A leading force in imaginative storytelling, Bonnie Arnold is a prolific film producer whose work spans myriad genres, and appeals to multiple generations. Bonnie is a Golden Globe winner, and an Academy Award® nominee. For the past two and a half years, Bonnie served as President / Co President of Feature Animation at DreamWorks Animation, overseeing an impressive slate that included such recent successes as “Kung Fu Panda 3,” “Trolls,” and “The Boss Baby”. She is currently serving as a producer on the upcoming “How To Train Your Dragon 3,” set for release in 2019, in addition to the film adaptation of Cressida Cowell’s upcoming book series “The Wizards of Once”.
Bonnie produced the critically acclaimed “How to Train Your Dragon” and its sequel, “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” based on the popular books series (also by Cressida Cowell). Bonnie championed the story of Hiccup and Toothless from the start and was instrumental in bringing the successful franchise to screen. Both films were nominated for Academy Awards®, and received multiple nominations from the HFPA, PGA and BFCA, in addition to winning numerous awards and accolades from ASIFA-Hollywood (the Annies) and the Visual Effects Society. “How to Train Your Dragon 2” won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature and was the top-grossing animated of 2014, with a global box office exceeding $620 million.
The combined global revenue for Bonnie’s film producing efforts throughout her career reaches over $2.2 billion at the box office.
An accomplished filmmaker in almost every genre, Bonnie’s credits range from producing Sony Pictures Classics’ “The Last Station,” which garnered two Academy Award® nominations, as well as nominations from the Screen Actors Guild; the HFPA; and the Independent Spirit Awards, including a nomination for Best Picture — to Disney’s history-making beloved animated feature sensation, “Toy Story.” In addition Bonnie produced DreamWorks Animation’s 2006 animated comedy “Over the Hedge,” and Disney’s animated blockbuster “Tarzan.”
Bonnie’s previous production credits span a broad range, including the Oscar®-winning epic western “Dances with Wolves” and the hit comedy “The Addams Family.”
Her first entertainment industry job as unit publicist for American Playhouse’s debut production, “King Of America” quickly led to a variety of assignments including Neil Simon’s “The Slugger’s Wife” and Peter Weir’s “The Mosquito Coast”. Her hard work led to her being noticed by Columbia Pictures’ David Picker and resulted in an opportunity to move to Hollywood where she continued to gain producing experience on films such as “Hero” starring Dustin Hoffman, “The Mighty Quinn” with Denzel Washington and REVENGE with Kevin Costner.
Amidst the breadth of her career, Bonnie has also maintained an interest in educating future generations. She serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board of Boston University’s School of Communications and on the Board of Counselors at USC’s Annenberg School of Communications, as well as being a mentor for the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC. In addition, she is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.