Guillermo del Toro signs with Dreamworks Animation

Guillermo del Toro, whose The Shape of Water won two Oscars for best picture and best director this year, signed an exclusive deal with DreamWorks Animation to write, produce and direct animated family films for the studio.

Chris DeFaria, president of DreamWorks Animation Film Group, on Thursday morning announced the multi-year deal with del Toro, who used to serve as a creative consultant for Dreamworks' animation feature film Kung Fu Panda 2 and executive producer for Kung Fu Panda 3.

"Guillermo has a unique talent for creating memorable worlds and characters, and we believe the films we create with him will resonate with animation audiences for many generations to come," DeFaria said in a statement.

"Animation is an art form that has influenced my work greatly since childhood. To me, it's the perfect medium to bring to life any and all ideas, no matter how outlandish or wild," del Toro also said in the statement, adding that "I have worked with DreamWorks for about a decade and the horizon just keeps getting wider."

Del Toro became a super actor in Hollywood since The Shape of Water won two Oscars and has grossed close to 194 million U.S. dollars at the global box office.

Early this month, the filmmaker signed an overall deal with Fox Searchlight to write, produce and direct live-action feature project.