Major management shake-up at the creatively struggling DreamWorks Animation, appointing two veteran producers, Bonnie Arnold and Mireille Soria, as the new co-presidents of the studio's feature animation division. In their new roles, Arnold and Soria, respectively the lead producers behind the studio’s How to Train Your Dragon and Madagascar franchises, will oversee creative development and production for DreamWorks Animation’s theatrical releases. Between them, they have produced eight films at DreamWorks that have grossed more than $3.5 billion globally. As part of this transition, the studio's chief creative officer Bill Damaschke will step down from his role.
“Mireille and Bonnie are two of the most accomplished and prolific filmmakers working in feature animation today,” said DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg in a statement. “I am confident in their ability to marshal the extensive creative resources available at our studio and lead DreamWorks’s vast ranks of artists and filmmakers as they produce the highest quality entertainment.”
“As two of our most successful producers, Bonnie and Mireille bring substantial expertise to this new and well deserved leadership role at the studio,” said Ann Daly, DreamWorks Animation President. “Having worked alongside them both for many years at DreamWorks, I am thrilled that these established industry veterans will be providing creative oversight to our entire film slate.”
“Great storytelling is the heart of DreamWorks Animation, and we are honored and excited to help shape the movies that will entertain audiences around the world,” said Arnold and Soria in a joint statement. “DreamWorks has long been our home, and we can’t wait to begin working with all of the studio’s outstanding filmmakers and artists!”
Arnold is a twelve-year veteran at DreamWorks Animation with 31 years of filmmaking experience. She currently oversees DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon film franchise, the first two installments of which have grossed more than $1.1 billion at the worldwide box office. The original How to Train Your Dragon received two Academy Award nominations in 2010, including one for Best Animated Feature, as well as a Golden Globe® nomination in the same category. How to Train Your Dragon 2, the highest grossing animated film of 2014 also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Animated Feature Film and received praise as one of the best reviewed films of last year. In addition, Arnold produced the 2006 DreamWorks Animation release Over the Hedge, the Disney blockbuster Tarzan and the history-making film Toy Story, which combined have earned more than $1 billion in worldwide box office. An accomplished filmmaker in nearly every genre, she produced the Sony Pictures Classics release The Last Station, which garnered two Oscar nominations as well as nominations from the Screen Actors Guild; the Golden Globes; and the Independent Spirit Awards, including a nomination for Best Picture.
Soria also has 31 years of production leadership experience, including fifteen at DreamWorks Animation, where she has overseen the successful Madagascar franchise, including three films that collectively have grossed nearly $1.9 billion at the worldwide box office. She also produced the Academy Award-nominated animated adventure Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron following a successful career developing and producing a varied group of live-action feature film and television projects. Prior to joining DreamWorks Animation, Mireille held a deal at Fox Family Pictures, where she produced the romantic Cinderella story Ever After. She had previously held the post of vice president of production for Walt Disney Pictures. During her tenure, she oversaw the development and production of such projects as The Mighty Ducks and its two sequels, Cool Runnings and the live-action version of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book.
Honestly, I hate to see Bill go, but this is probably the best news for DreamWorks in the headlines for years. DreamWorks has LONG had difficulty picking the right projects to put into production. Plus, they probably should have fired Bill after "Shrek the Musical" flopped on Broadway. Furthermore, anyone that heard the pitch to TURBO and gave it the greenlight SHOULD go. No offense to the creatives that worked on it. It just didn't make biz sense as a feature film concept.
Bonnie Arnold is one of the best in the entire industry, and Mireille has a strong track record as well. However, no one person is the key to success of a collaborative effort such as animation. Although this seems like a good move, looking at their "resume" of movies, Bonnie Arnold's How to Train Your Dragon 2 under-performed domestically and Mireille Soria's Madagascar franchise is played out as witnessed by the under-performance of Penguins of Madagascar; besides, I don't see someone responsible for The Mighty Ducks and Cool Runnings as being the innovation that DreamWorks Animation needs to revive or turn around their fortunes. I am waiting for them to blame and say audiences are tired of CG as they did when there were a few hand drawn bombs several years ago. I don't personally believe that but why aren't they saying it as they said with drawn? No, people want good stories and stop being so close-minded about animation media.
Here's what they should do as an experiment: have a parallel development production team (side by side with the standard way things have been done), allow creative people to create and the execs, producers and marketers get out of their way. Nevertheless, good luck to these talented ladies!
Here's hoping this will be the change DreamWorks needs to get back on course.
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