Dreamworks Daze

I didn't think much of Shrek when it first came out. The lowbrow humor wasn't really my style, but I did like it better when I thought it was a clever subversion of Disney rather than a giant middle finger. After four films, three holiday specials, a Broadway musical adaptation, and the upcoming spin-off movie about Puss in Boots, it's overstayed its welcome. If I had to pick one movie as my favorite Dreamworks film, it would have to be Kung Fu Panda. "There is no secret ingredient - it's just you" is an inspirational message to live by. After the dismal winter holiday special, though, I didn't want to get my hopes up for the sequel; it was not as quite as good but it was still good. I don't think much of the Nickelodeon show but I haven't really seen enough of it to really judge.
My second favorite would have to be Monsters vs Aliens. The first time watching it, I honestly I felt sympathy for Reese Witherspoon's character Susan after she gets locked up with the other monsters. Hugh Laurie's fantastic as Dr. Cockroach, and Stephen Colbert finally gets to play president. The Halloween special was good too, and as I haven't heard of any plans for making a sequel, it's almost perfect. I will say, however, that Susan was a dumbass for running away from the meteor in the direction in which it was going to crash, and the destruction of the Golden Gate Bridge is an overused cliche that has been done in many other movies (for example, X3: X-Men United).
Pixar really shines in comparison to Dreamworks. Not every Dreamworks movie is a rip-off of a Pixar movie, and not all Pixar movies are that great - but they are generally better. Toy Story has had three movies plus a spin-off animated series for Buzz Lightyear, and the pacing is about right. They haven't overstayed their welcome, and the franchise hasn't been ruined yet. Doug Walker may not like Cars, and I admit I don't know if the upcoming sequel will be any good or not (update: I liked it), but I think that that one finds its niche with NASCAR fans and the like. I don't know if Doug's a fan of NASCAR or not, but whatever. If you like cooking, you'd probably like Ratatouille, and so on and so forth. It all comes down to personal preference and who can make the best arguments for them. That being said...my favorite Pixar movie is A Bug's Life (something Doug also hates).