Dusk and Dawn (franchise)

Dusk and Dawn is an American animated media franchise from DreamWorks Animation and created by former Disney animator Phil Nibbelink alongside Ralph Zondag and Geo G.. It consists of four computer-animated films, several short films and TV specials, as well as two television shows and a series of video games. The series stars the voices of Josh Peck, Zooey Deschanel, Anthony Hopkins, Christine Baranski and Dan Aykroyd among others.

The first film, Dusk and Dawn, was released in December 19, 2003 and received positive reviews from critics. The second film, Dusk and Dawn 2: The Belt of Venus, was released on May 15, 2009 in the US and received mixed reviews from critics. A spin-off film titled The Four Daylights was released on July 31, 2015. A third film titled Dusk and Dawn: A Zodiacal Night was released on March 2, 2018. The series has grossed $1.8 billion so far.

The franchise follows the titular eccentric and mischievous teenage duo; a boy named Dusk and a girl named Dawn who embark on various adventures set in a fantasy world where parts of a day are depicted as beings. Many of the primary characters were originally designed by Geo G. (who also served as an uncredited co-producer of the first two films), with the title characters' designs originated in drawings that Geo did when he was in college and later used for a failed television pilot pitch titled The Zone.

The franchise's title was often given as DreamWorks Dusk and Dawn as to emphasize the fact that this was an independent production by DreamWorks Animation (through Universal Pictures as of 2016), unrelated to the Robert Rodriguez action horror film series From Dusk till Dawn.

Origin
Former Disney animator Phil Nibbelink came up with the concept of Dusk and Dawn and brought it to DreamWorks Animation after Universal Pictures put the project in turnaround.

Dusk and Dawn (2003)
Dusk and Dawn, the first film in the series, was released on December 19, 2003. Directed by Eric Darnell and Cody Cameron and featuring the voices of Josh Peck, Zooey Deschanel, Anthony Hopkins, Christine Baranski, and Dan Aykroyd, the film follows two individuals, a boy named Dusk and a girl named Dawn, who encounter each other for the first time and discover their abilities to the world but must save Dawn's home from a dangerous threat.

The film was a commercial success, grossing over $351 million worldwide, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Dusk and Dawn 2: The Belt of Venus (2009)
The second film in the series, titled Dusk and Dawn 2: The Belt of Venus, was released on May 15, 2009. Directed by Tim Johnson, Aron Warner returned as producer, with William Davies and Michael J. Wilson as writers. Josh Peck, Zooey Deschanel, Anthony Hopkins, Christine Baranski, and Dan Aykroyd returned to voice their roles, with James Woods, Isla Fisher, Nicole Kidman, Jeff Garlin, and Bill Nighy joining the cast. In this film, Dusk and Dawn's new life turns upside down when an advanced Venus threatens their home, and they attempt to get rid of Venus but are forced to make peace with him.

The film grossed over $414 million worldwide, which is higher than its predecessor.

Dusk and Dawn: A Zodiacal Night (2018)
The third film in the series, titled Dusk and Dawn: A Zodiacal Night, was released on March 2, 2018. This film was directed by Simon J. Smith and co-directed by Alessandro Carloni and written by Eyal Podell and Jonathon E. Stewart. Many of the voice cast from the first two films returned for the third film, joined by Jake Johnson, Bobby Cannavale, Kate McKinnon, Matt Frewer, and James Corden. In this film, Dusk and Dawn accidentally switch colors of their appearances when several optical phenomena including the zodiacal light occur in their homes; the pair must work together to stop the zodiacal light so they can return to their normal forms before it is too late.

The film grossed over $602 million worldwide, marking the highest-grossing film in the series.

Future
DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said that he has kept the possibility for future sequels open, stating "Of course, we have a lot of stories to tell, so we're [starting to] prepare for them." In February 2018, Zooey Deschanel expressed interest in reprising her role as Dawn for a possible fourth film.

The Four Daylights (2015)
A spin-off film titled The Four Daylights was released on July 31, 2015, and serves as an origin story for the characters Blue, Golden, Morning and Evening while the film is also set before, during and after the events of Dusk and Dawn 2: The Belt of Venus. It was directed by Tom McGrath and written by Walt Dohrn and Darren Lemke. The voice cast has Isla Fisher, Nicole Kidman, Jeff Garlin, and Bill Nighy reprising their roles from the second film, along with Sophia Bush, Morgan Freeman, Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow joining the cast.

The film grossed over $478 million worldwide.

Dusk and Dawn (2010–2015)
Dusk and Dawn is an animated television series based on the film series, set between the first two films. The series premiered on Nickelodeon on June 5, 2010 and ended on May 30, 2015. It was partly produced by New Zealand CG animation studio Oktobor Animation.

Dawn of Dawn (2017–2019)
Dawn of Dawn is a television series starring Dawn and set before the events of the first film. The series debuted on July 21, 2017, on Netflix, when the first thirteen 22-minute episodes were released.

Dawn's Nature (2004)
Dawn's Nature is a computer-animated short film that was included as a bonus feature on the Dusk and Dawn DVD. It later premiered in theaters on May 19, 2004 with Shrek 2, and is available as a separate DVD as of June 15, 2004. The short was directed by Raman Hui, produced by Teresa Cheng and David Lipman, and written by Michael Lachance. This 7-minute short film features Dawn who attempts to find her own "nature".

Dusk Before Dawn (2009)
Before Dusk is an animated short film that was released on November 3, 2009 as a special feature attached to the Dusk and Dawn 2: The Belt of Venus DVD and Blu-ray. It follows Dusk on an adventure before the events of the first film.

Dawn of the Hollow (2011)
Dawn of the Hollow is a 13-minute CG animated short film, released on October 25, 2011, for a limited time, exclusively on the Nintendo Video service on Nintendo 3DS. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 28, 2012, as a part of Shrek's Thrilling Tales (DreamWorks's Spooky Stories).

With their world being at risk, Dusk and Dawn set out to uncover the mystery of the Sleepy Hollow they discovered before it is too late.

Dusk and Dawn's Holiday (2008)
Dusk and Dawn's Holiday is a 2008 television special that premiered on NBC on November 26, 2008. This 22-minute special follows Dusk and Dawn as they believe Christmas is all about getting presents, but later realize that it is actually about caring and giving.

Cast and characters

 * For a full list, see List of Dusk and Dawn characters


 * Note: A gray cell indicates character did not appear in that title.

Box office performance
The films series grossed over $1.8 billion making the Dusk and Dawn franchise the fifteenth highest-grossing animated franchise and the third highest-grossing DreamWorks Animation's franchise behind Shrek and Madagascar.

Video games
A video game based on the first film was released in North America on December 9, 2003 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, N-Gage, PC and mobile phones. It was published by Agetec and developed by Blitz Games for the console versions, and was ported by KnowWonder for PC and by Digital Eclipse for GBA and N-Gage. Skyworks Interactive also developed the mobile version. Upon release, the game received a mixed to positive reception.

Another video game based on the first film, Dusk and Dawn: The Lightness Journey‎, was released on April 5, 2004 for Game Boy Advance, developed by Vicarious Visions and published by Activision. It takes place after the events of the film.

A video game based on the second film was released by Activision on May 12, 2009 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, and Wii.

Another video game titled Madagascar Kartz was released by Activision on October 27, 2009, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS. Mainly based on the Madagascar franchise, the game also features Dusk and Dawn and a racetrack based on the world from Dusk and Dawn.

Another video game titled Super Star Kartz was released by Activision on November 15, 2011, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS. The game features 16 different characters from DreamWorks' films – Dusk and Dawn, Monsters vs. Aliens, Madagascar, Shrek, and How to Train Your Dragon.

A video game based on the third film, Dusk and Dawn: Solar Madness, was published by Outright Games and released on February 27, 2018 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.

A remake of the first video game, titled Dusk and Dawn: Recreated, was announced to be in development for Activision, with the titular characters being voiced by Crispin Freeman and Kari Wahlgren, replacing Josh Peck and Zooey Deschanel, who voiced the characters in the original movie, respectively.

Books
To be added

Comics
From 2004 to 2013, DreamWorks produced a Dusk and Dawn comic strip, which was distributed through Creators Syndicate and written by Geo G., one of the character designers for the first two films. The Dusk and Dawn strip started out in many papers, but as often happens with spin-off strips, soon slowed down. It is still seen in some papers in re-runs.

Attractions
Dusk and Dawn's Palace is one of the nine themed lands in Universal Studios Singapore, and it features a fantasy day and night theming as well as a dark ride Dusk and Dawn's Moonlight Journey, a teacup ride Light's Bright Circles and a children's play area Keeper's Tribe of Fun.

Dusk and Dawn's World is one of the four areas at the DreamWorks Experience themed land which is part of Australian theme park Dreamworld. It consists of a matterhorn ride Dusk's Spinners, a rotating plane ride Dawn's Flights and a merchandise shop Sunset Goods.

A Dusk and Dawn-themed children's play area opened at DreamWorks Water Park on October 1, 2020.