DreamWorks Animation is known for being prolific, but the studio has just announced a massive 12-picture slate that runs through 2016.  Here’s a brief look:

Hit the jump for more details on this ambitious line-up of animated films.

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This release slate announcement comes on the heels of the news that DreamWorks Animation struck a distribution deal with 20th Century Fox, who will handle the studio’s films after DWA’s contract with Paramount Pictures expires at the end of this year.  This November’s Rise of the Guardians will be the final DWA film released by Paramount.

This slate (per THR) hips us to a title change on the Seth Rogen-voiced B.O.O: Bureau of Otherwordly Operations, which was previously referred to as Boo U.  The 2010 iteration of the film centered on a ghost who must return to ghost school in order to learn how to be a better spook, but it's unknown how much of the plot has changed in development.  Tony Leondis (Igor) is directing.

The How to Train Your Dragon 3 announcement isn’t a shock since DWA head Jeffrey Katzneberg previously announced that he envisioned the series as a trilogy, but we now know that Dean DeBlois will be returning to direct for Dragon 3.  DeBlois previously wrote and directed the first two Dragon films, so it’ll be nice to see him bring the trilogy to a close.

As you can see, DreamWorks Animation plays things a bit differently than rival animation house Pixar.  In addition to announcing their full slate through 2016, the studio is aiming to release at least three films a year, with a whopping four new films set to open in 2015.  John Lasseter and the folks at Pixar are remiss to even announce a project until it’s a ways through development, and the studio has yet to release more than one new feature a year.  DWA must be confident that all of these projects will be completely seen through, even though 2016 feels really, really far away right now.  Hopefully we'll get more films along the lines of How to Train Your Dragon and less Megamind.

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