The studio spent the 2020s developing on its golden age while bringing entirely new stories to life as ambitious as, or more so than, its glory days. Collider has arranged the seven best DreamWorks movies of the decade, with the list ordered by its own judgment rather than how well each film sold at the box office. The result shows that quality and money do not always move together.
The ranking runs from the 2023 box-office dud Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken at #7 all the way up to the live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon at #4. The full list is available at collider.com.
Gillman’s Royal Undersea Story
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken tells the story of Ruby Gillman (voiced by Lana Condor), a shy 16-year-old girl who discovers she’s part of a legendary royal family of sea krakens. She’s next in line to become the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas, and the film turns classic ocean myths upside down by making krakens the noble protectors of the sea and mermaids the villains.
This film follows a familiar coming-of-age story, though it turns expectations on their head when it comes to how generations are portrayed. Ruby faces typical teen struggles: feeling out of place, worries about fitting in, and the challenges of life at high school, all before learning she is of royal blood. Chelsea, voiced by Annie Murphy, plays the usual role of the school’s mean girl, yet her identity as a mermaid gives the mythical creature a central part in stirring things up.
The film relies on striking visual style and distinct character design to carry itself, without needing much else. Toni Collette, Coleman Domingo, and Jane Fonda make up the voice cast. It was a failure at the box office, yet its appeal keeps it afloat anyway.
Dark’s Midnight Flight
The movie Orion and the Dark comes from DreamWorks Animation, made for Netflix. The story centers on Orion, an anxious elementary school boy voiced by Jacob Tremblay, who is terrified of almost everything. His greatest fear is the dark.
Dark (voiced by Paul Walter Hauser) is a jolly, boisterous, and misunderstood supernatural entity who visits Orion’s bedroom and takes him on a 24-hour global flight. They meet Dark’s quirky coworkers, including Sleep (voiced by Natasia Demetriou), Insomnia (voiced by Nat Faxon), Quiet (voiced by Aparna Nancherla), Unexplained Noises (voiced by Golda Rosheuvel), and Sweet Dreams (voiced by Angela Bassett).
This movie weaves together a clever, searching script with a fanciful tale about childhood dread. It looks at how fear moves from parent to child and how it can be beaten back, working as a lesson that makes fright seem ordinary without ever telling children to merely cease feeling afraid.
The screenplay was penned by Charlie Kaufman, who blends neurotic charm and genuine philosophical depth with a kids’ film. The most brilliant element was Hauser’s casting, turning Dark into the opposite of a monster.
The Bad Guys Go Bigger
Wolf (voiced by Sam Rockwell), Shark (voiced by Craig Robinson), Piranha (voiced by Anthony Ramos), and Tarantula (voiced by Awkwafana) can’t get honest work due to their past crimes, and Snake (voiced by Marc Maron) is rarely around, in The Bad Guys 2, the next chapter in the animated comedy series.
A shadowy master thief known as the Phantom Bandit has appeared, led by Kitty Kat (voiced by Danielle Brooks) and her companions Doom (voiced by Natasha Lyonne) and Pigtail (voiced by Maria Bakalova). The crew now works together with more daring animation, clever heist excitement, and a fresh new way of working, drawing people into their charm’s signature style and framing them. The sequel expands on the original.
This animated spy adventure moves at a rapid pace across the globe, blending chase sequences with comedic set pieces for a lively blockbuster experience. Its hybrid visual style makes both the action and the humor stand out.
Dragons Come Alive
How to Train Your Dragon is the live-action remake of the 2010 classic. Set on the rugged Isle of Berk, it centers on teenager Hiccup (played by Mason Thames), the son of Chief Stoick the Vast (played by Gerard Butler).
The Viking boy named Hiccup faces great difficulty fitting in among his own people, and he struggles to meet their high demands. He breaks tradition by trapping a Night Fury dragon, a rare and dangerous beast, and instead of harming it, he forms a bond with it. This strange friendship teaches him that dragons are not the monsters his village believes them to be. As he learns the truth about these creatures, Hiccup takes on the very principles his community is built upon.
The live-action version brings the original to life.
The Ranking’s Own Identity
Though Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken was a box-office failure, the ranking still gives it a “brilliant project”. Meanwhile, Orion and the Dark, a Netflix original with a wide release, has remained a hidden gem.
This roster likewise honors the studio’s openness to taking risks. Following the constant sequels of the 2000s and 2010s, the 2020s kept expanding those existing tales even as they launched entirely fresh storylines as substantial, or more so, than the era of DreamWorks at its peak.
| Rank | Film | Release Year |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken | 2023 |
| 6 | Orion and the Dark | 2024 |
| 5 | The Bad Guys 2 | 2025 |
| 4 | How to Train Your Dragon | 2025 |
The list proves that DreamWorks Animation can still take viewers by surprise. Since its founding by filmmaker Steven Spielberg, former Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, and music mogul David Geffen in 1994, the studio has kept both live-action and animated classics coming to the big screen.
The 2020s Output
The decade continued to build on older stories while introducing brand-new narratives. The ranking’s own identity reflects that balance, giving credit to a box-office failure while also recognizing a Netflix original that has remained a hidden gem.
This list serves as a reminder that the finest movies don’t always become the biggest successes. The studio has taken audiences beneath the ocean, through the darkness, and above the clouds with dragons, and the 2020s remain a time of creative output for DreamWorks.
Key Facts Box
– Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken: 2023 animated feature
– Orion and the Dark: 2024 Netflix original
– The Bad Guys 2: 2025 animated sequel
– How to Train Your Dragon: 2025 live-action remake of the 2010 classic
– Shrek: DreamWorks animated franchise
– Kung Fu Panda: DreamWorks animated franchise
Source material: “7 Best DreamWorks Movies of the 2020s, Ranked,” Collider.
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