HP has announced it has been selected as the official technology partner to Oriental DreamWorks, the joint venture between the China consortium led by China Media Capital (CMC) and Hollywood’s DreamWorks Animation.
Oriental DreamWorks will provide unique and creative content by becoming a China-based family brand that regularly creates entertainment in China – for China, and for export to the rest of the world. The company will be based in Shanghai.
This announcement builds on a decade-long collaboration between HP and DreamWorks Animation SKG. Together, the companies have pushed the boundaries of technology to help DreamWorks Animation transition from a traditional animation company to a fully digital entertainment company.
HP solutions have been the technology backbone for the development of blockbuster films such as the “Kung Fu Panda” franchise, “Puss in Boots,” the “Shrek” series and “How to Train Your Dragon.” Oriental DreamWorks will partner with DreamWorks Animation for the upcoming “Kung Fu Panda 3” film, which will be a coproduction between the two companies.
“DreamWorks is one of the world’s greatest storytellers who has used technology to deliver a customer experience second to none,” says Frank van Rees, MD, HP South Africa. “Now we are accompanying Oriental DreamWorks on this new journey to create a world-class animation facility in China.”
As China’s largest and most advanced animation production base, Oriental DreamWorks will help meet the demands of China’s rapidly expanding film industry. This market has experienced a growth rate of 30% per year.
As a part of this relationship, Oriental DreamWorks will leverage the broad portfolio of integrated solutions only HP can deliver, such as HP Converged Infrastructure comprising HP Moonshot servers, HP StoreAll 9700 and HP StoreServ 7000, HP’s public and private cloud, and HP networking solutions.
These products will work seamlessly together to power Oriental DreamWorks behind the scenes – from the data centre to the studio – enabling the team to provide their artists with best-in-class technologies, resulting in more artistic iterations and notably less downtime.
Oriental DreamWorks also will utilise the latest personal systems innovations from HP such as the HP ElitePad 900, HP Z1 and Z820 workstations, flow printers, and digitisation and print services.
These technology solutions will be instrumental in pushing the limits of creativity and delivering a new level of richness in an animated film.
“HP continues to be a trusted partner that helps us produce an innovative product with compelling content that engages the world,” says Jeffrey Katsenberg, chief executive officer, DreamWorks Animation. “Having HP be the Preferred Technology Provider to Oriental DreamWorks is critical to success as we develop the tremendous and ever-growing opportunities in this region.”
