Arna Selznick

Last updated
Arna Selznick
NationalityCanadian
OccupationAnimator
Years active1980s–present
Employer Nelvana (1980s)
Known forDirecting The Care Bears Movie (1985)
Spouse John van Bruggen
Children Max Douglas
Website dancingmonkeys

Arna Selznick is a Canadian animator, best known for directing Nelvana's 1985 animated film The Care Bears Movie . [1] Arna owns and operates a studio called Dancingmonkeys with her husband/partner John van Bruggen. [2]

Contents

Career

2020–2021: Development Director for an independent 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/screenwriter 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]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelvana</span> Canadian animation studio

Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded in July 1971 by Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith, it was named after Nelvana of the Northern Lights, the first Canadian national superhero, who was created by Adrian Dingle. The company's production logo is a polar bear looking at Polaris, the North Star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Care Bears</span> Fictional character group

Care Bears are multi-colored bears, originally painted in 1981 by artist Elena Kucharik to be used on greeting cards from American Greetings. They were turned into plush teddy bears and featured in The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings (1983) and The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine (1984) before headlining their own television series called Care Bears from 1985 to 1988. They also made multiple more feature films including: The Care Bears Movie (1985), Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986), and The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland (1987).

<i>The Care Bears Movie</i> 1985 animated feature film, based on the Care Bears toy line

The Care Bears Movie is a 1985 animated musical fantasy film directed by Arna Selznick from a screenplay by Peter Sauder. This was the second feature film from the Canadian animation studio Nelvana, in addition to being one of the first films based directly on a toy line. It introduced the Care Bears characters and their companions the Care Bear Cousins. The voice cast includes Mickey Rooney, Georgia Engel, Jackie Burroughs and Cree Summer. In the film, an orphanage owner tells a story about the Care Bears, who live in a cloud-filled land called Care-a-Lot. Traveling across Earth, the Bears help two lonely children named Kim and Jason, who lost their parents in a car accident and also save a young magician's apprentice named Nicholas from an evil spirit's influence. Deep within a place called the Forest of Feelings, Kim, Jason and their friends soon meet another group of creatures known as the Care Bear Cousins.

<i>Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation</i> 1986 animated film by Dale Schott

Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation is a 1986 animated musical fantasy film produced by LBS Communications and Nelvana. The third animated feature from Nelvana, it was directed by Dale Schott, written by Peter Sauder and produced by Nelvana's three founders. It stars the voices of Alyson Court, Cree Summer, Maxine Miller and Hadley Kay. In the second film based on the Care Bears franchise, a character called The Great Wishing Star tells the origins of the Care Bears, and the story of their first Caring Mission. True Heart Bear and Noble Heart Horse lead the other Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins, as they come to the aid of Christy, a young camper who is tempted by an evil shape-shifting figure named Dark Heart. This is also the first appearance of the Care Bear Cubs, who also had their own line of toys.

<i>The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland</i> 1987 film

The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland is a 1987 animated musical fantasy film and the third theatrically released film in the Care Bears franchise. It was released in the United States and Canada on August 7, 1987, by Cineplex Odeon Films, and is based on Lewis Carroll's Alice stories. The fourth feature film made at Toronto's Nelvana studio, it was directed by staff member Raymond Jafelice and produced by the firm's founders. It starred the voices of Keith Knight, Bob Dermer, Jim Henshaw, Tracey Moore and Elizabeth Hanna. In the film, the Care Bears must rescue the Princess of Wonderland from the Evil Wizard and his assistants, Dim and Dumb. After the White Rabbit shows them her photo, the Bears and Cousins search around the Earth for her before enlisting an unlikely replacement, an ordinary girl named Alice, to save her true look-alike. Venturing into Wonderland, the group encounters a host of strange characters, among them a rapping Cheshire Cat and the Jabberwocky.

Patrick Loubert is one of the founders of the Canadian animation studio, Nelvana Limited, along with Clive A. Smith and Michael Hirsh. He has produced, and executive-produced, much of the company's most memorable fare.

Peter Sauder is a Canadian film and TV writer, television producer and animator best known for his contributions to Nelvana franchises such as Care Bears, Babar, Strawberry Shortcake and Droids. Peter, who is originally from Toronto, wrote the first ever story for another hit Nelvana series, Franklin. He is sometimes credited as Pete Sauder.

Jim Henshaw is a Canadian actor, screenwriter and film and television producer.

Peter Hudecki is an animator. He directed the Roseanne Barr animated series Little Rosey, and was Chief Modelmaker for Gemini Award- and Emmy Award-winning series Rolie Polie Olie.

Hong Ying Animation Co., Ltd. is a Chinese animation studio founded in 1986. The studio has worked on several American and foreign cartoons.

Ralph Zondag is a Canadian animator, storyboard artist, and director.

Arna may refer to:

John van Bruggen is a Canadian animator and writer. His wife, Arna Selznick, was the director of 1985's The Care Bears Movie. He and Selznick were layout supervisors on its 1986 sequel. They are partners in the creative services company dancingmonkeys.

Jack Chojnacki served as the co-president of Those Characters from Cleveland Inc., a division of U.S. greeting card company American Greetings (AGC), in the 1980s. He assisted in the creation of several AGC franchises, including Strawberry Shortcake and the Care Bears.

Dale Schott is a Canadian animator, writer and storyboard artist, best known for directing the 1986 animated film Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation.

Lenora Hume is a Canadian animation Producer, Cinematographer, and Production Executive who has worked for Nelvana, The Walt Disney Company, and Hit Entertainment.

Charles Edward Bastien, also known as Ted Bastien, was a Canadian animation director, most noted as a three-time Canadian Screen Award winner for his work as the director of the television series PAW Patrol.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Beck, Jerry (2005). The Animated Movie Guide . Chicago Reader Press. p.  48. ISBN   1-55652-591-5.
  2. 1 2 "Best of Ottawa 2005 in Montreal: Coolman! 'Hootchy Kootchy Haiku'". Ottawa International Animation Festival. September 2005. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. 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. Vol. 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. 1 2 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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