Halifax-headquartered WildBrain has signed a first-look overall deal with veteran producer Bonnie Arnold (Toy Story), a two-time Oscar nominee with credits for DreamWorks, Disney and Pixar to her name.

Under the partnership terms, Arnold will shepherd a slate of projects for WildBrain that includes movies, series and specials. To start with, the prodco has optioned two book properties from British author Cressida Cowell — her latest novel, Which Way to Anywhere (pictured), and the Emily Brown franchise, both of which are published by Hachette Children’s Group.

Which Way to Anywhere is an illustrated middle-grade novel about a young boy who can draw maps to visit fantastical places that hit shelves in September.

The Emily Brown series consists of five picture books that were released between 2006 and 2018. It features a young girl and her stuffed rabbit who solve problems such as cheering up teddy bears and helping an elephant deal with her overprotective mother.

Arnold and Cowell already have one blockbuster collaboration under their belts with the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. Arnold produced three animated films based on these books from Cowell that have sold more than 10 million copies globally. Arnold was nominated for Best Animation Feature Film Oscars for 2015’s How to Train Your Dragon 2 and 2019’s How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World.

This story first appeared in Kidscreen