anything they expected, and they must face several character-defining choices.
The Road to El Dorado opens with a catchy melodic prelude. The song “El Dorado,” written by Elton John and Tim Rice, tells the origin story of the golden city via a colorful music video. Using artwork themes reminiscent of South American cultures, the mise en scène is instantly established. The opening to The Road to El Dorado is a fun introduction that immediately lets audiences know the mood and type of adventure they are about to witness.
9
‘The Bad Guys’ (2022)
The Bad Guys is one of the best animated films to come out post 2020. With its sleek animation and fast-paced action, it feels like a heist-themed adrenaline ride for families. The opening scene sets the stage with a high-speed chase, a bank robbery, and clip montages introducing viewers to the elite squad of criminals.
The intro for The Bad Guys evokes feelings of famous action movies like Ocean’s 11 or James Bond. The car chase is thrilling and gorgeously animated. The clips and flashbacks give backstory and relevance to the characters without dragging the pacing down, which is important because there are five main characters to introduce. The exhilarating beginning is one of the many aspects The Bad Guys does well. The Bad Guys continues to make good for DreamWorks, with the highly successful sequel Bad Guys 2 grossing $232 million in theaters last year.
8
‘Rise of the Guardians’ (2012)
“Darkness… That’s the first thing I remember.” Like a good piece of literature, a captivating opening line is crucial to drawing an audience in. Rise of the Guardians begins by focusing on one of the main characters, Jack Frost (Chris Pine). After Jack awakens in darkness underwater and emerges from beneath the ice of a frozen lake, he tries to figure out who he is and what his purpose might be.
Following this visually stunning sequence, Jack’s quest for answers grows more urgent. However, he is quickly confronted by the frightening realization that no one can see or hear him, and humans walk right through him. Introducing Jack and his invisibility at the outset is crucial, as these elements remain pivotal throughout the film. Although Rise of the Guardians wasn’t as lucrative as other DreamWorks projects, it is a hidden gem in their catalog and continues to foster a devoted fanbase.
7
‘Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas’ (2003)
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas starts in the stars, not the sea. As the goddess Eris (Michelle Pfeiffer) overlooks Earth like a plaything, she seeks someone’s life or human event she can dissolve into “chaos, glorious chaos.” When her gaze turns to a noble prince and a dashing thief, both wishing to possess the same treasure with very different motives, she can’t resist. Eris sends her sea monster, Cetus, down to Earth, and so the excitement begins.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is a criminally underrated movie for DreamWorks. It features a superbly talented cast that includes Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joseph Fiennes, and Dennis Haysbert. Starting the film with such a wide lens is a hint to audiences that the movie will deal with themes of fate, destiny, and far-reaching choices, making it more cerebral and interesting than a one-dimensional adventure flick. From the intriguing setup to the surprising end, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is perfect from start to finish.
6
‘Puss in Boots’ (2011)
It is always a gamble when a studio bases a film on a side character from another movie. Where many have failed, DreamWorks succeeded with Puss in Boots. The critically acclaimed Puss in Boots films are as entertaining as any of the Shrek main franchise films, if not more. Both of the Puss in Boots titles more than tripled their production budget, making them not only critical successes, but box office winners as well.
In Puss in Boots, Antonio Banderas reprises the charismatic character that was first introduced in Shrek 2. A terrific snapshot of the character comes in the intro to his first solo film. A voice-over plays of Banderas stating all the aliases the daring rogue has been known by over the years. After he escapes capture, bids farewell to a lady love, and has a sword fight all in under three minutes, audiences see a letter “P” slashed out of fabric, reminiscent of classic Zorro films. This is an amusing meta moment highlighting Banderas as the perfect choice to voice Puss in Boots with a nod to his portrayal of Zorro in The Mask of Zorro. The opening to Puss in Boots is a perfect introduction to the furry and fashionably shod rapscallion.
5
‘Chicken Run’ (2000)
Speaking of breaking out of captivity, that is exactly how Chicken Run begins, with a jailbreak. As the movie’s first few frames start to roll, audiences watch on the edge of their seats as a small group of chickens attempts a dangerous escape. Complete with snarling guard dogs and a menacing patrol person, the opening of Chicken Run is spot-on for infusing the film with a sense of urgency and drama.
Having an unsuccessful attempt at the beginning of the film communicates to viewers that breaking free from Tweedy’s farm is no easy task. It showcases the motives of the main characters and highlights the obstacles that stand in their way, making any sort of getaway anything but easy. Having established that breaking out is tougher than it looks, the film can continue to unfold with all the shenanigans that make the formidable task possible.
4
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2010)
DreamWorks has a stellar track record of hooking an audience within the first 10 minutes of a film. A shining example of this expertise is in How to Train Your Dragon. As the first few scenes introduce viewers to the Viking village of Berk, the movie distinguishes this settlement by a unique element. Berk is not set apart by its leadership, politics, or location, but by its pests. The urksome wildlife that besets the island town is fire-breathing dragons.
From the phenomenal score composed by John Powell to the dynamic animation and ambiance, the intro to How to Train Your Dragon is one of the best narrative openings of any animated film. The stubbornness of the villagers, the complicated self-image of the main character, and the humor woven in between make it a 10 out of 10. Demonstrating that fighting dragons is a way of life helps viewers understand the years of history building up to Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless’ (Randy Thom) relationship and why it is so revolutionary.
3
‘The Wild Robot’ (2024)
The opening to The Wild Robot feels like its own mini-movie. Exploring a fantastic mismatch, the first scenes of the film ideate what would happen if a robot that was built to help humans landed on an uninhabited island. Left with only animals as her companions, Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) tries to make sense of her surroundings, though her environment is anything but the one she was literally made for.
The Wild Robot’s opening sequence is an intriguing tech-meets-nature vignette. Roz learns how to live in her new habitat by observing the local fauna. She also figures out how to communicate with animals instead of humans. The Wild Robot’s intro is a brilliant fish-out-of-water scenario and is done with cleverness and wit. Though the movie goes on to add a more personal touch by having Roz raise a young duckling named Brightbill (Boone Storm/Kit Connor), the intro was interesting enough to have been its own film. Watching Roz adjust to life as a “wild robot”, experiencing situations and circumstances that were never even supposed to be a possibility for her, is fascinating, and the beginning sequence is the best part of the movie.
2
‘Shrek’ (2001)
A hilarious and irreverent farce that flipped the fairy tale genre on its head, Shrek is DreamWorks’ most famous title. A not-so-subtle stab at Disney and their iconic portrayal of fabled stories, Shrek broke the fantasy mold in the best way. Featuring an ogre and not a charming prince as the main character, Shrek (Mike Myers) became everyone’s favorite antihero.
The intro to Shrek had to be perfect. It had to establish what kind of ride viewers were in for and set the tone right away to avoid confusion or a muddled message. The brilliant delivery chosen was to have Shrek read a fairy tale book (an obvious similarity to how many Disney films start), and then, as he scoffs and says “What a load of…,” he rips off a page of the book, and a wide shot establishes that he has been in an outhouse the whole time.
The opening of Shrek served two purposes. It established the movie’s voice and where it was planning to go, and it made a bold statement for DreamWorks Animation as a studio. The message delivered was that they weren’t going to hold back. Comedy pushes the envelope; it dances right on the edge of daring, and DreamWorks proved that they were willing to enter that dance and let the comedy go where it needed to go. Shrek solidified DreamWorks as a forerunner in cinematic storytelling and is undoubtedly one of its greatest accomplishments.
1
‘The Prince of Egypt’ (1998)
Of all the incredible openings to DreamWorks animated films, there is none so epic as The Prince of Egypt. The movie follows the life of Moses (Val Kilmer) and starts from his adoption into the house of Pharaoh (Patrick Stewart) through his life-changing encounter with God, to becoming the leader of a nation. The beginning of the movie features one of the key songs in the film, “Deliver Us.” Maestro Hans Zimmer, who has composed the score for hundreds of feature films, including Top Gun: Maverick, The Dark Knight, and Inception, achieves excellence once again in The Prince of Egypt, and the soundtrack is an integral part of the film.
As the movie opens, the song “Deliver Us” is sung by multiple voices as images of the cruel and oppressive slavery conditions are depicted on screen. From young children to the very old, the Hebrew people live in fear for their very lives. As the focus moves to Moses’ mother, Yocheved (Ofra Haza), audiences watch the heartbreaking moment as she puts her baby in a basket and floats him on the river in a desperate attempt to save his life. While the people are crying out for a deliverer, Moses, as a baby, is being delivered from the whim of Pharaoh. Moses goes from being the son of a slave to a prince of Egypt, all within the opening scenes.
The dramatic music and visually stunning animation are as brilliant at the beginning of The Prince of Egypt as they are throughout the entire film, and it is altogether a masterpiece. The Prince of Egypt is one of the best animated films DreamWorks has ever done, one of the best biblically based movies ever made, and an unparalleled triumph in every way.
https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Road-to-El-Dorado-Tulio-Miguel.jpg?w=1600&h=900&fit=crop
https://collider.com/best-dreamworks-animation-movie-opening-scenes-ranked/
Lisa Nordin
Almontather Rassoul
