Not all of the threesome's support is financial. Gary Oldman, who starred as a right-wing senator in the DreamWorks political drama The Contender, has accused the studio of making last-minute edits to demonize his character. And at the Democratic National Convention last summer, delegates opened their gift bags to find the CD Daises of the Galaxy, produced by DreamWorks, neatly packaged inside. The little favors -- and big contributions -- have not gone unnoticed. In February 1998, President Clinton invited Katzenberg to dine with British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the White House.

But such closeness between Washington and Hollywood may be coming to an end. With the departure of Clinton and Gore, the DreamWorks trio insists they are retreating from political fundraising. "Every political candidate in the country from city council on up to White House aspirants is likely to call us, write us, ask for a meeting looking for support, looking for help," Andy Spahn, a DreamWorks spokesman, told the Associated Press. "It is nonstop, it is year-round every year. It is a system run amok."

Before co-founding DreamWorks, Katzenberg was chairman of Walt Disney Studios for 10 years. During his tenure, Disney's worth skyrocketed from $2 billion to $22 billion. Passed over for the top job, Katzenberg quit, suing the company for a two-percent cut of the studio's films. In 1999, the courts ruled in his favor. Katzenberg is now worth an estimated $725 million, earning him a spot on another "400" list compiled by Forbes.