Pearl Studio

File:Oriental DreamWorks logo.png

On February 17, 2012, DreamWorks Animation announced a joint venture with China Media Capital, Shanghai Media Group and Shanghai Alliance Investment to build a Shanghai based family entertainment company named Shanghai Oriental DreamWorks Film & Television Technology Co., Ltd. or Oriental DreamWorks for short. The new venture was expected to develop and produce original Chinese animated and live-action content for distribution within China and worldwide. The company also produces live entertainment content, theme parks, games and consumer products. Oriental DreamWorks, owned 45% by DWA and 55% by the Chinese partners,{{cite news|title=Oriental DreamWorks Rewrites Its China Production Strategy|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/news/oriental-dreamworks-rewrites-its-china-production-strategy-1200601504/#|access-date=November 14, 2013|newspaper=Variety|date=September 6, 2013}} launched on August 6, 2012, with cash and intellectual capital worth $350 million.{{cite news|last=Szalai|first=Georg|title=DreamWorks Oriental to Eventually Produce Two, Three Films a Year in China|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dreamworks-oriental-eventually-produce-two-377804|access-date=November 26, 2012|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|date=October 10, 2012}} To produce animated films, 37 Entertainment, a Chinese animation studio with 175 employees, which had already worked on some of DWA's television productions, has been acquired.

Beside producing its own content, Oriental DreamWorks acts also as a distributor for DWA's productions. Releasing The Croods in 2013, ODW became the first company in 20–30 years that got a license to import Western films.{{cite news|title=DreamWorks Animation SKG Management Discusses Q1 2013 Results - Earnings Call Transcript|url=http://seekingalpha.com/article/1387061-dreamworks-animation-skg-management-discusses-q1-2013-results-earnings-call-transcript?part=single|access-date=May 1, 2013|newspaper=Seeking Alpha|date=April 30, 2013}}

On November 25, 2015, Peilin Chou was appointed as the head of creative for feature animation at Oriental DreamWorks.{{cite web|url=http://www.cartoonbrew.com/business/peilin-chou-will-head-oriental-dreamworks-east-west-creative-fusion-122024.html|title= Peilin Chou Will Head Up Oriental DreamWorks' East-West Creative Fusion|last1=Thill|first1=Scott|website=Cartoon Brew|date=November 25, 2015|access-date=February 3, 2018}}

The studio's first animated feature film, Kung Fu Panda 3, was released on January 29, 2016,{{cite news|title=Bryan Cranston, Mads Mikkelsen & Rebel Wilson Board 'Kung Fu Panda 3'|url=https://www.deadline.com/2013/04/bryan-cranston-mads-mikkelsen-rebel-wilson-board-kung-fu-panda-3/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130411180304/http://www.deadline.com/2013/04/bryan-cranston-mads-mikkelsen-rebel-wilson-board-kung-fu-panda-3/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 11, 2013|access-date=April 11, 2013|newspaper=Deadline|date=April 9, 2013}} and was made in co-production with DWA, with 1/3 of the film being produced in China.{{cite news|title=DreamWorks Animation SKG Management Discusses Q3 2012 Results - Earnings Call Transcript|url=http://seekingalpha.com/article/971501-dreamworks-animation-skg-management-discusses-q3-2012-results-earnings-call-transcript?page=4&p=qanda&l=last|access-date=November 26, 2012|newspaper=Seeking Alpha|date=November 1, 2012}} The studio's first original film, titled Abominable, followed in 2019.{{cite web|last1=D'Alessandro|first1=Anthony|title='How To Train Your Dragon 3' Flies To 2019; Uni's DWA To Scale 'Everest'|url=https://deadline.com/2018/09/how-to-train-your-dragon-3-everest-dreamworks-animation-1201864844/|publisher=Deadline|access-date=December 6, 2016|date=December 5, 2016}} On March 15, 2017, it was reported that NBCUniversal would sell off its stake in Oriental DreamWorks for restructuring and possibly face problems with Chinese antitrust investigation.{{cite news|author=Patrick Frater |url=https://variety.com/2017/film/asia/china-oriental-dreamworks-heads-for-closure-1202006264/ |title=Oriental DreamWorks Heads for Restructuring, Sale |work=Variety |date=March 15, 2017 |access-date=July 17, 2017}}

A film adaption of The Tibet Code, co-produced by China Film Group, was announced, but was cancelled.{{cite news|last1=Jie|first1=Du|last2=Fang|first2=Tong|title=DreamWorks sees global potential in Tibet Code|newspaper=Xinhuanet.com|publisher=Xinhua News Agency|date=8 June 2013|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/08/c_132441330.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626000220/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/08/c_132441330.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 26, 2013|access-date=4 April 2014}}{{cite news|last=Coonan|first=Clifford|title=Katzenberg Touts 'Tibet' as He Targets Chinese Auds|newspaper=Variety|publisher=Penske Business Media|date=21 April 2013|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/international/katzenberg-touts-tibet-toon-as-he-targets-chinese-audiences-1200392866/|access-date=4 April 2014}}{{cite news|last=Zhang|first=Rui|title=DreamWorks to make bestseller Tibet Code into film|publisher=China Internet Information Center|date=20 April 2013|url=http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2013-04/20/content_28604611.htm|access-date=4 April 2014}}

On September 26, 2017, Peilin Chou was promoted to the role of Chief Creative Officer.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/09/oriental-dreamworks-peilin-chou-chief-creative-officer-new-animation-slate-master-of-none-everest-over-the-moon-china-1202177361/|title=Oriental DreamWorks Names Peilin Chou As CCO; Designs Robust Animation Slate|website=Deadline|last1=Tartaglione|first1=Nancy|date=September 26, 2017|access-date= February 3, 2018}}

On February 1, 2018, CMC Capital Partners announced that they have taken the full ownership of Oriental DreamWorks and renamed it as Pearl Studio. Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation still continued to collaborate with Pearl Studio for Abominable in 2019. Frank Zhu was appointed CEO.{{cite news|title=China's CMC Takes Full Ownership of NBCUniversal's Oriental DreamWorks|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chinas-cmc-capital-partners-takes-full-ownership-nbcuniversals-oriental-dreamworks-1081186|access-date=3 February 2018|work=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en}}

On September 29, 2019, it was reported that Abominable grossed $30 million worldwide during its opening weekend.{{cite web|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|url=https://deadline.com/2019/09/abominable-downton-abbey-hustlers-weekend-box-office-1202746278|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927150427/https://deadline.com/2019/09/abominable-downton-abbey-hustlers-weekend-box-office-1202746278/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 27, 2019|title=DreamWorks Animation & Pearl Studio's 'Abominable' Bigfoots B.O. With Near-$21M Opening Weekend|website=Deadline|date=29 September 2019|access-date=2 November 2019}}

{{Update|date=March 2018}}

Part of the deal with the Chinese partners was also an entertainment and culture complex called Dream Center. Built in Shanghai with an investment exceeding $2.7 billion, it would feature series of theatres, cinemas, shopping areas, galleries, hotels, restaurants and the world's largest IMAX screen, and was expected to open in 2017 (it was eventually delayed).{{cite news|title=Rising Dreams in the Orient: Oriental DreamWorks To Establish Headquarters in Xuhui|url=http://ir.dreamworksanimation.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=698481|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121208192232/http://ir.dreamworksanimation.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=698481|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 8, 2012|access-date=September 18, 2012|newspaper=DreamWorks Animation|date=August 6, 2012|author=DreamWorks Animation}} As of May 2017, the Dream Center is in limbo.

• Pacific Data Images
• DreamWorks Animation
• Kung Fu Panda (franchise)
• Netflix Animation

{{Reflist|33em}}

• {{Official website|https://www.pearlstudio.com/}}

{{Animation industry in China}}

{{Film production companies of China}}

{{DreamWorks Animation}}

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Category:Chinese animation studios

Category:Film production companies of China

Category:Entertainment companies established in 2012

Category:Companies based in Shanghai

Category:Xuhui District

Category:Chinese companies established in 2012

Category:DreamWorks Animation

Category:2018 mergers and acquisitions

Category:2012 establishments in Shanghai