DreamWorks Animation has appointed two veteran producers, Bonnie Arnold and
Mireille Soria, as co-presidents of feature animation. In their new roles, Arnold and
Soria 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, chief creative officer Bill Damaschke will step down from his position.
“Mireille and Bonnie are two of the most accomplished and prolific filmmakers
working in feature animation today,” said DreamWorks Animation chief executive
officer Jeffrey Katzenberg. “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.”
“Great storytelling is the heart of DreamWorks Animation, and we are honoured 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 instalments of
which have grossed more than $1.1 billion at the 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 has overseen the successful Madagascar franchise, including three films that collectively have
grossed nearly $1.9 billion at the worldwide box office. 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.
