DreamWorks Animation Television
The television production division of DreamWorks Animation, creating animated series and other content for broadcasters and streaming platforms.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
DreamWorks Animation Television is the television production arm of DreamWorks Animation, the animation studio owned by NBCUniversal within Comcast. The division develops and produces animated television series, specials, shorts, and streaming programs, often drawing on DreamWorks Animation's feature-film characters and intellectual property. Its output has been distributed through broadcasters, cable networks, subscription streaming services, and international television channels. The division's institutional history reaches back to 1996, when an animation unit was established within DreamWorks Television, the live-action television subsidiary associated with DreamWorks Pictures. That early unit was guided by DreamWorks leaders Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg and led by former Walt Disney Television Animation executives Gary Krisel and David Simon. It produced only a small number of programs, including Invasion America and Toonsylvania, before being closed in 1999 as DreamWorks consolidated its animation activities. Much of the television animation staff was transferred to a direct-to-video operation that was brought under the feature-animation organization. DreamWorks returned to animated television production in the early 2000s. Father of the Pride, a computer-animated sitcom produced for NBC, premiered in 2004 and became the first animated television series produced by the post-2004 DreamWorks Animation company. The series lasted one season and 15 episodes. Other projects connected with the wider DreamWorks television library were produced through outside partners or related live-action television entities, including Alienators: Evolution Continues, which was handled by DIC Entertainment after the earlier DreamWorks Television Animation unit had closed. A major expansion began in 2013. DreamWorks Animation entered a multi-year agreement with Netflix calling for hundreds of hours of exclusive original content. The deal was intended to broaden the studio's recurring television income and reduce reliance on the economics of theatrical animation. DreamWorks subsequently recruited Margie Cohn, a former senior Nickelodeon executive, to lead its television group. The company also acquired the television library of the United Kingdom's Chapman Entertainment, adding properties and distribution assets to its international television business. DreamWorks Animation Television's programming strategy has commonly combined original concepts with adaptations or continuations of established DreamWorks properties. Recognized series associated with the division include All Hail King Julien, The Adventures of Puss in Boots, and Dragons: Race to the Edge. These programs helped extend film franchises into episodic storytelling and supported distribution across Netflix and other platforms. The division has also participated in a broader ecosystem of DreamWorks-branded television specials, short-form content, and projects in development. DreamWorks Animation expanded beyond program production by launching the DreamWorks Channel in late 2014. HBO Asia was selected to provide affiliate sales, marketing, and technical services for the channel in several Asian markets. The network began broadcasting in English in August 2015, followed by a Thai-language version the following month. The channel initiative demonstrated the company's attempt to combine content production with direct branded distribution. In 2016, Comcast acquired DreamWorks Animation through NBCUniversal. DreamWorks Animation Television consequently became part of NBCUniversal's broader entertainment portfolio, alongside Universal-branded film, television, and animation operations. The division remains positioned as a global producer and distributor of animated television and streaming content, using DreamWorks franchises, original development, library exploitation, and international distribution relationships as the main pillars of its business.
History
DreamWorks Animation Television originated in 1996 as the animation division of DreamWorks Television, the television subsidiary connected with DreamWorks Pictures. At that stage it was organizationally separate from the feature-animation company that would later become DreamWorks Animation. The early television animation operation was associated with Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg and was led by Gary Krisel and David Simon, both of whom had backgrounds at Walt Disney Television Animation. Its limited output included Invasion America and Toonsylvania. The early unit was shut down in 1999 as DreamWorks reorganized its animation businesses under a more consolidated structure. More than two-thirds of its approximately 50 employees were transferred to a direct-to-video operation, while the remaining television activities were reduced. A later project, Alienators: Evolution Continues, was developed for Fox Kids in 2001 with DIC Entertainment and the main DreamWorks Television division. Because the original animation unit no longer existed, the series was not a direct production of DreamWorks Television Animation and ended after 26 episodes in 2002. After DreamWorks Animation became an independent company in 2004, it resumed television production. Father of the Pride, a 3D-animated series made for NBC, premiered in August 2004. It ran for 15 episodes over a single season and represented the first animated television series produced by the independent DreamWorks Animation company. Ownership and distribution arrangements for DreamWorks-related television libraries changed during the separation of DreamWorks' live-action businesses, Paramount's involvement, and later corporate reorganizations. The modern DreamWorks Animation Television group took shape during a strategic expansion into recurring television and streaming production. In 2013, DreamWorks Animation signed a substantial multi-year agreement with Netflix for exclusive original content. The arrangement was designed to provide a steadier content-based revenue stream and to reduce the studio's dependence on theatrical film releases. DreamWorks also hired Margie Cohn, formerly a senior Nickelodeon executive, to head its television operations. In the same period, the company acquired Chapman Entertainment's television library and arranged a licensing relationship involving the Classic Media library and Netflix programming. The division subsequently developed a substantial slate of animated series, including programs based on DreamWorks film properties. All Hail King Julien, The Adventures of Puss in Boots, and Dragons: Race to the Edge extended established characters and worlds into episodic formats. This franchise strategy became central to the division's identity, while the Netflix relationship provided a major outlet for original and adapted programming. DreamWorks Animation also pursued branded channel distribution. The DreamWorks Channel launched in late 2014, with HBO Asia providing affiliate sales, marketing, and technical services in selected Asian territories. The English-language service premiered in August 2015 and a Thai-dubbed version launched the following month. The channel complemented rather than replaced the division's production and licensing activities. In 2016, Comcast completed its acquisition of DreamWorks Animation through NBCUniversal. DreamWorks Animation Television therefore became part of NBCUniversal and the wider Comcast entertainment group. Its continuing role is to develop, produce, and distribute animated series, specials, shorts, and streaming projects for domestic and international audiences, with DreamWorks' feature properties serving as an important source of television concepts and audience recognition.
- 2016
DreamWorks Animation joins NBCUniversal
[1]Comcast acquires DreamWorks Animation through NBCUniversal, changing the division's corporate ownership.
- 2014
DreamWorks Channel is launched
[1]DreamWorks introduces a branded television channel as part of its international distribution strategy.
- 2013
Television expansion begins
[1]DreamWorks Animation signs a major Netflix content agreement, appoints Margie Cohn to lead television, and acquires Chapman Entertainment's television library.
- 2004
Father of the Pride premieres
[1]DreamWorks Animation's first animated television series premieres on NBC as a computer-animated sitcom.
- 2001
Alienators: Evolution Continues enters production
[1]DIC Entertainment and the wider DreamWorks Television operation produce a Fox Kids animated series connected with the film Evolution.
- 1999
DreamWorks Television Animation is shut down
[1]The early unit is closed during a consolidation of DreamWorks' animation operations, with many employees transferred to the direct-to-video business.
- 1996
Early animation television unit is formed
[1]DreamWorks Television establishes an animation division that later becomes part of the brand's institutional history.
Products and positioning
A franchise-oriented animation television studio that extends DreamWorks properties into serialized television, streaming, specials, and international branded distribution.
Animated television series · 2004
Father of the Pride
A computer-animated sitcom produced for NBC and premiered in 2004. It was DreamWorks Animation's first animated television series after the company became independent from DreamWorks Pictures. The program ran for one season comprising 15 episodes.
Animated streaming series
All Hail King Julien
A franchise-based animated series centered on King Julien and related characters from the Madagascar universe. It represents the division's practice of extending theatrical animation properties into serialized streaming programming.
Animated streaming series
The Adventures of Puss in Boots
An episodic animated continuation built around Puss in Boots, a character originating in the Shrek franchise. The series is an example of DreamWorks Animation Television's use of recognizable film characters in television storytelling.
Animated streaming series
Dragons: Race to the Edge
A serialized animated program expanding the world and characters of How to Train Your Dragon. It demonstrates the division's focus on franchise continuity, adventure storytelling, and long-form television distribution.
Animated television series
Invasion America
One of the two principal series produced by the original DreamWorks Television Animation unit during the late 1990s.
Animated television series
Toonsylvania
An early animated program associated with DreamWorks Television Animation before the unit was closed during the company's 1999 reorganization.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015DreamWorks Channel Asian launch
Thailand · Selected Asian markets excluding China and Japan
DreamWorks used the launch of its branded channel to present its animated library and original programming directly to Asian television audiences. HBO Asia supported affiliate sales, marketing, and technical services, while the service debuted in English and later added a Thai-language version.
Outcome. The channel expanded DreamWorks' branded international distribution presence.
Brand decisions
2016
Acquisition by NBCUniversalM&ABackground
Comcast expanded its entertainment portfolio through the acquisition of DreamWorks Animation.
Action taken
NBCUniversal acquired DreamWorks Animation, including its television animation operations.
Aftermath
DreamWorks Animation Television became part of NBCUniversal and the wider Comcast group.
2014
Launch of the DreamWorks ChannelProduct launchBackground
DreamWorks Animation pursued greater control over the presentation and distribution of its animated content.
Action taken
The company launched a branded television channel and arranged for HBO Asia to provide commercial and technical support in selected markets.
Aftermath
The channel created an additional international outlet for DreamWorks programming.
2013
Expansion into recurring streaming contentStrategyBackground
DreamWorks Animation wanted a more dependable source of content-related income and sought to reduce its dependence on theatrical releases.
Action taken
The company signed a multi-year Netflix agreement for 300 hours of exclusive original content and created a dedicated television group led by Margie Cohn.
Aftermath
The agreement and executive build-out established television and streaming as important components of DreamWorks Animation's business.
1999
Consolidation of animation operationsStrategyBackground
DreamWorks sought to bring its animation activities under a more unified structure after the early television animation unit had produced only a small number of series.
Action taken
The DreamWorks Television Animation unit was closed and many of its employees were moved to the direct-to-video animation operation.
Aftermath
DreamWorks later returned to television animation through the independent DreamWorks Animation company.
Sources1 sources
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