DreamMachine Episode 5: Monsters vs. Aliens

In this special Halloween episode of DreamMachine, Patricia and Arun skip out a few movies in the timeline to discuss about the 2009 animated movie Monsters vs. Aliens. The movie is about a woman named Susan who is ready to get married to a reporter when she is struck by a meteor and turns into a 50 foot giantess. She was sought after by a secret organization where she is teamed up with a group of monsters to fight off against aliens who are planning on invading Earth. However, Susan is struggling with her new size and new life when all she wanted was to be a housewife. Will she learn to accept her new life as a defender of the Earth?

When the movie premiered in theaters, it made $381 million dollars and has received mixed reviews from critics and viewers. Since then, the movie has spun off into a franchise with specials and an animated series on Nickelodeon. How does it compare to other movies that spun off into franchises like Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, and How to Train Your Dragon? Does the movie hold up? Listen and find out.

DreamMachine Episode 4: Joseph: King of Dreams

In this episode of DreamMachine, Patricia and Arun discuss about the 2000 direct to video movie Joseph: King of Dreams. Based on the Bible story on Genesis, Joseph is a beloved child by his father Jacob and his 10 older brothers are jealous of him. They get even more jealous when Jacob gave Joseph a coat of many colors and Joseph has prophetic dreams. Then the brothers plan on selling Joseph as a slave in Egypt and lie to their father telling him that he was killed by a wolf. Will Joseph make the best out of a bad situation? Will he ever see his family again?

When the movie was released, critics panned it calling a downgrade from The Prince of Egypt and has become obscure. It's currently the only direct to video movie Dreamworks ever released. Is it an underrated gem or is it a pale comparison to the masterpiece that is Prince of Egypt?

DreamMachine Episode 3: The Road to El Dorado

In this episode of DreamMachine, Patricia and Arun discuss about the 3rd DreamWorks animated movie, The Road to El Dorado. In 1519, two con artists named Miguel and Tulio win a map to the city of gold El Dorado from gambling and make their way to find it by sneaking in to Cortes' ship. When they're discovered, they are captured and imprisoned until a horse helps them out. They sneak out and end up in the island where El Dorado resides where the priest and king mistake them for gods. Now, a thief named Chell teams along with Miguel and Tulio to steal the gold and sail back to Spain.

When the movie premiered in theaters, it was a box office bomb only making $76 million dollars out of $95 million dollars. It received mixed reviews from critics praising the animation, but called El Dorado a giant step backwards from the quirkyness of Antz and grand epic scale of The Prince of Egypt. Since then, it has gained a cult following from viewers. Is the movie an underrated classic or an average adventure? Listen and find out.

DreamMachine Episode 2: The Prince of Egypt

In this episode of DreamMachine, Patricia and Arun discuss about the 2nd DreamWorks animated film The Prince of Egypt. Based on the book of Exodus from the Bible, the story is about Moses, a Hebrew raised by Egyptian royalty in a time where his people were slaves. He and the Egyptian's son Rameses are raised as brothers and have a strong relationship with each other. However, when Moses finds out about his heritage and accidentally kills an Egyptian, he runs away to the desert where he eventually ends up in Midian marrying a woman named Zipporah. Many years later, God sends Moses back to Egypt to free the Hebrews from slavery which becomes even more difficult with Rameses being the new Pharoah.

When the movie premiered in theaters, it made over $200 million dollars in the box office becoming the 2nd non Disney traditional animated movie to make over $100 million movie and held the record until The Simpsons Movie almost 10 years later. How well does The Prince of Egypt hold up? Does it still have an edge over other DreamWorks animated movies that came afterward? Listen and find out.

DreamMachine Episode 1: Antz

Welcome to DreamMachine, the podcast where Arun and Patricia discuss about every Dreamworks theatrical movies, shorts, specials, and direct to video movie leading up to How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. They discuss about their first movie, Antz, which debuted on October 2, 1998. The plot is about an ant named Z who wishes to be an independent ant after being being sick and tired of being a worker in his colony. He then meets Princess Bala in a bar and instantly falls in love with her. To get closer to Bala, Z impersonates as a soldier without realizing that his mission is fighting in a termite war. Returning home as a war hero, his rank as a worker ant has been discovered and takes Bala hostage to not get arrested. With both of them out of the colony, Z and Bala search for the legendary paradise Insectopia. Meanwhile, the colony's general named Mandible is making a huge plan behind the queen's back involving with wiping away the "weak ants" and making a stronger colony.

When the movie premiered in theaters, it made $174 million dollars in the box office and had gotten positive reviews from critics and fans kickstarting Dreamworks' animation company. It came out a few weeks before Disney's A Bug's Life where it had a similar concept about a colony of ants. How well does this film hold up after 20 years later? Listen and find out!