Nearly all of us have grown up with animated movies. No matter what studio made your favorites, we can all agree that looking back, some of them were a little strange. As adults, you can rewatch a lot of these older films and notice the more adult humor sprinkled within. No company does this more than DreamWorks. They take on the mindset that just because the movie is marketed for children, adults should still be able to enjoy the subtle humor as well. That being said, watching these movies again will have you start to notice just how crazy they are sometimes.
A children's movie does not always need to make perfect sense, due to their imagination filling in the blanks from time to time. As grown-ups, we see these things and sometimes end up scratching our heads, wondering just how the situation or the plot actually made any sense. No one company is single-handedly guilty of this, but all are to blame. Normally the plot is moved forward due to a never-ending string of convenience, whether by luck or by some "ex-machina" moments. This combined with often strange and sudden changes to the characters to suddenly made a bad character into a good guy or vice versa.
Does this make them bad movies? Not at all, but they are a lot easier to follow then you are not looking at the details. They are meant to teach children lessons while entertaining them, so some cut corners here and that's no big deal. So let's take a look at a few examples of some comics that prove DreamWorks does these very things in no short supply.
20 Shouting At A Dragon
When you think of a dragon, you most likely think of a massive reptile with sharp claws, wings, and that can normally breathe fire. For the movie How to Train Your Dragon, they turned this idea on its head and created the idea that perhaps dragons are more like dogs. That's very similar to saying that tigers are the same as a common house cat, just much more dangerous. When the movie reveals Toothless the Dragon to us, we see that perhaps the need to eliminate the dragons is not the answer, as Toothless can be as friendly as a chihuahua.
This is not to say that he cannot be fierce when he needs to be, but he's still not nearly as threatening as some of the others. The idea of the story is to teach that thinking outside of the box can sometimes benefit you greatly. However, selling the idea that the most dangerous fictional reptiles in history can be your cuddle buddy is tough. This could be a sort of "don't judge a book by its cover" type of lesson, but there are many dragons in the movie that would ruin your day quickly. So if you ever see a real dragon, please do not assume you can run up and hug it unharmed.
Art by Brandon and Colin Oliver.
19 He Has A Point
There is this idea in any adventure tale that a hero has a fate and that nothing can stand in the way of him/her achieving their goal, as long as they put their mind to it. So, the solitary hero normally feels the tug of fate on their sleeve as they begin that adventure. Often times, however, it is not realized by the hero that the path they are on has been built by either their ally or an enemy. For the case of this example in Rise of the Guardians, the Guardians leave their fate in the hands of the young Jack Frost. Once again, there is a moral to the story here that even children can be major influences on the world. What they do not mention is that the world must first mold them into who they are.
As the common phrase goes: "Heroes are not born, but they are made."
This is what makes stories like The Lord of the Rings so good, there is a struggle for each hero to decide what is right and some of them paid heavy prices to keep their morals. The idea of having the right person for the job at the right time is nothing more than a coincidence, sadly. Even though Jack is meant to be very old, he is still little more than a child compared to the forces he is fighting.
Artwork by Johane Matte.
18 Shrek Is Scared
The Shrek franchise is one of DreamWorks most famous series. So famous, in fact, that it got several sequels, even allowing Puss in Boots to have his own movie. The world they live in is a great setting for a fantasy story, being that it holds all fairy tale characters ever created. With the entirety of the fantasy universe in one story, of course, there is going to be some random hilarity that ensues. The main question we have is: how did Shrek end up being loved by nearly all the characters around him?
If you look back to the first movie, you will remember that we are introduced to an ogre starting his day in a disgusting, but hilarious way. He is not well liked and many people fear his kind because of their strength. The movie then tries to portray Shrek as being a little timider and reserved then we first thought. Shortly after, he destroys a small army of knights in a battle royal style wrestling match. So which is it? Is he actually a brutal monster that could do some damage or is he more actually kind-hearted? This ends up getting even more confusing when he sends Fiona away. So him struggling with his emotions is understandable, but then suddenly being friends with everyone who previously annoyed him? Unlikely.
Artwork by UMSAuthorLava.
17 A Showdown In The Making
Let's think about this for just a moment, Turbo the Racing Snail. An oxymoron if you have ever heard one right? Well, that is indeed the premise of the DreamWorks movie Turbo. It is very similar to the Pixar movie Cars, in that the characters are the vehicles that they race and the main characters see themselves as the best of the best. As we mentioned earlier, these types of oddities are given a pass because they are ideas in kids movies, as they might not think about how a car could be alive or how a snail could be fast, or they might just find it funny.
We do, however, love the joke that the artist here is portraying, with The Turbo from Wreck-It Ralph talking to the Turbo snail. An up and comer sizing up a veteran of the sport who is manically obsessed with winning, no size comparison puns intended. Most of us have always wished that more crossovers would see the light of day but if this came to bem it would be a strange one. The worn out Speed Racer-like lunatic verses a snail that is extremely fast for his kind. Turbo against Turbo, it could be a good movie, but they would have to somehow explain how either a video game character escaped and became real or how a snail entered a video game world. These companies love to stretch our imagination, so why not?
Artwork by FantasyFreak-Fangirl.
16 Scolded By A Toddler
The Boss Baby asks us to ignore the fact that older brother Tim Templeton is meant to have an overly active imagination. We are to assume a talking baby is not one of his fantasies, but rather a reality among all the imaginings. Seem a little convoluted? Well, we are just getting started, as it seems the baby is also at war with puppies. Who else would babies be at war with? Evil corporations that study the intelligence that leaves them once they turn a certain age? Oh, wait, that was the plot of Baby Geniuses.
It would be easy to assume that the far-fetched story was all in his head.
The Boss Baby almost just admits this idea of it all be imagined, as he sees a company that makes the babies instead of his mother giving birth. These are things we see because they are all in Tim's head. Some other examples would include when the babies are after him he is merely playing with them or when his parents do not remember anything because nothing actually happened. If you look at the movie from that angle it is actually pretty smart how they set it up, but we are lead to believe that it is actually real. It's almost like Shutter Island, but for kids.
Artwork by Campside.
15 The True Villian
There for a little while, we were getting a lot of kids movies about evil geniuses and anti-hero characters. As we watched the movies through, we realized that these characters were actually just big softies at heart. Looking back, however, just how maniacal were they really? They were like James Bond villains, but with little to no motivation to actually do anything wrong. Sure they had schemes, but they came off as being little more than large-scale pranks by the time the movies ended. For the case of Megamind, he did what? Have a hard life and take it out on the hero? For Felonius Gru? He stole stuff and was once a great villain. He soon became a stay at home dad for three orphans, which seems like an act of extreme good, not evil.
Now we are not saying that the Slender Man is real or that he isn't corny in his own right, but he would certainly feel more threatening than any of these "geniuses". At least if he was in a room of the likes of Megamind and Gru, the Slender Man would at least pose a threat to the others in the room. We know he would at the very least be the more unsettling of the crowd and much closer to a true villain than the other two.
Artwork by MadJesters1.
14 How It Should Have Ended
Did anyone else feel that by the end of Kung Fu Panda, protagonist Po was still underequipped to fight even his sparring partners, no less the dangerous Tai Lung? We can get behind the idea that working hard is the only way to achieve your dreams. What did Po do exactly to improve himself? He did the bare minimum and ate a lot. The real strange twist came when somehow his belly became his greatest defense against attacks.
The others he sparred with were able to defeat him easily, but the hard-hitting Tai Lung couldn't? Not to mention that they all fought Lung beforehand, so what hope would Po really have?
Also learning the Wuxi Finger Hold, that basically blows the entire area around him up, just by flexing his pinky finger? That seems like some next level Dragon Ball Z stuff. There is no way this beginner could ever hope to master something like this without proper training. Do not get us wrong, this was a great movie. Sadly, that fight at the end made next to no sense at all. Even though the ending would not have been as satisfying it should have happened as pictured above with Po getting his rump kicked.
Artwork by Kim Jacinto.
13 You're a What?
First off, we are not going to get into any serious debate about the Bible and its merits. That being saidm it inspired a great retelling of the Biblical tale of Moses freeing his people from slavery in Egypt. In the story, there are a few different crazy things that happen to Moses that are a little hard to believe. He was set afloat down a river in a basket and adopted by the Pharaoh's very own daughter, he saw a burning bush that God spoke through, he parted the Red Sea and, most famously transcribed, the Ten Commandments on the top of a mountain.
If that was not enough, the plagues of Egypt, the pillar of fire, and hitting a rock in the desert to find water certainly tip this story into the realm of legend. The comparing of him to the scene from the first Harry Potter is down-right hilarious. He was nothing more than a shepherd who was on the run from his vengeful brother. To live a strange life like he did would be a stretch. Even with all the luck in the world, he would have to have been blessed by a deity to survive it all.
Artwork by Konoira.
12 He Really Couldn't Tell?
After the movie Shrek Forever After, not many would've guessed that thought Puss in Boots would get his own movie. No less one that involves stealing golden eggs from the Golden Goose, being betrayed, and ending in a convoluted Zoro-like love story. Once again, this is a world that is meant to contain all of the fairy tale characters from all the stories. This leads to some amount of crazy hilarity caused by the combining of stories and the changing of characters to suit the narrative.
The strangest thing in the movie by a wide margin is when Puss fights Kitty Softpaws. They fight, they dance and Puss hits her with a cheap shot via a guitar. This blow knocks her mask off and she reveals that she is in fact female, much to the surprise of Puss in Boots. Now, she is a cat that wears nothing but a belt, so how on earth would you not realize that she was a woman just because of a mask? Of all the fantasy world shenanigans, this really stood out. So do most animals in that world just look anonymously gendered until they speak? Or perhaps the belt made her seem more masculine?
Artwork by RainHeart94.
11 Unhealthy Eating Habits
You may or may not know that the DreamWorks movie Over The Hedge was based on a comic strip of the same name by Michael Fry. The main characters are RJ the Raccoon and Verne the Turtle, who scour the neighborhood near the forest for thrown away food. In the movie, RJ convinces the other wildlife to search the home and their trash for hidden goodies. Verne feels that it would be safer to continue finding food in the forest, which seems to shrink with each passing year. Of course, this was a plot by the dastardly raccoon to get the others to help him gather food for his nemesis. Also, no spoilers here, as these facts are revealed in the first quarter of the movie. The movie is full of jokes much like this comic, where the animals mistake something they see for something they have heard of.
The biggest question is, how did they hear of human foods things in the first place? Did they use to listen to the humans without ever thinking to raid the trashcans on their own? Not to mention that it is pretty hard to confuse the taste of a Twinkie and a squash. I personally would prefer the squash to be honest, but he is at least one bite in. If he doesn't hate the taste, just eat it.
Artwork by Michael Fry.
10 True Terror
Remember when we mentioned that Shrek should at least be somewhat terrifying to justify the fear of the villagers? Well, this is what we meant. He should be a very scary and powerful creature, good side or not. For this comparison, we see Shrek replacing Swamp Thing in a comic book resembling the cover of Swamp Thing #9. Swamp Thing is not a bad creature, as he is very dangerous and trades blows with some of DC's most powerful villains. At the end of the day, though, he prefers to settle down in the swamp, only caring truly about the environment.
This would have made for a much more interesting version of Shrek.
If they would have shown Shrek being a true danger to the village from the beginning, instead of him just being annoyed at being bothered by them, we would have understood how he could take on any challenge. He could still have his soft spots and care about more than the swamp, but his very threat is from nothing more than a misunderstanding of who he is. This is so we sympathize with him more. This still doesn't justify him having no friends at the beginning and befriending most of the fictional world by the second movie.
Artwork by Michael J. Larson.
9 Just Roll With It
If you do not already know, Wallace and Gromit is a very iconic stop-motion style animated duo whose nonsensical adventures have made them famous. Wallace fancies himself as an inventor even though his crazy inventions normally make things worse or accomplish some ridiculous feat. Gromit, on the other hand, is a more calm and collected character. Being a dog, Gromit cannot speak but can use his body language to get his point across. For the case of one of their more famous films, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, they decide to fight a scourge of rabbits, as they decide to create a brainwashing machine to allow the rabbits to live without eating the garden vegetation of the town. As always, chaos ensues when they hit the wrong button. A rabbit is then shot out of the machine and hits Wallace in the head, trading some intelligence both ways into each other.
We do not want to spoil the whole movie, but as you can tell from that little bit of the story, there is little logic to be had. This is what makes them so famous, the combination of wacky storytelling and British humor. Humor takes over the need for any and all reasoning. In this case, it only makes the stories that much better.
Storyboard has taken from the book "The Art of Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-rabbit" by Andy Lane and Paul Simpson.
8 Before It Was A Movie
A major theme in the Over The Hedge comic, and movie, is the coming of spring. The movie itself only has the time to show us the adventure after a certain spring. The comic shows us many different springs and how the characters look forward to it, while they lament the coming of fall and winter. For the plot of the movie, they wake up to discover that during the winter, their forest has been basically cut in half and pressed up against suburbia. You might wonder how they have never wandered far enough to see human homes before or how an entire suburb could be built in such a short amount of time.
The comic shows a lot of even crazier things that they encounter as the seasons transition. In this example, we see Hammy the Squirrel mistake the coming of spring as a giant fast growing venus fly trap. Very Little Shop of Horrors, we know. The others are looking for the spring to appear and something does appear, so that must be one of the signs of spring right? So goes the logic of Hammy, which carries over well in the movie.
Artwork by Michael Fry.
7 Time Machines
If you have never watched an episode of Peabody's Improbable History, no one can really blame you, as the show is quite old. Starting in 1959, the short show was attached to The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends. Mr. Peabody is a genius, talking dog with many accomplishments. One day he decides to adopt a son and soon discovers that his apartment is too small to house a growing boy. So what does he do? He invents a time machine for his birthday so that Sherman can explore other times. In contrast to Mr. Peabody's intelligence, Sherman is a wild and impulsive child who often causes trouble in other time periods.
With the subject of time travel as big as it is today, the show was way ahead of its time.
If made again today, whether it another movie or a new show, it would be easy to see jokes like this thrown into the show about how his machine is better then other methods we have seen. The comic even includes the famous Tardis and DeLorean, saying they not quite right. To be fair, typing in where you wish to go and opening a door is very similar to the Tardis itself, except the machine never moves. The idea of a time machine is pretty mind-boggling in itself, but to mess with history with no repercussions is downright impossible.
Artwork by Jorge Monlogo.
6 The Archenemy Of Cake
Let's be honest, beyond defeating Metro Man, Megamind is possibly the worst supervillain ever. He really only feels that he should be a villain because of the archnemesis trope. He was so terrible at being evil, in fact, that he was able to suddenly switch to the hero role with minimal effort. According to this comic, he is only a real threat to cake and anyone that stands in the way of it. Sure he destroys part of the city any time he is throwing a fit, but when it comes down to it, many of us might do the same depending on how mad we are.
He really doesn't stand out as a villain in any way. Beyond being blue and somehow getting away with terrible disguises, he really does not have a lot going for him. His self-pity fuels self-hatred that he aims at those around him, instead of accepting himself. It makes him more of a crybaby than a relatable anti-hero. DreamWorks really has a way of making characters that are meant to be dangerous into softies for no real reason. We understand that they do not want to have gratuitous violence in their movies, but come on at least make the bad guys somewhat bad.
Artwork by Phantom--Wolf.
5 You Cant Win Them All
No company can make a perfect movie every time, but sometimes they can really make something a bit strange. For some of us who did not really care for The Bee Movie, it is hard to pin down just what was wrong with it. Maybe the jokes came off as a bit tired, maybe it is harder to relate to a bee, or maybe the possible romantic bee to human relationship came off as a little strange. Regardless, some people liked it and some did not. More recently there has been a lot of comics created for the movie that show some of the odd moments that people disliked.
Really when you think of it, the idea for the movie is nothing new. Take an animal or insect and compare their lives with humans. Often, the main character wants to escape their life and explore the outside world. They struggle for a time and meet new friends that help them understand what life outside their bubble is like. So why make the same movie again? Because sometimes a formula makes money and it is a safer bet than going with something new. In our modern world, we are seeing a lot of remakes, but let's hope we do not see a Bee Movie remake in 20 years.
Artwork by Travis Taylor.
4 Opposites Attract
There is this idea in TV and film that if you take two people from opposite walks of life and put them together, they will work well together. When was the last time that you wanted to hang out with someone you constantly disagree with? Friendship is normally started due to having things in common. You do not have to agree on everything, but at least on a few things. In DreamWorks' Trolls, Poppy and Branch set off on an adventure to help save Poppy's friends. It is a sort of "step out of your comfort zone" kind of story, where the more serious character has to put up with an obnoxious one.
What we find pretty funny about this picture is that with the Dragon Ball Z style combination, the sadder character doesn't really change. It is easier to be in a bad mood than a good one and there can be comfort in the familiar. So if you did not get along with someone you are around normally, do not try to hang around until you get along. Normally there is only so much you can take before you just want some distance, so perhaps giving them a chance later on. This is a common trope in media, that if you stay near someone long enough, you might find some redeeming quality. Other times, those few things you like only allow you to spend some time with them without becoming frustrated. So would they end up good friends? Probably not.
Artwork by DreamWorks-Trolls.
3 So That's His Origin?
You may have heard of Captain Underpants because of the recent movie, but not as many had read the books as a kid. So who exactly is Captain Underpants? Well, he is the principal of a school in which two young children, named George Beard and Harold Hutchins, happen to attend. Principal Krupp is a somewhat cruel and bitter man who is one day hypnotized by George and Harold into thinking he is a superhero. At this point, he just thinks that he is a hero, but has no real powers. Eventually, he drinks some strange alien juice that gives him super strength and the ability to fly. He ends up fighting a hand full of toilet-themed enemies, because you know, why not?
If all of this was not strange enough, he will turn into Captain Underpants any time he hears the snapping of fingers.
This is due to the hypnosis he was exposed to. The only way to change him back into boring old Principle Krupp is to splash him in the face with water. Only for him to snap back to reality, wearing nothing but his underwear and a cape. If any of that seems a little ridiculous, it is because it is absolutely insane. If thinking you were a superhero and saving the day was not enough, finding actual superhero juice inside a refrigerator on an alien spaceship will certainly have you questioning Dav Pilkey's sanity.
Artwork by Dav Pilkey.
2 Another Turbo
Once again, we see our old pal Turbo fall into the same old trap of referencing the other Turbo. The term "going Turbo" is used in Wreck-It Ralph to explain Turbo's actions as he became jealous and left his arcade machine, as he planned to enter another that was not meant for him. It is a sort of "I am going to do something crazy" and it is understandable that the medical crew is getting a little nervous. Turbo the Snail takes his racing seriously and once he realized he said the wrong thing, it makes him fairly perturbed.
So why does this comparison keep coming up? Well, it is more than the name itself, as they are both obsessed with winning their races and sometimes obsession can lead to insanity. They both risk a lot for their dreams and endanger themselves in the pursuit of victory. Even with this uplifting message, it is hard to picture a snail who had his DNA changed by being sucked into a car. No less making changes that allow him to win the Indy 500 where he raced against actual cars. Racing at high speeds is a dangerous life to live and even more so when you are a snail racing actual cars.
Artwork by ParodyMaster101
1 The World's Greatest Con Men
This one is cheating a little, as it's more of a meme than a comic, but it's in panel form, so we're going to let it slide! This example was taken straight from the movie The Road to El Dorado and it really speaks to the great lengths that the protagonists were able to go on a bluff. Setting aside that, when Miguel and Tulio land they somehow can speak Mayan, the film does not seem to make a whole lot of sense. Yes, they were in the right place at the right time to catch Chel and they were very strange looking compared to what the Mayans were used to. However, looking strange does not automatically equal God status. It was obvious that they knew nothing of the culture or its people, so any show of power was either another con or pure luck.
Being the main priest, you'd think Tzekel-Kan would know a God when he sees one.
Looking at what we know of the Mayans, they were not a very forgiving group of people and their sacrifices were to please the Gods. So, to have "Gods" suddenly refuse these gifts after thousands of years would not only seem strange to the priest, but the people as well. We highly doubt this would cause anything but confusion among the crowds. In the movie, they cheer as if to say that they knew their rituals were morally wrong. In reality, it was merely a task to be performed and was highly celebrated.