Invest KOREA

DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg met with the Korean media last week at the headquarters of DreamWorks in Los Angeles and said the Korean cultural content industry will have a bigger impact on the world, adding that Korea is continuously seeing strong movies and outstanding and creative movie directors.

Katzenberg, who led the “Shrek” and “Kung Fu Panda” series and made DreamWorks a global animation studio, stressed creativity, adding that creative ideas and technology were behind the success of DreamWorks’ mega hits.

He said animations are created with state-of-the-art technology that have been innovated over the last 20 years, an example being “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” which will be in theaters next year. He said that DreamWorks makes animations that touch not only children, but everyone. Seven DreamWorks animations, including “Kung Fu Panda” and “Shrek,” are ranked in the top ten box office record for animations in Korea.

Katzenberg also noted that a partnership with the CJ Group contributed to the success of DreamWorks.

Without cooperation with the CJ Group, DreamWorks would not be able to stand where it is now, said Katzenberg. He added that DreamWorks has developed a good relationship with CJ Entertainment Vice Chairwoman Lee Mi-kyung.

He will visit Korea to attend the 60th anniversary of the CJ Group in October, and discuss future cooperative measures. He expects the relationship with the CJ Group to grow.

The relationship between the CJ Group and DreamWorks goes back to 1995. When DreamWorks was looking for a partner in Asia, Chairman Lee Jae-hyun and Vice Chairwoman Lee went to the United States to make an investment contract of USD 300 million. It accounted for 30 percent of DreamWorks’ capital. With the contract, the CJ Group secured rights for DreamWorks movies in Asia and built a network with key players who lead the culture industry in the United States.

Katzenberg said he gleans inspiration from various sources to make stories, including hundred-year-old literature, books, novelists, producers, directors and artists. Ideas for “Shrek” and “How to Train Your Dragon” came from books, and “Madagascar” was based on his memory of living just a few blocks from the Central Park Zoo.

Currently, DreamWorks has about 50 teams of writers, directors and storytellers.


Source Text

Source: Newsis (Aug. 27, 2013)

** This article was translated from the Korean.