Golden Ticket: The Annecy Festival Presents this Prestigious Accolade to Bonnie Arnold

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival presented Producer Bonnie Arnold with a Golden Ticket at the official reception for the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Festival presented this accolade to the producer in recognition of her support and loyalty that she has shown in recent years.

Bonnie Arnold’s bond with the Festival began in 2013, when she attended a WIP Session of How To Train Your Dragon 2. In 2015, she was a member of the all-female jury, the year we paid tribute to the importance of women in the history of animation.

Bonnie Arnold attended the Annecy Festival this year in support of the upcoming release of Locksmith Animation’s That Christmas, along with serving as host of the Academy’s reception celebrating the global animation community. Today, it is with immense pleasure that the Annecy Festival presents her with a Golden Ticket in recognition of her longstanding support.

“Bonnie Arnold is a Festival ally, a constant companion in our ongoing evolution and a key partner in our success. Today, it is with immense pleasure that the Annecy Festival presents her with a Golden Ticket in acknowledgement of her long-standing support,” declared Marcel Jean, the Festival’s Artistic Director, at the presentation of the Golden Ticket.

Mickaël Marin, CITIA’s CEO, added: “Bonnie Arnold has been instrumental in changing the way feature films are produced, and it is this visionary mindset that we also wish to honour.”

As a producer, Bonnie Arnold’s impressive work ranges from Disney’s history-making animation feature film, Toy Story, to The Last Station by Sony Pictures Classics. She also produced the comedy Over the Hedge by DreamWorks Animation, Disney’s blockbuster animation Tarzan, the Academy Award®-winning epic Dances With Wolves, and the hit comedy The Addams Family.

Bonnie Arnold produced the three Academy Award®-nominated How to Train Your Dragon animation films: How to Train Your Dragon, How to Train Your Dragon 2, and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. She was a driving force behind the critically acclaimed trilogy from the outset and was instrumental in bringing the successful franchise to the screen combining both emotional depth and groundbreaking visuals. Previously, Arnold served as Co-President of Feature Animation at DreamWorks Animation, overseeing an impressive slate including such hits as Kung Fu Panda 3, Trolls and The Boss Baby.

Bonnie Arnold will soon be producing an original Peanuts feature film directed by Steve Martino. The untitled feature from WildBrain and Peanuts Worldwide begins production in 2024 and will be released by Apple+. She is also Executive Producer on Netflix’s That Christmas, written by Richard Curtis and directed by Simon Otto, which will be released later this year. Arnold served as Executive Producer on Orion and the Dark, based on the Emma Yarlett’s book of the same name with a screenplay by Charlie Kaufman, for Netflix that launched in February 2024.

Bonnie Arnold follows in the footsteps of Christopher Meledandri, founder and CEO of Illumination who received the Golden Ticket last year.