Their dispute is about the significant amount of animation and cartoon work being lost by union members from runaway work contracted to foreign countries by PBS, a broadcast entity the union claims should be loyal to American workers since it is funded and supported by U.S. tax dollars. These exported working funds, the Union stated, are putting American screen cartoonists out of business. Chicken Run opens in theaters on June 23, 2000. This is the lowest opening of a DreamWorks animated film, bringing in less money on its opening weekend than ANTZ or The Prince of Egypt even though it opened on more screens. The Road to El Dorado has opened to highly mixed, but mostly negative, reviews.
Most critics call the film highly visual and funny, but lacking in story and depth.
Launching his new production company, Melwood Pictures, Howard will be developing both live-action and animated features. I am looking forward to collaborating with him on future film projects he will be bringing to DreamWorks. To do so while staying within the DreamWorks family is truly the best of both worlds. Max Howard came to DreamWorks from Warner Bros. where he was President of Feature Animation. Relocating to the United States in 1988, he was appointed Director of Feature Animation at the new studio at Walt Disney World in Florida, and was then promoted to Vice President.