I feel like Dreamworks is best defined as, like, the middle child of Western Animation studios.
You've got Disney, the oldest. The one with MANY expectations because of the hard work they put into their art. They've sometimes experimented, see what else they could do, but ultimately decided that they're best at stories that are innocent and acceptable for almost everybody. This then led to them marrying Pixar, someone who wanted the same thing, if not a little more by pushing the boundaries and making their art a slightly maturer than most of Disney's. Unfortunately, their passion for the craft has led both to settle with their art, knowing that they can make bank no matter what they make, while OCCASIONALLY feeling passion for the arts again to make something beautiful. It's just that the passion for money is less significant than the passion of creation sometimes.
Then you have Illumination, the youngest child. They made that one cute drawing that was well-put-together and genuinely charming. It was good enough to go right up on the fridge, making them feel proud of their creation. Unfortunately, that encouragement unintentionally backfired, making the child think that they can make anything with zero thought or substance for way too long because it kept giving them so much attention. Attention that was often given more to their older siblings, so they just kept going. Thankfully, after some time, it seems like they grew up a little. They're starting to put more thought into their creations, having fun with what they're making and feeling content that it's not something that'll top their older sibling's past and brightest work. They know who they're appealing to, and it makes them happy to do so.
And finally, you have Dreamworks. They resent their older sibling's success and hot spouse, so they decided to stick it to both of them and make art that's, let's be honest, SCREAMING for attention. It's edgier, it's darker, it has FARTS. Disney and Pixar wouldn't let their main characters fart, but Dreamworks would. They would do ANYTHING, and continue to do anything. They weren't tied down to being charming. They would go out and make lots of art that's never really the same. And each time, you KNOW it's something Dreamworks wants to make...That is, unless the rent is due and they have to rush out another piece of work in hopes it'll give them enough money. Other than that, they continue to do whatever they want, even working alongside their youngest sibling to both make things, unburdened with a reputation because neither had much of one. They're not as successful as their oldest sibling, with Dreamworks barely standing higher on certain times, but at least they make whatever they want on their terms with the passion still mostly being there.
At least, that's how I see things.
