Hasbro + Dreamworks - What could it mean for MLP?

[Wardah]

HTTYD2 did okay but it's been hit or miss for them lately and they are too small to just shrug off the misses. Personally I think Hasbro is too small to be what Dreamworks needs tho. They need to partner with a bigger studio.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/03/14/can-dreamworks-animation-compete-with-disney.aspx

[Cool.Breeze]

HTTYD2 did okay but it's been hit or miss for them lately and they are too small to just shrug off the misses. Personally I think Hasbro is too small to be what Dreamworks needs tho. They need to partner with a bigger studio.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/03/14/can-dreamworks-animation-compete-with-disney.aspx

Wow, I didn't really know all of this, I have to agree that they need to partner with a bigger studio. The My Little Pony brand is pretty popular right now, but I don't see the MLP sections at the toy stores picked to pieces quite the same way as the Frozen sections in stores right now. I think a MLP film would be successful, but I don't think it's going to have them in competition with Disney anytime soon.

[gabumon]

I don't think it's studio size that is the draw.  I think that Hasbro is having lots of success as a company, and DWs is floundering a little, only mediocre successes.

[flyawayraven]

Honestly my immediate thought is Transformers. As much as we all love MLP, Transformers is still a massive cash cow for Hasbro. MLP certainly has a loyal fanbase, but I'm not sure we're as large as we think. Look at all the goodies Transformers gets at cons versus MLP, for instance. They also seem far more loyal to adult Transformers collectors than to adult MLP collectors.

And while I personally don't give a hoot about Transformers, I do admit that a Dreamworks animated Transformers movie or series does intrigue me.

[TickleMePink]

Honestly my immediate thought is Transformers. As much as we all love MLP, Transformers is still a massive cash cow for Hasbro. MLP certainly has a loyal fanbase, but I'm not sure we're as large as we think. Look at all the goodies Transformers gets at cons versus MLP, for instance. They also seem far more loyal to adult Transformers collectors than to adult MLP collectors.

And while I personally don't give a hoot about Transformers, I do admit that a Dreamworks animated Transformers movie or series does intrigue me.

I would LOVE a Dreamworks animated Transformer movie! Where Optimus actually is good, and would never hurt someone innocent or someone incapable of defending themselves. That stayed true to the old Transformers. 

[Shimmer Mist]

Honestly my immediate thought is Transformers. As much as we all love MLP, Transformers is still a massive cash cow for Hasbro. MLP certainly has a loyal fanbase, but I'm not sure we're as large as we think. Look at all the goodies Transformers gets at cons versus MLP, for instance. They also seem far more loyal to adult Transformers collectors than to adult MLP collectors.

You are absolutely right about that! As a Transformers junkie myself, I won't deny that Transformers gets a LOT more than MLP. G1 Encore figures, Generations, Masterpiece, video games, comics... It's a little disappointing as I'm also a Pony fan but it's kind of obvious why. The following for Transformers is still a LOT bigger than MLP and has been for many, many years. It's not just the North American fanbase, either. There's also Japan and Takara (who sold their Diaclone robots to Hasbro in the first place). TF has also had like 4 huge movies as well. G4 has made Ponies relevant again but I still think it has a long way to go. x-x In the FIM fandom most folks sort of look upon the older generations with a bit of disdain or even disgust. It's actually quite the opposite for The Transformers following. You get people complaining that newer incarnations aren't G1 enough.  Pony-wise it feels to me that the market for anything pre-G4 is really small. There are plenty of adult fans that would love for more nostalgic merchandise but I don't think our voice is loud enough just yet for Hasbro to listen, especially over the cries of the FIM-only fans.

[flyawayraven]

Honestly my immediate thought is Transformers. As much as we all love MLP, Transformers is still a massive cash cow for Hasbro. MLP certainly has a loyal fanbase, but I'm not sure we're as large as we think. Look at all the goodies Transformers gets at cons versus MLP, for instance. They also seem far more loyal to adult Transformers collectors than to adult MLP collectors.

You are absolutely right about that! As a Transformers junkie myself, I won't deny that Transformers gets a LOT more than MLP. G1 Encore figures, Generations, Masterpiece, video games, comics... It's a little disappointing as I'm also a Pony fan but it's kind of obvious why. The following for Transformers is still a LOT bigger than MLP and has been for many, many years. It's not just the North American fanbase, either. There's also Japan and Takara (who sold their Diaclone robots to Hasbro in the first place). TF has also had like 4 huge movies as well. G4 has made Ponies relevant again but I still think it has a long way to go. x-x In the FIM fandom most folks sort of look upon the older generations with a bit of disdain or even disgust. It's actually quite the opposite for The Transformers following. You get people complaining that newer incarnations aren't G1 enough.  Pony-wise it feels to me that the market for anything pre-G4 is really small. There are plenty of adult fans that would love for more nostalgic merchandise but I don't think our voice is loud enough just yet for Hasbro to listen, especially over the cries of the FIM-only fans.

Wow I knew there was a disparity but I didn't know it was that bad. O.o That's disheartening.

[HoustonCollector72]

I don´t think creativity and talent ever benefits from the corporations becoming fewer and larger....

  so True , It never helps neither workers or the end consumers

[Shimmer Mist]

So apparently Hasbro Said "No!" to Dreamworks. As a few already mentioned, it's not surprising given how they're already licensed to produce a lot of toys for Disney's properties.

[Al-1701]

Again, I think Hasbro was looking for an animation studio to scrap for parts, and that price was too high for something you would be scrapping.

[hathorcat]

Unless Disney wants to make Hasbro films, I don't see any issue on that end.

EDIT:  One thing I don't get is the price.  The only reason Hasbro would buy Dreamworks Animation would be to cannibalize it for parts to add to Allspark Pictures.  Their movie properties are of no real use to Hasbro, but buying an established animation studio is easier than starting one from scratch.  However, the price that's being thrown around sounds rather high for something you're going to scrap for parts.

You have to think of it in reverse. It buys Hasbro the toy rights to a lot of brands - even those already associated with other toy manufacturers (unless the property was a toy line before it was a movie).

It makes sense for Hasbro - it buys them the experience of a successful (if not crazy successful financially) studio when they have their own infant brand. But it also opens up whole new categories for their actual core toy making business. So much nowadays depends on licensed partnerships, why not try and bring everything under one roof rather than rely on external relationships.

[HoustonCollector72]

Merger  Cancelled 
Hasbro Stock went down after news of the merger talks went public .

what a relief

http://edit.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dreamworks-animation-hasbro-end-merger-749215

[Darker]

Why would Hasbro buy DreamWorks? Isn't DW the biggest and most succesful company of the two? Hasn't DW won millions of dollars with pretty much every movie they do?

While Hasbro, just makes ponies and satisfies the fans with fanservice? At least, now?

For me, it means nothing. It's just MLP but with better animation, nothing else. Story-wise, it's going to suck, very probably.

[mlp4me]

The problem is Dreamworks has been struggling. While their movies are awesome and all they haven't been making the box office sales to be profitable. They need someone to come and bail them out.

Wouldn't it be a game changer if they bailed them out and sent them back to the drawing board. Literally. I would LOVE to see a movie that is not completely CGI/computer animated be released again. (Yep, in my dreams...)

We'll see what happens. Oh, wait it didn't. Ah, what a relief...