In Contention

Tag: DreamWorks

  • INTERVIEW: ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ producer Bonnie Arnold

    Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, Bonnie Arnold was a product of the Watergate generation of journalists, fired up by the state of current political affairs. She sought her undergraduate degree at the University of Georgia and soon took off to grad school at Boston University, where some dabbling in broadcasting was enough to light a fire of passion for the film business.

    “I got an internship at WGBH and started to get a little taste of what was going on and what other jobs might be available,” she says over lunch on the DreamWorks campus (as they call the Google-esque environment, with its health initiatives, yoga classes and mind-settling landscaping) in Glendale, California. That job led her back to a job in Atlanta with a television station and producer David Picker, who was working on the first season of “American Playhouse.” As soon as she set foot on location, Arnold knew this business was for her.

    “The minute I saw what went on behind the scenes of a film production, any menial job on that set was exciting to me,” she says. “Now it seems there are film commissions in every city in every state in the country. At that time there just weren’t. But Atlanta being a major airport, and Burt Reynolds bringing a lot of work there, Georgia’s a big state with mountains and the beach, there were a lot of advantages. I felt like I could be a bigger fish in a smaller pond.”

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  • ‘Megamind’ poster

    DreamWorks Animation’s “Megamind” is set to battle Disney’s “Tangled” for early holiday audiences this November.  The most recent trailer spoiled the movie for a great many but at least the poster is safe and, well standard.  Is there something that’s supposed to be subconsciously attractive about yellow, though?  Because consciously, it’s not doing it for me.  Check out the full image after the jump.
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  • DreamWorks fires off first FYC ad and site of the year

    I don’t remember there being an earlier “For Your Consideration” ad than September 1 before, but nevertheless, DreamWorks Animation has seized an opportunity to surge out in front of the fray on behalf of “How to Train Your Dragon” with the first ad of the season, as well as the first FYC site.  The ad primes the film for not just an animated push, but an all out Best Picture push as well, and it hits at a time when toon competitor “Toy Story 3” is bringing in record-breaking box office.

    And why not?  It was one of the most critically and popular films of the first half of the year, even if its accomplishments have been eclipsed by Pixar’s this summer.  I sometimes go back and forth on which film I like better.  I’ll bet there are Academy members who’ll be doing the same.  And will Disney be as aggressive with its campaign?  Will the studio even feel a need to be?  Time will tell.

    The ad and site also promote upcoming screenings for the film in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and London, all of them happening in the next two months.  So, start your engines.  It looks like we’re already off to the races.  Check out the full ad after the jump (and note the “visual consultant,” who seems to be making the animated rounds lately.)

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  • Disney tells the Annies where they can stick it

    Remember two years ago when “WALL-E” was on a destined crash course with awards glory throughout the season, then the Annie Awards (the animation community’s annual kudo fest) came along and shut the lovable robot out?  The benefactor was “Kung Fu Panda,” largely considered infinitely inferior to Pixar’s (some would say) crowning achievement.

    The immediate reaction was, “Something’s fishy here.”  And sure enough, a lot of fingers were pointed to a DreamWorks-heavy membership.  Disney, fed up with the unbalanced nature of the voting process, sought rule changes, which it received, but none of it was satisfying enough.

    So you can expect the Annies to potentially be Disney-free from here on out, as the studio has respectfully bowed out of the organization, refusing to support it or submit their titles for competition.  Annie chief Antran Manoogian says the studio’s titles can still compete, though it’s unclear how.

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