Dreamworks and Aardman Animations, the creators of the Wallace and Gromit film have ended their relationship before completing the agreement inked in 1999. Originally, the pact was for five films, but losses of the most recent offering, "Flushed Away," pretty much stopped the last two from going into production. Along with "Flushed Away," there was also "Chicken Run," and "Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit."
"Flushed Away" was a huge disaster as it cost $143 million to produce but 
generated far less, losing millions.
Arthur Sheriff, a spokesman for the film's British makers, Aardman Animations, said that it had been difficult to transfer the British humor to the U.S. "It seems that in the US market, Wallace and Gromit are incredibly popular in the main cities but it's more difficult when you go to middle America," he said. "The humour is a bit more subtle."
In reality it was the type of humor that a lot of people simply wouldn't want their children listening to - including some language, as Sheriff confirmed saying that "Flushed Away" did especially poorly in the heartland of America, a much more conservative audience.
Dreamworks, as other studios, have been streamlining their operations and have committed to only two computer-animated films a year.
In a statement, Dreamwork's CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said, "While I will always be a fan and an admirer of Aardman's work, our different business goals no longer support each other."
Comment Preview