International
DreamWorks Animation and Regions GC to develop theme parks in Russia
MUMBAI: Guests of all ages can anticipate an all-new entertainment experience unlike any other as DreamWorks Animation and Regions Group of Companies have signed a licensing agreement to develop Europe‘s largest indoor theme parks, and the first to feature the franchises of DreamWorks Animation in major cities throughout Russia.
The theme parks, scheduled to open in 2015, will be located in St Petersburg, Moscow, and Yekaterinburg. Regions Group of Companies will design, build and manage all properties.
The DreamWorks Animation theme parks will be Europe‘s largest year-round indoor entertainment zones, and in each instance will be part of a larger entertainment development featuring a mixed-use movie and concert hall, 4D movie theater, three-star 400-room hotel, and a retail center with 11,000 parking spaces. The height of each park will be 35 meters, comparable to a 13-floor building, giving visitors the sense of being outdoors.
Each park will feature immersive environments, state-of-the-art attractions, and character entertainment bringing to life DreamWorks Animation‘s beloved franchises including: Shrek, Madagascar, How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda, in addition to yet-to-be released DreamWorks Animation feature films including Turbo, which is set for its worldwide debut in Russia on July 11 before arriving in US theaters on July 19.
“DreamWorks Animation parks are ambitious projects unprecedented in Russia and the rest of the world. The foundation of our success lies in the DreamWorks team‘s wealth of experience in the field of entertainment and the experience of the REGIONS Group of Companies in developing and managing retail and entertainment centers,” commented Regions GC Member of the Board of Directors Amiran Mutsoev.
Madagascar 3: Europe‘s Most Wanted – the third installment in the blockbuster hit franchise about the adventures of Alex the Lion and his friends from the Central Park Zoo- is currently the second highest-grossing animated film in Russia‘s box office history and the fourth highest-grossing film of all time in Russia. Six of the top 10 animated films of all time in Russia are DreamWorks Animation pictures: Madagascar 3: Europe‘s Most Wanted, Shrek Forever After, Puss In Boots, Madagascar Escape 2 Africa, Kung Fu Panda 2 and How to Train Your Dragon.
“Russia is one of the most important markets in the world for us,” said DreamWorks Animation‘s Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Katzenberg. “All of us at DWA are extremely excited to work with REGIONS CG to be the first Hollywood studio to create not just one, but three theme parks in Russia. These parks are going to be groundbreaking cultural hubs that will give families the chance to truly enter the world of DreamWorks.”
International
Utopai Studios unveils 4K three-minute video generation for PAI platform
New Story Agent and editing tools aim to streamline AI-led filmmaking workflows
MUMBAI: Utopai Studios has announced a major upgrade to its PAI storytelling AI platform, introducing what it claims is an industry-first capability to generate three-minute videos in 4K resolution, alongside enhancements to its Story Agent feature.
The update, rolling out from April 15, expands the platform’s capabilities across the filmmaking process, from early concept development to post-production. The company said the new features are designed to help filmmakers maintain continuity across characters, scenes and visual styles, a key challenge in AI-driven storytelling.
At the heart of the release is a next-generation model that enables more structured narrative development, allowing creators to move more seamlessly from idea to execution. With tools such as multi-shot sequencing and multi-turn editing, the platform aims to give both studios and independent creators greater control over complex storytelling workflows.
Commenting on the launch, Utopai Studios co-founder and CTO Jie Yang said, “The next phase of AI in media will not be defined by isolated tools, but by systems that can carry story, continuity and collaboration across the full creative process.” He added that the update is a step towards enabling more practical, end-to-end narrative development at a professional level.
Echoing this, Utopai Studios co-founder and chief scientific officer Zijian He said, “Generative video is opening the door to a new production model, where creative ambition is less constrained by traditional cost and complexity.” He noted that the platform combines multimodal models with iterative editing to give creators more speed, control and consistency.
The company said PAI is already being used in professional film and television productions, particularly in Hollywood, for tasks such as pre-visualisation, scene design and post-production refinements. The latest update adds features including improved voice options, character consistency, unlimited editing and more flexible asset management.
Utopai also emphasised that its models are not trained on copyrighted material, positioning the platform as a cleaner alternative for creators and rights holders navigating the evolving AI landscape.
As AI continues to reshape content creation, Utopai’s latest push signals a shift from standalone tools to integrated systems, aiming to make high-quality filmmaking faster, more flexible and increasingly accessible.
