MELBOURNE.- The Australian Centre for the Moving Image and Los Angeles-based studio, DreamWorks Animation, launched the world premiere DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition, the studio's first ever large-scale international exhibition, as part of the Victorian Government’s Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series.

DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition, ACMI's largest ever exhibition, features over 400 items including, never before-seen concept drawings, interviews, models and original artworks, and interactive experiences to entertain both children and adults. Charting the creative journey of a DreamWorks Animation film from the first idea sketched on a Post-It note, through to the final completed project, the exhibition includes everything from storyboards, to interactive animation software, to creative reconstructions of DreamWorks’ real-life workspaces and newly commissioned immersive and interactive environments.

Curated by ACMI in collaboration with DreamWorks Animation, the exhibition brings together Melbourne-based curators and creatives, and the animators, artists and producers of a major international studio for the first time. The exhibition will premiere in Melbourne before embarking on an international tour, taking the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces brand to the world.

ACMI Director and CEO, Tony Sweeney, said the unique collaboration brings together two like-minded organisations to create a world first cultural experience, providing a rare insight into the workings of the much loved studio.

“Through a deep shared commitment to the moving image as a dynamic area of creative practice, we’ve come together to create something very special. And while our two cities are separated by the Pacific Ocean, this common passion and dedication to the art of film has been a powerful bridge to exchange ideas, skills and perspectives as bedrock of the project,” Tony said. “At ACMI, we’re constantly excited by the prospect of inviting our visitors to go beyond the surface, to delve much more deeply into the subject matter that we love and champion and DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition is the perfect way to do this”.

Speaking at the launch at ACMI in Melbourne today, Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO and co-founder of DreamWorks Animation said the world-first exhibition is a fitting commemoration to mark the studio’s 20th anniversary in 2014.

"It has been a tremendous pleasure working with ACMI. They are an amazing team who have nurtured and guided this project every step of the way," said DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg. "For me, this exhibition is especially exciting. After spending three decades loving how animated films are made, it will be thrilling to see people of all ages be exposed to this amazing process."

Across three sections, Character, Story and World, the exhibition showcases DreamWorks Animation’s four major film series: Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda, along with early hand-drawn and hybrid 2D and 3D animations, such as The Prince of Egypt (1998) and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002). The entire back catalogue of 29 DreamWorks Animation feature films is represented in the exhibition, including The Croods (2013), and the most recent theatrical release, Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014).

From ACMI’s Flinders Street facade, penguins Skipper and Private smile and wave at passers-by, while their Madagascar co-star, a 5.5 towering metre high giraffe, Melman, peers curiously through the window of the ACMI Lightwell. The star of How to Train Your Dragon, Toothless the Dragon, soars high above, welcoming visitors ahead of their exhibition experience.

A highlight of the exhibition is Dragon Flight: a Dragon’s-Eye View of Berk, a spectacular, 180-degree environment offering never-before-seen vision of Berk, the Viking township from How to Train Your Dragon. Dragon Flight takes visitors on an exhilarating panoramic dragon ride on the back of Toothless, as the Isle of Berk builds around them.

Completing the exhibition experience is a dedicated drawing room where visitors create their own animations using a simplified version of DreamWorks’ own software. Visitors learn the basic principles of animation to create their own short films, which can be emailed and shared with friends.