From Madagascar to Kung Fu Panda, DreamWorks Animation has produced successful movies that feature animals and locations that are entertaining, unique, exotic … and endangered.

Our partnership with DreamWorks Animation is focused on educating kids and parents about the real-life animals and locations featured in their animated films, as well as funding their conservation so they will be there for all future children.

Prepare for Awesomeness: New Partnership to Protect Pandas

In November 2008, DreamWorks Animation made a $1 million donation to CI to help jumpstart our Panda Survival Plan, an ambitious but achievable plan for protecting the wild panda. Building on our partnership around their summer blockbuster, Kung Fu Panda, this long-term vision involves working with the scientific community, the Chinese government and local Chinese communities to put in place conservation policies and communications programs that will change the fate of the endangered wild panda.

OUR VISION: The Panda Survival Plan

In early 2008 we were also thrilled with the opportunity to work with Jack Black – star of Kung Fu Panda – to create a short video about wild pandas that appears on the Kung Fu Panda DVD as an Extra. There was no one better who could take such an important scientific topic and make it fun and engaging for kids and families.

A Leading Voice

DreamWorks Animation’s ability to reach millions of people through their films is critical to CI’s goal of informing and engaging the public around the important issues of conservation, species protection and climate change.

DreamWorks has been a quiet leader for a number of years, using their animated movies to talk to kids and parents about conservation in a fun and unique way. Their power to reach kids worldwide to inspire the next generation of environmentalists is unmatched.

At CI we believe in being inclusive and partnering to get conservation done. A core principle that sets us apart from other organizations is that we believe if we are really going to be successful in addressing the big challenges which face the Earth, then business must be a part of the solution.

IN BUSINESS: The Center for Environmental Leadership in Business

A History of Working Together

We recently partnered with DreamWorks Animation in 2007 around the release of Bee Movie to engage kids and families to “Bee Good to the Planet” by taking our eco-pledge to get outside, explore the natural world and do fun things to attract bees and other pollinators to their neighborhood.

In 2005, DreamWorks Animation and CI joined forces for the first time around the original Madagascar animated film to work with the Malagasy government to implement its vision of developing a tourism sector designed to engage communities in conservation through jobs, income and development. DreamWorks Animation’s commitment to philanthropic efforts that benefit the subjects of their films has helped increase the competitiveness of Madagascar as a tourist destination and develop responsible-tourism businesses – an extremely important economic driver for this impoverished nation

LEARN MORE: Discover CI's ecotourism initiatives.

Building off the publicity generated by the film, the Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Foundation provided CI with a generous grant of $500,000 to support the hiring of Madagascar’s first ecotourism development technical advisor to the President; a promotional campaign, including materials such as a sales manual, brochures, and maps of Madagascar; as well as the ability for country representatives to participate in promotional trade events and other promotions.

We launched this effort with a link from the film’s companion Web site encouraging kids and families to “Explore the Real Madagascar” through CI’s own website. Through that promotional effort, CI’s “Explore Madagascar” section became an important tool for educating and inspiring our online community. CI also produced a short documentary featuring the incredible people and species of Madagascar that was included on the Madagascar DVD. The partnership captured the attention of the media with several positive stories appearing in the mainstream press, including the front page of the Wall Street Journal.