DreamWorks Animation (DWA) has announced that two veteran producers Bonnie Arnold and Mireille Soria have been appointed as co-presidents of feature animation. They will be stepping in to fill the position of current chief creative officer Bill Damaschke who will be stepping down from his position.
The duo will be responsible for leading the producers behind DWA’s franchise movies How to Train Your Dragon and Madagascar. They will also oversee creative development and production for DWA’s theatrical releases.
Speaking on their appointment, DWA CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said, “Mireille and Bonnie are two of the most accomplished and prolific filmmakers working in feature animation today. 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 DWA president Ann Daly. “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.”
Between them, Bonnie and Mireille have produced eight films at DWA that have grossed more than $3.5 billion globally. In a joint statement, they said, “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. DreamWorks has long been our home, and we can’t wait to begin working with all of the studio’s outstanding filmmakers and artists!”
Bonnie has about 31 years of film making under her belt, in which twelve have been associated with DWA. She currently looks after its How to Train Your Dragon franchise. Her past works include DWA’s Over the Hedge, Disney’s Tarzan and Toy Story and Sony Pictures’ The Last Station.
Mireille also comes with 31 years of production leadership experience with fifteen spent with DWA. She has overseen the Madagascar franchise and produced Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Prior to DWA, she produced Ever After at Fox Family Pictures. Her earlier position was vice president of production for Walt Disney Pictures where she contributed to the development and production of The Mighty Ducks and its two sequels Cool Runnings and the live action version of The Jungle Book.