Arna Selznick

Arna Selznick is a Canadian director and story artist, known for directing Nelvana's 1985 animated film The Care Bears Movie. Arna owns and operates a studio called Dancingmonkeys with her husband/partner John van Bruggen. Birthday: June 10.

Arna Selznick
NationalityCanadian
Years active1980s–present
EmployerNelvana (1980s)[1]
Known forDirecting The Care Bears Movie (1985)
Spouse(s)John van Bruggen[2]
ChildrenMax Douglas
Websitedancingmonkeys

Career

2020-2021: Development Director for an independant animated short.

2019-2020: Story Artist on the feature animated film: Paw Patrol: The Movie

2017-2018: Director of award winning The Most Magnificent Thing for Corus's Nelvana based on the popular children's book by Ashley Spires, narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, screenplay by John van Bruggen. A young girl receives a tool kit as a gift and decides to make something magnificent for her faithful dog companion but the creative process proves more challenging than expected.

Selznick completed two years, 2014- 2016 as a key member of the story team of the CG animated feature film, The Nut Job 2, produced in Toronto by Toonbox Entertainment.

Selznick began her career at Toronto's Nelvana studio, participating in several efforts such as Layout Artist on Rock & Rule, Story Supervisor on 64 half hours for Inspector Gadget and Director on Strawberry Shortcake and the Baby Without a Name.[1] There, she met future husband John van Bruggen.[2] She moved on to direct The Care Bears Movie, released in 1985 by the Samuel Goldwyn Company in the United States,[1] and Astral Films[3] and Criterion Pictures Corporation[4] in Canada. The film won Canada's Golden Reel Award for highest-grossing local production in 1985, with the Canadian gross of $22,934,622.00. Quite remarkable, since children's admission at the time was about $3.50 or less. At the time of that film's release, Arna was probably only the third woman to direct an animated feature (after Lotte Reiniger of 1927's The Adventures of Prince Achmed, and Joy Batchelor of 1954's Animal Farm).[1][nb 1] Selznick was part of the layout unit on the next two Care Bears films, A New Generation (1986)[6] and Adventure in Wonderland (1987),[7] and was also a story artist on Wonderland.[7]

In 1986, Selznick launched the dancingmonkeys studio in Toronto, partnering with director/screen writer John van Bruggen.[8] In 2005, she and van Bruggen created Coolman!, part of the FunPak series on Canada's YTV network.[9] Selznick has been on story teams for several other children's films and television series, among them Nelvana's Clone High; Disney's Return to Never Land; the British animated feature The King's Beard; the Nicktoons sci-fi saga Skyland; Treehouse TV's Toot & Puddle; and many other productions.[10] See Beetlejuice, Doug, Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Kids, Bob and Margaret among others...

While the Houston Chronicle's Stephen Hunter gave a mixed response to the animation of The Care Bears Movie, he pointed out that director Selznick "has a nice feel for the dynamics of action animation; several of the set-pieces zing along nicely."[11]

Notes
  1. In 1998, Selznick was followed by Brenda Chapman of DreamWorks Animation's The Prince of Egypt.[5]

References
  1. Beck, Jerry (2005). The Animated Movie Guide. Chicago Reader Press. p. 48. ISBN 1-55652-591-5.
  2. "Best of Ottawa 2005 in Montreal: Coolman! 'Hootchy Kootchy Haiku'". Ottawa International Animation Festival. September 2005. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  3. Kearney, Mark; Ray, Randy (1998). "What is the highest-grossing Canadian movie ever?". The Great Canadian Trivia Book: A Collection of Compelling Curiosities from Alouette to Zed. 2. Dundurn Press. p. 80. ISBN 0-88882-197-2. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  4. National Film Board of Canada; National Library of Canada; Moving Image and Sound Archives (Canada); Cinémathèque québécoise (1986). "Film/Vidéo Canadiana, 1985–1986". Film/Video Canadiana = Film/Vidéo Canadiana. National Film Board of Canada: 43. ISSN 0836-1002. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  5. Mallory, Michael (March 19, 2000). "Move Over, Old Men; Disney's fabled favourite artists weren't alone in the male-ruled animation world. Now women are in key jobs, and they aim to stay". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. p. Calendar 8. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  6. Schott, Dale (director) (1986). Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (Animated film). Columbia Pictures (distributor) / Nelvana Limited / LBS Communications.
  7. Jafelice, Raymond (director) (1987). The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland (Animated film). Cineplex Odeon Films (distributor, North America) / Nelvana Limited.
  8. Staff (May 25, 2009). "Canadian indie prodcos and what they did in '08". Playback. Brunico Communications: 26.
  9. Staff (January 28, 2005). "Brampton animator vies in YTV's new 'toon idol' contest". Brampton Guardian. TDNG Inc. p. 25.
  10. Selznick, Arna (July 6, 2010). "Arna Selznick's CV". dancingmonkeys. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  11. Hunter, Stephen (April 6, 1985). "'Care Bears Movie' is a harmless film diversion". Houston Chronicle. p. 6.
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