Five things kids will love at DreamWorks Animation: the exhibition

Posted on 26 September, 2019

From the makers of Shrek (2001), Madagascar (2005), Kung Fu Panda (2008) and How to Train Your Dragon (2010) comes an exciting exhibition celebrating over 25 years of DreamWorks Animation.

DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition – From Sketch to Screen (showing until 2 February 2020) reveals the art, technology and storytelling that has made DreamWorks Animation the world’s largest animation studio.

The exhibition explores the essential ingredients–character, story and world–of the studio’s most popular titles, from their earliest Antz (1998) to more recent products like Captain Underpants (2016).

Madagascar (2005), artist Shannon Jeffries. © 2019 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.

You’ll be able to follow the creative path from sketch to screen through interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, original concept art, maquettes and digital interactives.

As Kung Fu Panda says “prepare for awesomeness”. Kids are sure to love the whole exhibition housed at the National Museum of Australia, but here are five highlights to keep an eye out for.

Dragon Flight: A Dragon’s Eye View of Berk

How to Train Your Dragon (2010), artist Simon Otto © 2019 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Take a journey through the filmmaking process on the back of Toothless the dragon in this specially-created video experience.

Character maquettes

See if you can find the original maquette (a 3D model) of your favourite character. Animators use these maquettes to guide their drawing throughout the film making process.

Drawing Room

The Croods (2013), artist Margaret Wuller. © 2019 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Step into the animator’s shoes and try your hand at 2D animation! Create your own animated masterpiece in the special Drawing Room and play it back for your friends and family.

Face Play

Play with the facial expressions of your favourite characters and create special effects in some of the exhibition’s many digital interactives.

Trolls scrapbooks

Trolls (2016), artist Timothy Lamb. © 2019 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.

See pages from Poppy’s scrapbook from DreamWorks’ happiest, fuzziest and toe-tapping movie Trolls (2016).

DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition – From Sketch to Screen comes to the National Museum of Australia from the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI).

The exhibition was created as a collaboration between ACMI in Melbourne and DreamWorks Animation in LA and was first shown in 2014.

the essentials 

What: DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition – From Sketch to Screen
When: Showing until 2 February 2020 daily from 9 am – 5 pm
Where: The National Museum of Australia, Lawson Crescent, Acton
Cost: $12-20
Tickets and more information: nma.gov.au/dreamworks

Feature image: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World™ © 2019. © 2019 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.