Freston says, "I am excited to join the Board of such a dynamic and creative family entertainment company. I look forward to working closely with the whole team at DreamWorks Animation as it enters the next phase of its bright future."

Viacom had bought the Dreamworks film unit in 2005 for $1.6 billion. Reports indicate that all may not be well between Viacom and the team of Spielberg and Katzenberg. At a recent investment conference, Viacom CEO Philippe P. Dauman had said that the company would do just fine even if it lost the services of Spielberg.