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David Mumpower: Josh's answer underscores the crux of the debate. It is quality versus quantity to some degree. While die hard Pixar fans (and I'm pretty sure that's all of us) may not like it, the undeniable truth is that DreamWorks Animation is upwardly ascending at the box office while Pixar is on the downward path. Josh showed you the domestic box office results of the last two films, which shows Pixar doing better by $35 million.

Now consider that Pixar's last two films earned $624.4 million and $532.9 million worldwide. Meanwhile, DreamWorks Animation's most recent two titles brought in $631.9 million and $584.3 million. Yes, you're reading that correctly. The last two DreamWorks titles have outperformed the last two Pixar titles in terms of worldwide box office by a solid $59 million. It's important to note that domestic receipts are easier to retain than international ones due to currency fluctuations, local tariffs, more expensive marketing issues per capita and the like. If we bottom line it, though, DreamWorks is releasing more films that are also making more money than Pixar's annual titles.

There is also a carryover effect to this as the prior film's quality determines the next film's success to a degree. Audiences are beginning to trust DreamWorks to do more than a bunch of silly pop culture gags now. They've started to accept that story matters and this has led to dramatic increases in the quality of their works. They have raised the bar and it's up to Pixar to answer with their next project, Up. From the meta point of view, I would also add that I think we're in a golden age for animation. 2008 saw some of the best titles ever, particularly Kung Fu Panda, WALL-E and Bolt, and Monsters vs. Aliens knocks it out of the park as well.

Joel Corcoran: I don't have much to add here - Josh and David have provided a brilliant analysis - and I won't mind seeing Madagascar 3. But so help me God, if I ever see "Shrek Takes the Fifth" get green lit, someone is going to get hurt.

Josh Spiegel: I'm actually surprised at those worldwide numbers for Pixar vs. DreamWorks, but the more I think about it, DreamWorks manages to rope in big-name actors who are equally successful outside of the United States, which can work more than a talking rat who wants to cook and a silent robot. Also, I'm curious to see if the stronger attempt to take story seriously with Kung Fu Panda (in my opinion, not the most original story, but it's a start) ends up panning out in the near future. Finally, Joel should only be angry if he's not paid royalties for the new title of Shrek 5, because I would not put it past Jeffrey Katzenberg to steal that one.

Max Braden: I agree that it's something of a quality vs. quantity issue. Pixar's projects are... maybe not "more cerebral" but they are somehow more filet mignon while DreamWorks goes for the fast food approach. Think about which movies made audiences laugh more - the rat chef and the silent robot, or the bumbling panda and zoo animals? Getting kids excited to see the movie is key for success, and DreamWorks has been doing a better job of targeting that demographic.

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