12:45 PM EXCLUSIVE… UPDATED: Jeffrey Katzenberg promised Wall Street analysts that DreamWorks Animation would have a new distribution deal by Labor Day — and he does.

Sony had been in the running down to the wire these last weeks.

But when it didn’t close, DWA turned to Twentieth Century Fox.

which now becomes an animation powerhouse.

Fox Filmed Entertainment owns Fox Animation Studios whose president Vanessa Morrison recently renewed her deal.

Additionally Fox Animation’s Greenwich, Conn-based Blue Sky Studios recently re-upped EVP and COO Brean Keane.

The companies have huge worldwide franchises in Ice Age and Rio and no doubt Epic, a 3D CGI action-adventure comedy.

Now DWA will increase Fox’s market share.[1:40 PM UPDATE: DWA scheduled a conference call at 2 PM today and just announced the deal:Under the terms of the agreement, Fox will assume certain marketing and distribution responsibilities in bothdomestic and international markets for all animated feature flicks produced byDreamWorks Animation for release in 2013 through 2017.“Fox has long been an industry leaderin both theatrical and home video thanks in large part to its well-integratedapproach to distribution across a wide range of platforms around the globe,”said Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer of DreamWorks Animation.

“Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman have built a world-class distribution team and weare excited to apply their expertise, robust infrastructure and global resourcesso that DreamWorks Animation’s ...... See Complete Article @ Deadline Hollywood