10 Perfectly Average DreamWorks Movies, Ranked

They weren't amazing, but they weren't terrible.

Since its creation in 1994, DreamWorks has established itself as one of the premiere companies for animated movies. They rose to challenge the dominance of Disney and Pixar in the 2000s with fantastic franchises like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and How to Train Your Dragon. Their most recent film, Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken, premiered on June 30th.

Not every DreamWorks movie can be a major success, but thankfully few of their worst films can be considered awful. Most of them fall into the average range and are still able to entertain audiences of all ages for a few hours.

Ruby Gillman (Lana Condor) is a teenage Kraken living with her family among humans in the seaside town of Oceanside. When she dives into the ocean to save her crush from drowning, she discovers that she can transform into a Giant Kraken. This leads her to her grandmother, the queen of the Krakens (Jane Fonda), who tells Ruby about the Kraken's ancient feud with Mermaids over control of the ocean.

Related: ‘Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken’ Review: DreamWorks Animation’s Latest Is Sweet Yet ShallowWhile the writing and story don't go too far out of the box, it has a lot of charm to make up for it. The animation is gorgeous, especially on the Krakens: the animators do a great job making them move like a creature without bones. Ruby is also a charming character with a love for quadratic equations and a big heart.

Within a vegetable garden lives Turbo (Ryan Reynolds) a snail who dreams of being a racer. One night, he suffers an accident that grants him super-speed but gets him and his protective older brother, Chet (Paul Giamatti) kicked out of the garden. They are soon found by a taco-truck worker named Tito (Michael Peña), who decides to enter Turbo in the Indy 500.

Turbo's story won't win any awards, but it has a good amount of heart. Along with its traditional underdog narrative, there's also a good story about brotherly love. Both Turbo and Tito have older brothers who try to keep them from getting hurt, but when they see how far their brothers can go, they are there supporting them.

When every other cave family dies from predation or natural disasters, the Croods survive thanks to the one rule of patriarch Grug (Nicolas Cage): never leave the cave. One day, their home is destroyed in an earthquake, and the Croods meet a new kind of human named Guy (Ryan Reynolds). Though Grug distrusts him, Guy's higher intelligence allows him to devise solutions for various problems.

The world of The Croods is its strongest element. The landscapes are all bright, vibrant, and populated by creative-looking hybrid animals. While most of the characters aren't anything to write home about, Grug and Guy both standout thanks to their fun designs and fantastic actors.

Mr. Peabody (Ty Burrell) is an intelligent dog who has adopted a young boy named Sherman (Max Charles) and educates him about world history using the WAYBAC time machine. On his first day of school, Sherman gets into a fight with a girl named Penny (Ariel Winter), so Peabody invites her and her parents over for dinner to make amends. Sherman and Penny end up using the WAYBAC machine and get lost in time.

This film is a good modern take on the classic segments from The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends. History buffs will have fun with the film's many history jokes and cameos from figures like Agamemnon (Patrick Warburton) and Albert Einstein (Mel Brooks). Beyond that, it has a touching story about Peabody trying to be the best father he can be for Sherman.

Fourth graders George (Kevin Hart) and Harold (Thomas Middleditch) routinely pull pranks to brighten the mood of their fellow students in their humorless school. They are eventually caught by the principal, Mr. Krupp (Ed Helms), who plans to place them in separate classes as punishment. Using a plastic hypno-ring, the boys hypnotize Krupp into thinking he is a superhero named Captain Underpants.

Related: 12 Best DreamWorks Animated Movies, Ranked According to Rotten Tomatoes

Although this film is one of DreamWorks' least profitable films, it has been able to win over critics and fans of the Captain Underpants books. The characters look exactly like they do in the books and the film does a great job of preserving their unique blend of fourth-wall-breaking humor. It also adds more humanity to Mr. Krupp by showing glimpses of his life outside of school, which earned it praise from the book's creator, Dav Pilkey.

When a group of foraging animals wakes from hibernation, they find that most of their forest home has been destroyed to make room for suburban houses. A raccoon named R. J. (Bruce Willis) tells them that they can still find enough food by stealing from the humans. Unknown to the foragers, R. J. is using them to gather food for a hungry bear.

Over the Hedge is carried by its talented cast, each of whom voices a hilarious and unique character. These include William Shatner as an overacting opossum with a teenage daughter played by Avril Lavigne, Steve Carrell as a hyperactive squirrel, and Wanda Sykes as a sassy skunk. With so many talented actors working off one another, the jokes seem to write themselves.

On her wedding day, Susan (Reese Witherspoon) is struck by a meteorite that causes her to grow into a giant and be placed in a secret government facility with other monsters. Meanwhile, an alien named Galaxar (Rainn Wilson) sends a probe to Earth to recover the meteorite for his galactic conquest. To combat the alien threat, the US President (Stephen Colbert) agrees to pit Susan and the other monsters against the probe in exchange for their freedom.

Monsters vs Aliens does a lot with its simple but silly premise. The monsters all pay homage to classic monsters like the Blob and the Creature from the Black Lagoon while giving them a modern twist. Susan is also one of DreamWorks' most relatable protagonists and goes through a satisfying character arc.

Twenty years ago, the bright, happy, and musical Trolls fled from the miserable Bergens, who ate the Trolls to feel happy. To celebrate the anniversary of their flight, Princess Poppy (Anna Kendrick) hosts a party that accidentally leads the Bergens Chef (Christine Baranski) to them. When she kidnaps a handful of Trolls, Poppy joins up with a cynical Troll named Branch (Justin Timberlake) to go to Bergen Town and rescue them.

Related: Dreamworks Animated Franchises, Ranked: From 'Shrek' to 'Trolls' and Everything in Between

Trolls is a simple but effective hero's journey that also has a lot to say about too much positivity or negativity. Poppy is a peppy protagonist who gets a dose of how rough the world can be, while Branch sees that constant cynicism doesn't solve anything. This blending of perspectives is what allows them to show the Bergens how to finally be happy with themselves.

After the death of her father, Yi (Chloe Bennet) works multiple jobs to save up enough money to go on a trip across China. One night, she discovers a young Yeti on her roof hiding from men working for Mr. Burnish (Eddie Izzard), who wants to present him to the scientific community. Yi decides to help the Yeti get back to his home on Mt. Everest and is joined by cousins Pen (Albert Tsai) and Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor).

Related: 10 Underrated Standalone DreamWorks Movies

Abominable is one of DreamWorks' best-looking films. The animation is gorgeous, both when it shows off the beauty of China's landscapes, and with how fluidly the characters move. It also tells a solid and upbeat story about the importance of loved ones during the grieving process and man's responsibility to the natural world.

Before meeting Shrek (Mike Myers) in Shrek 2, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) lived the life of an outlaw. One day, he learns that murderers Jack (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jill (Amy Sedaris) have acquired magic beans that can lead to a goose that lays golden eggs. To get them, he teams up with master thief Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), and the friend who ruined his reputation, Humpty Alexander Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis).

Though nowhere near as good as its sequel, Puss in Boots is a fun fairytale adventure. It never takes itself too seriously, resulting in such fun scenes as a feline dance battle or a Western-style wagon heist. Its limited cast means that all the characters get enough time to be fleshed out and developed, especially Humpty and Kitty.

Next: The 10 Best Needle Drops in DreamWorks Animation Movies

Tyler B. Searle graduated with a degree in Journalism Web and Print in 2017 and Television Writing and Production in 2018. He has been a lifelong fan of storytelling, particularly in the realm of animation and fantasy stories. The Disney Renaissance is his favourite era of Disney, and his favourite non-Disney animation company is DreamWorks. Don Bluth is his favourite animator. When not writing lists, he is enjoying a fantasy novel in his home in Ontario, Canada.