'Mega Mind' and 'Abominable' TV Spin-offs Announced By Peacock
There was a time not so long ago when DreamWorks Animation was giving Disney and Pixar a run for their money. Arguably, they were the first rival studio to really offer them serious competition. With smash hits like the Shrek, How To Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda films, they even seemed close taking their place as the most successful animation studio. Since then Disney has had a major resurgence while DWA fumbled. A run of costly box-office disappointments lead the studio to shutter its PDI campus and shed half its staff in early 2015. After discussions with various suitors, DWA was eventually acquired by Comcast/Universal.
Their most recent features such as The Boss Baby and Trolls films have been financially successful, but few would claim they are their strongest work (hopefully this spring's Bad Guys is about to change that). However, DreamWorks TV arm has gone from strength to strength, with the streaming boom allowing them to flourish. Deals with Netflix, Hulu and Peacock have allowed them to branch out from TV spin-off of their movie franchises, to series such as Voltron Legendary Defender, She-Ra, Cleopatra In Space, Kipo And The Wonderbeasts and Tales Of Arcadia as well as animated offshoots of Universal franchises such as Jurassic World and Fast and Furious.
DreamWorks TV has now surprised fans with two new series based on two of their more unexpected movies. 2010 Supervillain comedy Megamind was overshadowed by the release of Despicable Me the same year, but seems to have become appreciated more in the decade and a bit since its release. Megamind’s Guide to Defending Your City is a CG series following on from the events of the film and will follow Megamind as he attempts to become a superhero and defend Metro City, while becoming "the world's first superhero influencer". Original screenwriters Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons are on board as executive producers alongside Eric Vogel. No word on whether original star Will Ferrel will return, but A-listers don't typically reprise their role in the small-screen spin-offs.
Drawing on a much more recent film is Abominable and the Invisible City. The series follows the further adventures of the yeti Everest and his human friends as they discover a whole world of magical creatures around them, and they need their help! This CGI comedy series is being produced by DreamWorks although the original 2019 Abominable was a co-production with Chinese studio Pearl (Over The Moon).
Both series are coming to NBCUniversal's own streaming service Peacock. The two spin-offs were announced alongside several other kids animated shows.:
- Dino Pops: A Edutainment series teaching kids about prehistoric beasts, with a twist. Produced by Mobius Lab Kids and Cisneros Media.
- Press Start! Based on the popular Scholastic books series, two kids are transported into a video game world. Produced by Cyber Group Studios.
- Team Mekbots Animal Rescue: A preschool series featuring kids controlling giant robot animals to save the day. Produced by More Minds Studio and M2 Animation.
- Babble Bop Season 2: The musical series for preschoolers returns.
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