THE ANIMATION FORUM

We interviewed  Jonny Cook, American exchange student from Denver, Colorado, about his opinions on DreamWorks animated movies and characters. Here's what he said.

Q: What’s your favorite DreamWorks animated movie and why?

A: My favorite DreamWorks animated movie is definitely Shrek. This film was so iconic, and growing up, held a dear place in my heart. More than just that, I remember that the Shrek soundtrack was one of the first CD's I had, and I would listen to it all the time.

Q: Who’s your favorite DreamWorks character and why?

A: I have to go with Donkey on this one. I always thought Donkey was the greatest sidekick, and even though Shrek may have been the obvious choice, I had a soft spot for Donkey as a character in my heart.

Q: Do you prefer DreamWorks animated movies to those of Disney and Pixar? Why or why not?

A: Even though Shrek is one of my all-time favorite animated films, I think that I prefer Disney and Pixar to DreamWorks' films. Their repertoire is really unbeatable — Disney has The Lion King, Aladdin, and Mulan; Pixar has The Incredibles, Toy Story and Up. You really just can't beat those trifectas, so I have to go with Pixar and Disney over DreamWorks.

Q: DreamWorks considers itself the irreverent antithesis of Disney. Would you agree? Why or why not?

A: I don't think I necessarily agree with this. Just in considering their film collections, there really aren't that significant of differences between the two film companies. For example, I don't see that great of a difference in the general content and messages from movies like Shrek and Madagascar, which DreamWorks produced, in comparison with the messages from the Disney films I mentioned.

Q: Which DreamWorks animated movie (that do you’ve seen) do you think is the worst? Why?

A: I really don't know; I imagine that I probably haven't seen the worst! Films like Megamind, Trolls, and the follow-ups to the first never really stood out to me, but I'm sure there are great DreamWorks films that I'm not mentioning also.

Q: Which DreamWorks character reminds you the most of a real-life politician?

A: I think my first inclination would be to compare Shrek to a politician, and the first politician that comes to mind is Donald Trump, unfortunately, but I am not going to give him the honor of being compared to Shrek. Maybe I would liken Donald Trump to Lord Farquaad. I think that's a more accurate comparison.