The History of Me and My Shadow: DreamWorks’ Most Famous Lost Film

A project they left in the shadows is also one of the most interesting animated films that never got made
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[@cintronproductions9430]

They cancelled these potential masterpieces but released the Boss Baby!?

[@ma3mc3mu-X]

It was still a success.

[@cintronproductions9430]

@@ma3mc3mu-X Yeah, but it was gross, disgusting, the story made little to no sense, was poorly written, and I think Storks is superior and actually cuter and funnier. Yeah, Storks wasn't the best movie ever, but I feel it's a masterpiece next to Boss Baby. The Netflix series looks even grosser and I refuse to watch it.

[@ma3mc3mu-X]

@@cintronproductions9430 Dude, Storks was release a year before The Boss Baby.

[@cintronproductions9430]

@@ma3mc3mu-X I know. In fact, I dislike Boss Baby so much that I call it a rip-off of Storks! I dislike it more now, knowing we could have gotten an Australian musical.

[@ma3mc3mu-X]

@@cintronproductions9430 At least the animation of Tim's imagination zone is awesome and it got nominated for the Best Animated Feature award (Losing to Disney AGAIN!). What about a musical based around Scandinavian folklore? The main lovers is between a shy musician and the Huldra, the sidekicks are two separate trolls - one from the grass forests and the other is from ice mountains. The separate villains from the separate worlds have impressive motives.

[@brycevo]

Lost media always breaks my heart

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

@marianne mccrank Exactly, sometimes ignorance is bliss. Knowing the boss baby did well (it actually got an academy award nomination I believe and of course a spin-off series) cuts so much deeper when you find out good things like the shadow movie were left in the dumpster of history. But seeing as DreamWorks has run through a number of series at this point by finishing trilogies maybe something like the shadow movie might have a chance. I mean I swear if Shrek gets a reboot instead of something new I'm going to give up on DreamWorks.

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

@marianne mccrank I die inside whenever I think about the emoji movie being "successful" even though critics absolutely destroyed it,it made plenty of profit regardless. Outside of Disney/Pixar prestige movies that are animated don't typically come out of any of the other guys. They do nice easy good looking animated films that can get as much market share as possible. I don't hold my breath for the likes of blue sky, illumination, or sadly even the now NBC / Comcast owned DreamWorks. I always like to be surprised but these guys want it to be nice and predictable.

[@themathanator432]

I agree 😭

[@abyduran5117]

@@somedoomermetalhead7377 Thank you very much for your comment

[@somedoomermetalhead7377]

@@abyduran5117 you're very welcome, I want this film to be revived!

[@arbytv5139]

Actually, the Princess and the frog was a moderate box office success, not enough to top Pixar’s up, but still. It was unfortunately Winnie the Pooh that ended up as a box office bomb. And that was just because of unwanted competition with Harry Potter and the deathly hallows part 2.

[@davidanthonymercado7064]

I think the main reason Winnie he Pooh was a box office bomb was because it had to compete with the last Harry Potter film.

[@arbytv5139]

David Anthony Mercado yeah, Competition can overshadow otherwise great movies. For instance, Don Bluth’s masterpiece The secret of NIHM ended up as a box office bomb due to competition with Steven Spielberg’s movie ET, which essentially slaughtered every other movie in its path

[@aidanhever3369]

ArbyTV Yeah, all because they decided to release it in the same time as the final part of Harry Potter & The Deadly Hollows.

[@MrGabeanator]

actually no it didnt

[@toon4thought]

Princess and the Frog did well enough to turn in a profit. However, I can never help but think that if that was as major a hit as Tangled was the following year, they may not have given up on 2D animated features. Winnie the Pooh 2011 was always a lighter project, let's be real here. That wouldn't have done very well even if it wasn't for Harry Potter.

[@alextheblueman-reviewergam9655]

This would've been a very good movie, but we ended up having Boss Baby and Trolls.

[@bigbash8011]

Alex The Blueman - Reviewer & Gamer hi

[@alextheblueman-reviewergam9655]

@Raul Alcantar yup.

[@alextheblueman-reviewergam9655]

@@bigbash8011 hey Pokemon Gamer

[@cintronproductions9430]

@@alextheblueman-reviewergam9655 Trolls was... not the best thing but it was, eh, ok. But Boss Baby is a gross abomination.

[@Ducky_Lucky]

my dad really likes the trolls movie and he's in his 60's, very odd

[@porcelaindoll1228]

Man if I were to ever own a rick and morty style portal gun, I would travel to a dimension where these films are finally made and released

[@carsfan1995]

Have you ever thought if they were made they would suck?

[@porcelaindoll1228]

@@carsfan1995 I don't care I just want them to be finished.

[@porcelaindoll1228]

@marianne mccrank And the emoji movie is cancelled in that dimension

[@captainobvious6779]

marianne mccrank And Disney didn’t make their bad live action movies.

[@void_fimshe]

If "Me And My Shadow" were to come out in this hypothetical alternate dimension, I would highly doubt that it would be terrible. I mean, Bill Hader as one of the main protagonists, and a full soundtrack from Adam Young of Owl City himself? It will most definitely be owlsome. I just murdered that pun.

[@justjeike3516]

2013 Dreamworks: **reveals Me & My Shadow** Fans: YES 2014 Dreamworks: **delays** Fans: I guess we can still wait 2015 Dreamworks: **cancels** Fans: NOOOO!!!! 2015 - Present Fans: BRING IT BACK! 2017 Dreamworks: **releases Boss Baby** Fans: *are we a joke to you?*

[@carsfan1995]

Well the studio had gone through a few layoffs and lost employees. They couldn't afford to be experimental. Hell, that's why once Sinbad bombed in 2003 they didn't ever try experimenting with 2D animation when CG was the hot new think of the 2000s.

[@zachatck64]

If I see one more damn comment hating on The Boss Baby

[@yuvalgabay1023]

@@carsfan1995 the sad thing the mouses and the road to el derado where very good movies . Like mouses is the only non cringe super consovrtive animated movie based on the bible

[@yuvalgabay1023]

@@zachatck64 boss baby is poopy

[@xxx.sunlit.b3astxxx.142]

Why DreamWorks 😭

[@grayventras1235]

Owl City was going to be doing the whole soundtrack for Me and My Shadow. The fan base was so excited and we had track names and everything. I waited for years just for that music.

[@MySpace123]

His tracks were already set in the movie... so sad we couldn't watch this movie, also we won't hear the whole soundtrack..

[@enimo9241]

Does that mean that the soundtrack is lost media then?

[@badcatalex]

@@enimo9241 don't see why not

[@sonicroachdoggjrraven3263]

I actually want to cry

[@endertobias1908]

Any movie that has owl city even as a credits song is a good movie

[@saulothebebop2581]

So this got cancelled but Boss Baby didn't? No wonder why Dreamwork almost got bankrupt...2 times.

[@Arathornbr]

To be honest, 1st Boss Baby was fun and had a nice message behind it, but this one seems much more interesting. =\

[@joshuajoe1419]

Actually the reason Boss Baby came out and this didn’t is because they went bankrupt before. Boss Baby made half a billion dollars while the more adult and inventive movies they make usually flop.

[@louise4152]

Well I mean, the boss baby was a pretty big success.

[@TimmyTheTinman]

Actually, they went bankrupt before that movie came out. It’s tragic, but a lot of other movies got canceled because of the financial turmoil. DreamWorks was going through at the time and boss baby was spared because it was a guaranteed hit that would pull them out of bankruptcy

[@judaspetta7601]

I think the reason people latch so strongly to these canceled DreamWorks movies is just because they're... more interesting than anything they're actually putting out? conceptually, tonally and visually. unfortunately capitalism doesn't reward innovation and a lot of these cancelled movies are too ambitious and risky and the company couldn't handle the potential loss when something like boss baby was a sure gaurentee to get them money. Its not even just DreamWorks, almost all theatrical movies lately feel stagnant or incredibly pandering to easy demographics

[@neatoburrito3170]

'Capitalism doesn't reward innovation'. Someone needs to crack open a history book.

[@Snowmon89]

Frankly, I find the "Shock Collar" verision of Zootopia as better than Zootopia. While the Zootopia we got, despite being visually stunning and inovative… was lacking. I think that you're right about why people latch on to these movies. However, Capitalism does reward the abitious and risky. However, just like with all things in Capitalism, the bigger the success, the bigger the loss. Some people just want to get by with a guarenteed success, rather than take a risk. Why do you think there have been so many remakes, sequels and adaptations where a fanbase already exists for so long? I got totally screwed over by my college becuase they tried to get me into feilds of study (CGI special effects in movies and video games) that I'm not interested (let alone paying them to teach me) in, when I wanted to be in Animation (Traditional, Flash and for TV series). They wanted me to take on the "popular" and "easy" road. I refused. Still do.

[@apenasmaisumdiogo.7115]

It's not exactly because "capitalism doesn't reward innovation". Going to the movies it's not cheap (at least in my country), so the public prefer going to see movies from franchises and concepts that they already know. Why do waste money in a movie that you don't know it will be good if you can waste money in a movie that you know that at least it's not going to be a total failure? I'm not saying that movies shouldn't try to be original (because originality, in the other side, can also lead to success, even more that medium movies), I'm saying that new concepts are risky, and risks are dangerous when you are speaking of millionaire budget movies that can bankrupt your company If they don't pay theirselves.

[@rachelhallie7483]

@@Snowmon89 I have to disagree with your take on Zootopia there. Mostly because while the "shock collar" concept is darker than what we got, I think it undermines the messages of the film, which is about predjudice and how our biases can have negative consequences despite our best intentions. The problem with the shock collars, imo, is that they are too blatant and dare I say, easy for a metaphor about descrimination. The Zootopia we got is far closer to the real modern world, where inequalities are often invisible to everyone except those who endure them. Watching our well-meaning, idealistic hero accidentally promote the oppression of predators with a few poorly chosen words at a press conference is far more sophisticated storytelling that will make people think about their own behaviors towards others, versus a clear visual metaphor from which people could easily distance themselves. Making the messaging subtler is not a cashgrab move. I mean, people complained that it wasn't clear whether predators or prey had more social power because the mayor was a lion, as if the US didn't have a black president when the movie was released. If there is a weak point of Zootopia (which, admittedly, I love) it's the villain. If she and her motivations had been better set up, I think the core plot would have been a lot stronger.

[@andreassmith-partee3355]

@@rachelhallie7483 wise you are, young one.

[@CM-ne9ej]

I think everything about the concept is just really charming, even without the gimmick. Relatable protagonist, charming tagalong sidekick, creative supernatural premise... It just seems like it wanted to truly be something special, which is true of so few animated movies these days

[@KaeganThornhillTheCyberRaven]

What I hate the most is when a Film is 99% done and it get canceled out of the blue for no reason. Like, come on! And don't even get me started on the films that are 100% completed, but will never be released. Edit: We should start a Kickstart for "Me and My Shadow". Who's with me?

[@clyde5636]

I am !!

[@kjmanimations]

Me

[@void_fimshe]

Here I am.

[@steventhilo3438]

I am!

[@jacksonteller3973]

Blue Sky's last movie was like 75% done before Disney shut them down(and i'm not buying COVID as an excuse, Blue Sky was always on the chopping block).

[@JinxSanity]

Me and My Shadow became another victim of the Jack Frost Curse, since it was Rise Of The Guardian's failure that started the domino effect that made the following movies try to make up for its underperformance and in turn leading to DreamWorks fall as a independent studio.

[@fatcat1414]

As an animation fan myself, I wouldn't say I'm picky when it comes to hand-drawn animation; I do love indie films and appreciate the hard work that goes into them. I guess what I really want is for Western audiences to respect the medium again instead of immediately disregarding it as dumb kids' stuff. Indie studios don't have enough influence to earn that respect, so I would like major studios like Disney and Dreamworks to release full hand-drawn animated features. That's just my opinion, so I can't speak for everyone.

[@aliciadrigo3277]

This. While indie studios making 2D is all well and good,they don't have the clout that Disney,Pixar,or Dreamworks would,which would allow for 2D to reach a wider audience and potentially change the outlook on 2D(as in only being for kids) as a whole. Let's be real here most indie animated movies aren't even heard of by the general public,and that just feeds into the 2D mentality since most people can't easily access it. If 2d animation wants to have a place in the industry again,it needs to be produced by a company that has the manpower,resources,and good will so that the public actually gives it a chance. Unfortunately,the company that's probably the most suited to doing this(Read:Disney) is also the company that is the least interested,given their priorities are making soulless live action remakes and more uninnovative CGI.

[@IcidLink]

Im glad that Japan still makes 2D Animation but even there we see more and more 3D Animated Anime

[@fatcat1414]

@@IcidLink I'm actually glad that the Japanese animation industry is trying to expand. Perhaps some 3D shows will help introduce anime to a broader audience, and allow some more experimentation among creators. However, I will admit I don't appreciate the way many studios approach CGI animation at the moment. They try too hard to replicate the typical anime style in 3D space, so it results in an uncanny valley effect on the characters. I think that's just the result of the industry sticking to what is popular for the sake of profit, though.

[@IcidLink]

Micheal Shuman it depends on the Artstyle the Studio uses. Most TV Anime use CGI for backgrounds and stuff like Cars / Monsters allready but the Characters are 2D. But it can look worse like at Bezerk 2010 or Handshakers.

[@IcidLink]

Micheal Shuman or the Bad 3D Backgrounds at Trinity Seven they looked bad and bland

[@firemiracle]

The movie that I'm sad that dreamworks cancelled was Alma. They were gonna make a movie based on the animated short Alma, which is about a little girl who was interested in a doll that looked so much like her, but once she went inside the creepy dollstore and touched the doll, she became a doll herself. This was so interesting to me because with a movie, i had theories in how the movie would've go. Like my theory was like maybe a new kid has to save all the other kids were turned into dolls. Like i was hoping the movie would've been a continuation to the animated short. But then dreamworks was being dumb and cancelled it. It's such a shame.

[@earthculture2996]

fire miracle sounds like Coraline a little

[@emilydedman8638]

Sounds a lot like coraline

[@Boltscrap]

@AFC He said that the dreamworks movie would be BASED on the independent short film. It's entirely normal for the big movie folks to get interested in independent art, and want to adapt it on the big screen. Also a good way to gauge interest in a project in the first place.

[@julyakacarrie6260]

@@Boltscrap Spies In Disguise is based in a short from 2009, Pigeon Impossible.

[@BigEOT3]

“Alec Baldwin Business Infant” How did that get past the board?

[@jackiegonzalez6814]

EnragedEric 🤢🤮

[@yaboimccoy8109]

Boomer humor

[@goodolgranite8247]

I am sure that DreamWorks just wanted to make a Book Adaptation.

[@brianlevine871]

It's a massive shame that this film won't ever get made, at least in the near future. Not only for its awesome concept of CGI and Hand-drawn animation interacting with each other, but also for its creative story of having shadows take control of their hosts. The only aspect I'm uncertain about is having a legitimate villain, mainly because I think the story could work well with just having Stan creating the conflict himself. That alone could build up this shadow revolution and have Stan resolve the issue he started. Also, I wouldn't blame the cartoon community for not 'wanting to see' indie/foreign animated films like you claim. I'd pin the blame on the fact that these movies receive limited showings in select theaters, thus making it hard for many people to find the right place and time to actually check it out. Like imagine if this animated film you desperately wanted to see (i.e. Song of the Sea) was only playing some Wednesday at 8:00 PM at a theater outside of your hometown. The problems may include worrying about using too much gas to travel far for a single movie, not having enough money to pay for both a movie ticket and an Uber to drive you there, maybe not having a friend over to carpool with around that time, or needing to get ready for your job the following morning. Maybe if these films were distributed in theaters by big name companies and given wider releases and time slots, then they might receive the attention they desperately need. Sure it may not suit what mainstream audiences want, at least in the minds of top executives, but these movies still deserve a chance to shine worldwide.

[@jacksonteller3973]

WB is actually keeping hand-drawn animation alive with it's DC direct-to-video movies that they'v been releasing since 2007, that's how i've been getting my fix.

[@lizardfishbird]

I was part of the Owl City fandom at a young age. I remember hearing announcements about this film because Adam Young was supposed to have done the soundtrack but then it just... never happened

[@michaelcorleone3286]

Hopefully they will revive it

[@amygasca7872]

I want to see Me and My Shadow when it comes out to theaters like for real.

[@peytonmichael9898]

Yeah, I want to see it too if DreamWorks ever decides to revive it, but it honestly just feels like wishful thinking at this point.

[@MMFOY29]

@@peytonmichael9898 I know, right? They revived the sequel to The Croods after being canceled for The Boss Baby. I hope they do the same for this film.

[@peytonmichael9898]

@@MMFOY29 Wholeheartedly agree. And let's be honest, did anybody even ask for a sequel to The Croods? Because I didn't. The same can be said for Trolls 2, Boss Baby 2, and Spirit Untamed (I know the last one I mentioned is more based on the series of Spirit rather than an actual sequel to Stallion Of The Cimarron, but even still, I stand by my point). That's the problem with DreamWorks lately. They've been making these unnecessary sequels that nobody really wants. They're like the diet version of the direct-to-video Disney sequels that we would get from the mid '90s all the way up to the near end of the 2000s, except they're just slightly better than those movies and have higher production values because they've put a lot more money into them. In terms of their animation, they're way better, there's no denying that, but in terms of the quality of the writing, story, and characters, they're almost on the same level as those direct-to-video Disney sequels, at least in my opinion.

[@KentaroMiyamoto21]

This was a heavy loss for DreamWorks.

[@Cartoonfan-bf2wd]

Looks like dreamworks is basically a "shadow" of its former self.

[@summerjonz]

And that's saying something.

[@matthewcole5059]

I hate it when animated features get canceled. Especially the legend of spyro movie. I wonder if some of the DreamWorks movies that were canceled will suddenly come back. The croods 2 came back after it was canceled for the boss baby. Jesus, this is the second highest amount of likes I've ever gotten.

[@brrgames]

Eh.. I didn't think the Legend of Spyro movie would have been a good movie, since the game's plot was very similar to Superman, Disney's Dinosaur and Lord of the Rings. Not to mention we all know how well the Ratchet and Clank did, critically and financially.

[@matthewcole5059]

@@brrgames it still sucks for fans of those games. I myself may be more of a classic spyro fan, but I still would've loved to see a movie for spyro. It could still happen, I just wish the legend of spyro movie didn't get canceled.

[@YamiSpyroX]

Matthew Cole How to Train Your Dragon 3D and the Owls of Ga'hoole movie are too blame for that I'm afraid. Not only was Legend of Spyro a dragon Movie in 3d set for 2010 it had Legend in the title too! But we still got Skylanders Academy though.....

[@matthewcole5059]

@@YamiSpyroX now that I'm happy for.

[@Evanedits191]

wow. Dreamworks cancelled a sequel to a ARIGHT film over a PAINFULLY ADVRAGE film (you probably get my reference)

[@christian_weston_chandler]

My dude is wearing a orange fedora. I have never seen this man before. But I respect the hell out of him for getting on camera with that hat on

[@TheWanderingWolf2393]

Me and my shadow sounds very interesting. I wish DreamWorks could give the rights of this movie to maybe Blue Sky, Disney, Or Warner Bros.

[@arbytv5139]

Unfortunately, the only ones who seem to care about this movie are us animation fans.

[@PeterGriffin11]

This movie would've been cancelled if Disney had the rights as well look at how many films Disney cancelled when they brought Fox in favor of making sequels to popular already existing movies.

[@TheWanderingWolf2393]

@@PeterGriffin11 ooh Pika Pika. Wanna be friends? Detective

[@PeterGriffin11]

@@TheWanderingWolf2393 sure

[@TheWanderingWolf2393]

@@PeterGriffin11 yayyy. You can check out my vids if you want

[@tomatosoup2000]

I feel like if they made Me and My Shadow instead of Peabody and Sherman it would’ve been a great success. its such a good idea and the way they were gonna animate it would’ve looked so good! its actually kinda saddening that they didn’t make it.. I feel like I would’ve loved it, and probably lots of others too!

[@aidanhever3369]

I hope it won't suffer the same fate as The Thief and the Cobbler.

[@Jacqthepossposs]

you mean a movie that was in financial limbo for almost 30 years, but the creators kept to their guns and released it none the less to much critical fanfare? yeah would be a shame, bro.

[@coyraig8332]

At least The Thief and the Cobbler has all of the scenes. They might not be complete, but there's enough to get stuck together. I wonder if anyone is trying to finish those unfinished scenes. No idea how long it would take to finish, but it would definitely be a long time.

[@rustydiamonds771]

It's not that people don't CARE about indie films, it's that most don't KNOW! I've been obsessed with cartoons since I was 9 and I'm only just now hearing about Gkids and these indie films. I'm 17. They also aren't as accessible upon release. When a dreamworks movie comes out, i know that i can go down to my local theatre and watch it. When an indie film comes out, I don't hear about until at least 3 months afterwards, and then I have to scrounge around and do about 12 Google searches before I figure out how I can watch it without putting all my faith into some dark corner of the web site.

[@jacksonteller3973]

Yeah there's some great 2-D animated films made by Stan Lee's company Pow entertainment but few people know about them.

[@alexismartinez8343]

As a prominent independent director and animator, I'm quite interested reviving the cancelled DreamWorks projects like Larrikins, Mumbai Musical and Shadows in my own animation studio.

[@peytonmichael9898]

That'd be cool. I wish you the best of luck. I would buy a ticket to see those films.

[@summerjonz]

Me too.😊

[@horse14t]

That would be super cool! Keep us updated too ;P

[@NoahDaArk]

If I may be so bold to ask, would it be possible to take the software Arc System Works uses for there fighting games and use it to create an anime-style movie? Just so you know, ArcSys Works has developed software and techniques that allow them to make 3D computer generated models look like 2D hand drawn characters. It’s so surreal to look at and just makes me wonder what kind of movies we could have if those techniques were applied to a movie

[@sunspotmill1291]

As least Larrikins may still technically going to exist as a short film called Bilby and Mumbai Musical might be turning into an upcoming Sony movie soon called Vivo.

[@shelbymckinney8888]

Umm princess and the frog didn't bomb. It was only winnie the pooh, and thats only because it was released the week in the last harry potter movie.

[@djangoflores7413]

Shelby McKinney They could of released the film after the last Harry Potter film

[@Evanedits191]

How ironic that the most profitible marketble IP Disney has ends up becoming a box office bomb

[@SouperSharked9000]

Shelby McKinney While Princess and the Frog wasn’t necessarily a ‘bomb,’ it did have the misfortune of coming out at the wrong time, especially around the same time as James Cameron’s Avatar, which became one of the highest grossing movies of all time

[@susanalopez5052]

It did underperform big time

[@Ethan-ir6ec]

It wasn’t a bomb, but it wasn’t a hit either...

[@shelbyshaper]

I still think it can come back. The IMBD page is still up, it has a full soundtrack and currently NBC is going around and copyright striking all of the bigger test videos. I see that as a sign they’re doing something with it

[@jacksonteller3973]

Yeah and when you consider that Croods 2 was initially cancelled and brought back years later i'm not giving up hope.

[@cjhope7688]

Excuse me good sir, did you just say that W E. C A N. L I S T E N. T O T H E. S O U N D T R A C K.

[@EchoBoop]

Looking at the concept arts, shows that the idea its genius, the amount of flexibility and creativity that those guys would have, would probably make this a automatic classic.

[@shrinkydinkydo]

Lost media always makes me wonder: how far into production did these projects get?

[@pufelmulticolorido]

I remember talking with Thomas Grummt (a supervising animator at DreamWorks) about this movie a few years ago. He told me one of the key reasons it didn’t get made is that Edgar Wright’s version was a sweet love story and thus it was deemed as too small scale for it to be blockbuster flick

[@ravenpotter3]

Algum Problem ok

[@PatTriesAgain]

Man . This seemed like such and interesting movie

[@Sl33pyxSt4rsx]

agreed.

[@kaioto5699]

agreed.

[@warcornsugarfart9774]

The boss baby should have been a short film at most, because its amusing for exactly 10 minutes anyway. Its creation still baffles me.

[@crowtrobot17]

The upcoming sequel makes my whole body ache.

[@Jackie-McCann]

I’m still mad this movie got cancelled! It looked so interesting from the few animation tests I’ve come across on Tumblr and Instagram.

[@Oscar95451]

I had been curious and interest in this DreamWorks long lost animated feature. It mixes hand drawn animation and CGI animation

[@bluessbelles]

legit i wanna hear all the audio they did for thus film, especially from Bill Hader’s character. That rough animation draft you showed made my heart sink because of a) how amazingly animated it is and b) Hader’s performance and we may never see those on the big screen.

[@sunspotmill1291]

This is a cancelled Dreamworks project that made me feel sad for the most knowing its full potential as a film, awesome artwork and animation tests (Yes, I'm a big 2D fan), and how it never got to see the light of day between sudden managerial changes.

[@eilonwy0360]

I actually was delighted when I first found out about this unmade film. Its concept reminded me so HEAVILY of my favourite theater play Eugene Schwarz's 'Shadow', where the shadow of the main character, the Scientist, switches places with him, becoming human. Me and My Shadow is a bit different though, but nice nevertheless. I think every animation geek has that one cancelled/scrapped movie they love the most. Mine happens to be 2013 'The Legend of Tembo'. Look it up, if y'all interested, it could truly be a gorgeous film... if it's animation working studio wasn't shut down :[

[@maddalonefarms]

Princess and the frog didn’t flop. It just didn’t make as much money as they expected

[@00square1]

It sad will never see this or other canceled Dreamworks projects come to light. They had just a lot more creativity and original ideas than Disney or Pixar did. What’s worse that despite making about 35 movies, the ones are widely known is Shrek, Dragons, Kung fu panda, Trolls, and Madagascar. And only 4/5 of them are over. All I can say is that I hope Abominable is at best not jaw dropping amazing but a Great movie. Since it is the last original film for a while.

[@SketchBud]

That was a fascinating piece of lost media history. Maybe this shadow feature would make a comeback after Dreamworks finishes with their franchise films.

[@cadenfason711]

Some dude: you're probably here cuz you're interested in lost films Me: nah it just popped up in my recommended

[@Tombola1993]

To be honest, it would nice to see 2D animation from the major animation studios on the big screen again. Even if it’s to be a prominent moment like in Mary Poppins Returns and Moana. It would definitely work well with a CGI movie based in Ancient Egypt with hand-drawn animated hieroglyphics, or cave paintings for a movie based in the stone, or Ice Age. Disney would be great at that. I know the former was done for Moses’ nightmare scene in Prince of Egypt (except it was mostly 2D with the temple walls being CGI with 2D hieroglyphics in that scene) and the latter for the mammoth hunt scene in Ice Age and the introduction of Eep’s family and the deaths of other neighbouring families in the Croods, but those were just one-off scenes. I’m talking about more prominent moments of hand drawing animation in CGI movies like what Moana and Sherlock Gnomes accomplished and what Me and My Shadow could have accomplished, mainly for nostalgic purposes. Depending on the art direction of said animated films, of course.

[@greshaminc156]

What If Peabody and Sherman got more money instead of being a bomb then probably me and my shadow will be released

[@Spigan818]

Some of these had some real potential sadly we got stuck with boss baby, home and trolls. How about a rise of the Guardians sequel or whatever happened to the last 3 Kung Fu Panda movies that were planned?

[@hystericallover5989]

trolls isn’t that bad actually

[@zachatck64]

Boss Baby isn't bad >:(

[@ultimatewarrior733]

@@hystericallover5989 trolls is god-awful

[@amirgarcia547]

It’s very sad that this movie never saw the light of day tbh. Based on the concept alone, it seems like it could’ve been of the best Dreamworks movies.

[@HandmadeGoose97]

We could've got Me and my Shadow, but got Mr Peabody and Sherman instead.... This is worse then the time Nickelodeon passed up on Adventure Time for Fanboy and ChumChum

[@HandmadeGoose97]

@@calebkuti7897 yes, other than the dog I absolutely hated every character and none of the comedy landed. Each minute was essentially a slow death

[@PeterGriffin11]

@@HandmadeGoose97I saw that movie in theaters and I agree I thought it was very bland

[@atotalfiasco4213]

As much as I love learning about lost media, it also upsets me so much over the potential that never came to be fully shaped

[@Person-wz6iy]

Blue Sky now have a bunch of Skeletons in their shutdown closet. Nimona, Mutts, Anubis, Rio 3, A Nico and Pedro spin off, Spore, Ice Age 6 and a whole bunch of projects which we don’t know about!

[@frankdriscoll2695]

I remember hearing about Me and My Shadow years ago. I kinda always wondered why it never got released. You remind me of Adam Conover with your videos. Not saying that’s a bad thing. Keep it up.

[@alexismartinez8343]

13:05 - 13:30 I understand how you feel AniMat. I hate the cartoon community they are so picky towards animated films where they pay no attention to indepedent animated films while they pay more pay attention to cheap lazy childish candy mainstream animated films. Phffttt......I hate the toxic DreamWorks and Sony fanbases/cartoony community. Honestly, unlike more people I do pay more attention to independent animated films more so than many mainstream animated films. Whenever if the movies on DVD or in my local theater, I'll go and see it and buy it at home. Heck, if I have kids one day I would love to take them to see independent animated films to support animation and have better taste in animation just like me.

[@jacksonteller3973]

i'm not too picky, I get my 2-D animation fix from WB's DC direct to video movies.

[@kanna231]

I wish that DreamWorks will stop being so afraid and work Me & My Shadow movie.

[@22Tesla]

Well the studios can listen to fans at times, so who knows if this film may one day return. I 100% agree on the desire for hand drawn animation as a whole movie. If only the studios wouldn't just looking at a hand drawn animated film crashing in the box office as a sign that it's a faulty media. It mostly comes down to the script of the story more than anything. "Is my script our of touch? NO! It's the animation media that is wrong!"

[@ma3mc3mu-X]

What were DreamWorks so afraid of? They should just unleash their imagination, show Disney that they can win the Award for Best Animated Feature yearly with no heartlessness with a courageous boast of "I've had enough of your ego and your tasteless cash-grabs! BAM! Pack yo' bags, get out mah face!".

[@PeterGriffin11]

Yeah DreamWorks is capable of making creative & good movies like Shrek 1-3, Madagascar 1-3, Kung Fu Panda 1 & 2 haven't seen 3 yet, Megamind, Over The Hedge, Boss baby, Puss In Boots and while all their films may not be great Dreamworks is always willing to try new things with the plots of their movies Turbo may be a mediocre movie but it has a unique plot.

[@carsfan1995]

Disney didn’t win out of Heartlessness. Their animated films have plenty of heart. It’s the live action films that are cash grabs. Hell, Rescuers Down Under, Wreck It Ralph 2, and Frozen 2 are their only ACTUAL sequels. Dreamworld has done four Shrek film and a spin off movie, two Madagascar sequels and a spin-off movie and two tv shows, two Kung Fu Panda movies and two tv shows, two Dragon movies and two tv series, a Boss Baby series and an upcoming sequel, and an upcoming sequel to Trolls. Disney is the one that’s put effort into putting handdrawn in the mainstream with what AniMat said.

[@ma3mc3mu-X]

@@carsfan1995 Pixar is _obsessed_ with long-distant sequels and Disney only introduced Toy Story 4 just so they can snub Dragon 3 at Academy for that award. It was completely unnecessary as it Flanderized the franchise and now wikipedia predicts that they want to make MORE!! I HATE Disney/Pixar to my grave!

[@PeterGriffin11]

@@carsfan1995 Disney hasn't even made an original animated film in 3 years with their last one being Moana in 2016 and their last theatrical 2d animated film was Princess & The Frog which was 10 years ago. Disney also milks franchises as well like you said there are the countless live action remakes and they use to make straight to DVD sequels constantly as well, then there's all the MCU films & TV shows they make every year and Star Wars which Disney is also milking. Disney has also become even more greedy through buying out their competition like when they brought Fox and Hulu.

[@cintronproductions9430]

@@PeterGriffin11 Yup. I fear that in the future, Disney would have bought all forms of entertainment, even Nick and Nintendo, to the point that they'll even copyright the word "entertainment" since they own it all. I, I really don't want this to happen.

[@spongecrocker1345]

I love lost and cancelled movies!!

[@user-cb7ux6ky2d]

SpongeCrocker Doofenshmirtz SP SantaShrek Same, there's something fascinating and a little strange about researching these sorts of things

[@uptowntrading2428]

@marianne mccrank me too

[@j_0anna]

bill hader playing josh gad's excitable shadow would have been AMAZING.

[@HorseyShark]

Thee has to be a thing in the future to revive lost media animation like some sort of animation side company or something we're talented but unheard of animators can make a name for themselves by work to bring back these unfinished pieces of art y'know

[@infinitetimer27]

Why………..whyyyy…..GIVE ME, ME AND MY SHADOW!!!

[@jacksonteller3973]

I'd love to see you do a video on the cancelled Pixar movie "Newt"(which they even teased in one of their films) and the cancelled Disney movie "Gigantic"(which got teased in Zootopia).

[@xChaseTheWind]

Oh I remember when they first announced it, I remember I found out about it on Tumblr and thought it was an exciting idea and couldn't wait to see what the final product looked like. Tbh I forgot about it until years later when I kind of remembered it and went "whatever the hell happened to that shadow movie?". Well thanks for making this video, now I know its sad fate and honestly I really doubt DreamWorks will ever be interested in the project again, tho a CGI and 2D hybrid doesn't sound too outlandish so maybe they'll use the concept in a future different movie. Sad for DW, they could be Disney level but they just won't let themselves :/

[@CreativaArtly]

Spirit and Prince of Egypt are some of my favorite dreamworks movies ever!!!

[@jacksonteller3973]

Warner Bros is actually keeping 2-D animation alive with their excellent DC animated movies, i'd easily put the two-part Dark Knight Rises movie on par with some of Disney's films.

[@princessjpen]

The little bilby in the beginning is so precious

[@jacksonteller3973]

This film could come back someday as Croods 2 got cancelled initially and got revived.

[@sarafontanini7051]

Me and My Shadow also sounds interesting because the shadow world sounds like it could've been interesting to explore and a mystery involving some villain in what could've otherwise been a simple buddy comedy slice of life thing

[@wendyjaehnig4439]

By the concept art you can tell that the shadow villian is the shadow of the kid playing pirates and godzilla.

[@veggieboyultimate]

I would want Dreamworks to revive all their cancelled movies, but that maybe too much to ask.

[@Oscar95451]

If Sony Pictures Animation decide to revive one of DreamWorks scrapped film. What will it be?

[@KendrickHarrisKenfinity]

I remember hearing about this film for awhile, before it was scrapped with its cast. It's a really interesting idea with how our shadows are around us. So, this is awesome to watch to find out about it. Keep it up!

[@cable_g0re]

I swear if this movie released I would've been so happy. Especially since I immediately latch onto any and all shadow-y characters and burn the image of them directly into my brain wrinkles.

[@dgallagher6956]

The prince of Egypt was a hit.

[@YamiSpyroX]

1:21 See's that. OMG!!! THAT'S THE REDWALL ADAPTATION I WANT! (This and the canned Elf Quest film.) But in all honestly the cancelled DreamWorks project that's forever going to haunt me is the original concept design of How to Train Your Dragon. As a book fan that's beyond heart breaking.

[@nathanielwindsor7679]

Good news, Netflix is making a redwall movie with the director of over the garden wall, so there's hope for it yet

[@YamiSpyroX]

@@nathanielwindsor7679 It's good that's he doing it since I feel Over the Garden Wall would fit that dark and creepy 'yet whimsy' tone of Redwall, but I was half hoping it'd be Dreamworks since they next to nothing good under they're belt right now. I did here it'll be a full series so I'm hoping for good (or at least better than the 1st show) adaptations!

[@CocatGaming]

From what I’ve heard, Adam Young of Owl City was supposed to make the soundtrack for this film!

[@sasamichan]

I hate how studios see a flop and rather then "Blame the writers" they blame the medium the film was made in and they stop using that medium all together. Studies keep doing what's safe, not what's good and they keep putting out stories with scrips that are trash that they think reflect what's hip and popular rather then use scrips that are good. And it ruins a lot of things that could have been good. Not just Dream Works.

[@Cosmographiarte]

in 2014, I was taking a summer course in Gobelins and they brought someone who was working on the movie to give a conference on gestures and silhouettes. They had a few short, completed scenes prepared to show us but we weren't allowed to record or take photos. It honestly looked like a game-changer, it's a shame it didn't take off.

[@ravenpotter3]

Eliana Falcon what was the stuff that you saw like?

[@NoahDaArk]

4:49 OH MY GOSH! AniMat DOES Look like Josh Gad!

[@spmscout]

I don't get why Boss baby wasn't among Dreamworks animation's cancelled projects, that film literally had nothing promising about it.

[@gerawallstar3487]

Because the animation companies mostly care about what film would turn in a profit, and afraid of taking risks like the potential 2d/3d hybrid film for example.

[@saulothebebop2581]

Because baby movie makes babies happy and creativity is a no no for tye industry

[@zachatck64]

SHUT THE FUCK UP THAT IS A GOOD MOVIE

[@mhm6]

So lost that this is the first time I’m hearing about this movie. And I LOVE animation films

[@mattwolf7698]

This is a really interesting concept, hard to say if it would have actually done good or not. For all of the people desperate for 2D animation though, ...anime exists... It is annoying only given a limited run in U.S. theaters though.

[@Klonoahedgehog]

To be fair Japanese animation has always had a different sort of style than American animation.

[@abigaildiamante9096]

@@Klonoahedgehog yeah, the classic american animations people are longing (myself included) for have this fluidity and expressiveness in their style that isn't really done in anime

[@Baldwin-iv445]

I love how you're playing Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr in the background. Fits so well.

[@FanBoyyyyyyyy]

Idea maybe dreamworks is still working on the film after the restructure because of the resurgence but never telling the press to just surprise the fans knowing that if they do make it there will be a lot of money and support on how much people want the film

[@DrawntoHelluva]

5:02 You ain’t never had a shadow like me!🎼

[@aniasc0de932]

just found this video after someone I'm subbed to posted about it (a week ago 😅) and well honestly this movie needs to hype up again, kinda sad that I just found out abt this

[@nickdorenkamp959]

You know when looking at they're canceled projects and comparing them to they're non canceled projects, as much as I love some of the new projects I would much wanna see one of they're canceled projects like Me and My shadow get a chance. The only reason I can think of why NBCUniversal didn't want it is probably because of merchandising and not a franchise or in other words if has no cute character to sell toys then its going to fail.

[@RebelliousRobot]

Man, the premise is so interesting alone, I would absolutely watch this. I'd watch this on a streaming service or in theaters.

[@svan9969]

Really enjoyed your video!

[@soilology]

i wanted this movie, 50% because it was gonna be unique by having both 3d and 2d animation with a cool story, other 50% because i like lanky awkward nerd boys with glasses.

[@FISTROMANtheMAN]

Want a cool 2D feature? Wait until November... :)

[@saltbaker8683]

I still wished we had a full version of the song so i can hear It all day and night If It has too cause It's so underrately good! :'(

[@jge8144]

I can't wait to c Animat's review on Playmobil. It's getting slammed by critics and it hasn't even been released yet.

[@TheWanderingWolf2393]

I know. I saw news on it and it has 20% rotten tomatoes

[@chillplayer1234]

JG E In December yes.

[@jge8144]

@@chillplayer1234 yeah, I didn't know critics can get 4 months advance in screenings of a film's release! 😂

[@georgerobertson7010]

JG E playmobil the movie is out in France and fun fact: I’m not gonna see that movie when it comes out in decmember here, in my opinion playmobil the movie looks the LEGO movie but AWFUL!!!!

[@johnthechoochooaddict796]

The film was initially scheduled for a late 2011 release, but then it was delayed to spring 2012, then to 2013, and finally a 2015 release. However, according to an article the film would’ve been released in 2014.

[@gstone8255]

I was WAY MORE excited for and like a hundred times MORE interested in Larrikins i was and is for Me and my SHadow !!!

[@carsfan1995]

Oh hey, someone was interested in a concept that isn't based on the shallow idea that "2D is better."

[@draconicdemigod9696]

12:20 I mean he's not wrong. Some of us would go that far.

[@RetaliationStudios1997]

@ElectricDragon505 I'm a little sad that I didn't get to see this in theaters or on DVD and Blue Ray, but at least I can make a Disney book series inspired by this concept. It's called, "SHADOWS" and the pop song for the film adaptation soundtrack is "Fireflies" by Owl City.

[@missplayer30]

In my mind, this could have been the Dreamworks (loose) answer to Pixar Inside Out.

[@DisneyFan-po5kv]

Yeah, Like Toy Story=Flushed Away

[@missplayer30]

@@DisneyFan-po5kv I say Ratatouille=Flushed Away

[@DisneyFan-po5kv]

No, Ratatouille=Turbo

[@missplayer30]

@@DisneyFan-po5kv Cars=Turbo

[@DisneyFan-po5kv]

Well, The Plot Of Ratatouille Is Way Too Similar To Turbo’s

[@deviantari2686]

I think 3d has had a good run for the most part, but I badly want to see a return to hand drawn animation. I dont know what it is, but hand drawn animatated features and shows tend to be my go to, I feel everything so much more, like I'm there with characters themselves. Maybe its from growing up on iron giant and the like, but 3d just doesnt hit me as hard except on rare occasions, such as Up. A return would be fantastic, and I think if we had a movie that could bring it back with a big impact, it would be this one

[@jackruttan3545]

What an awesome and informative video!

[@donovanmartin7946]

Still don’t know what happened to this, maybe when dreamworks was moving to universal and they had to slash it

[@NoahDaArk]

5:03 Do I need anymore proof that Bill Hader should have played Genie in the live action Aladdin movie?