DreamWorks Flushes Away $143 Million

That's the budget for their new animated movie "Flushed Away," which looks like it will have legs (it's at $40 mil gross so far) but won't come close to making enough money worldwide to cover that big bet. What was DreamWorks thinking? I love Aardman, the creators of the lovable "Wallace & Gromit." But they're a quirky talent, not a world-beater. Heck, their biggest hit ever was "Chicken Run" and that made just about $230 million worldwide. There was no reason to think "Flushed Away" would top that. Oh and the budget for "Chicken Run?" About $42 million. "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit" cost $30 million to make and grossed $185 million worldwide. With grosses like that and a very similar project on tap, why would you approve a budget of $143 million?