Three DreamWorks Movies That Are Underrated Childhood Classics. Of animation studios with recognizable names and titles, DreamWorks is high up there. This is for those viewers who are looking for fun movies from the early 200’s to satisfy their search for nostalgia.
Over The Hedge was released in 2006 and directed by Karey Kirkpatrick and Tim Johnson. It follows a group of woodland animals who wake up from their annual winter hibernation to find out that there is a giant new wall, or hedge, in their forest. When they push their way through, they find out that humans have established themselves as their new neighbors over the winter. I remember watching this movie and thinking that it was so dumb but fun at the same time. The animals themselves are great too, especially in moments where their nature is leaned into like when the opossums played dead for no reason. It’s one of those movies that is covered in nostalgia for me because it was a movie that I watched when I was young. It’s one of those pieces of media that feels homey and makes me feel like a kid again.
Monsters vs Aliens is another one of those homey movies for me. Even just the concept of monsters fighting aliens in a movie still seems way too ridiculous to me, but the animated film directed by Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon does it in a way that can make anyone chuckle. Monsters vs Aliens came out in 2009 and it follows a woman named Susan Murphy who was transformed into a giant after coming into contact with an asteroid full of odd space goo. She is taken to a secret government facility where she meets other monsters, who later become her friends and team when they face a rampaging alien robot. All the characters are so interesting and funny on their own; a smart cockroach man, a blue goo monster who lacks a brain, and a chill sea monster guy make for a very interesting cast of characters. This movie is a bit more serious than Over The Hedge but it is still just as silly and full of funny moments.
Sinbad, released in 2003 and directed by Tim Johnson and Patrick Gilmore, is one of my longtime favorite movies. I forget it exists and when I remember I get really happy and try to watch it as soon as I can. It follows a man, named Sinbad, who is framed by the goddess of chaos Eris for stealing the Book of Peace, and has to sail to the end of the world to retrieve it. Sinbad is such an adventure filled movie and it is always an amazing watch. Sinbad is an entertaining main character and it is so interesting to follow him and his crew through their adventures to the literal edge of the world. Sinbad is also the only 2D animated film of the three and I really love how they did it. It’s so fluid and satisfying and it adds so much to the movie.
These movies from DreamWorks are some of my favorites. I can always go back and watch them and feel like a kid watching them for the first time again. I watched these growing up, and anyone who hasn’t seen them yet definitely should as they bring you back to that time of childlike glee and wonder.