# David Reynolds (screenwriter)

David Reynolds is an American screenwriter. He is known for having written animated movies such as Finding Nemo (2003) and The Emperor's New Groove (2000).

## Biography

In the early 1990s, he became a television writer. He made his writing debut on the late-night television series, Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Afterwards, he started to transition into film with his theatrical debut providing additional story material on Mulan. After the success of Mulan, Disney gave Reynolds a 'six-year contract' deal to work for both Walt Disney Feature Animation and Pixar Animation Studios. Some later works with the "Mouse-House" included additional writing on the story for A Bug's Life, writer of the host segments on Fantasia 2000, and got his official writing debut with The Emperor's New Groove.
He went on to write with other writers on films like on Atlantis: The Lost Empire with Tab Murphy, The Jungle Book 2 with Karl Geurs and Evan Spiliotopoulos, and his most acclaimed work yet, Finding Nemo, with Andrew Stanton and Bob Peterson. He received numerous nominations and awards for Nemo, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, a BAFTA nomination for Best Original Screenplay, a Hugo Award nomination for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form, and a Nebula Award nomination for Best Script, and won an Annie for Writing in a Feature Production. Reynolds was attached to co-write, alongside Ken Kaufman, the 2006 animated film Curious George. His name was featured in the film’s trailer but was left uncredited in the film.
His last movie credit was for working on Chimpanzee where he was a creative consultant and wrote the short film The Polar Bears in 2012. In 2007, Reynolds was slated to write a film adaptation of the book Nightmare Academy. In 2010, it was reported that he was working at Sony Pictures Animation for a feature titled Futuropolis that would've been co-written and directed by Stephan Franck. As of 2018, no updates have emerged for Nightmare Academy and Futuropolis. On June 7, 2015, Reynolds and New Groove director Mark Dindal attended a conversation event for the Austin Film Festival where they shared their knowledge, secrets, and strategies.
In 2021, Reynolds was announced as screenwriter for The Garfield Movie, along with the announcement that Chris Pratt would voice the titular character. Writing alongside Paul A. Kaplan and Mark Torgove, the film reunited Reynolds with New Groove director Mark Dindal. The film was released on May 24, 2024, and while it was met with mixed-to-negative reviews, the film was a box-office hit.

## Filmography

| Title | Year | Role |
| One More Saturday Night | 1986 | Actor: Russ Cadwell |
| Crime Story | 1986 | Actor: Driver #2 ("The War") |
| Soul Man | 1986 | Actor: Ernie |
| China Beach | 1988 | Actor: Pilot #1 ("Somewhere Over the Radio") |
| Raising Miranda | 1988 | Unknown ("Black Monday") |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | 1993-94 | Writer (230 episodes) |
| Dumb and Dumber: The Animated Series | 1996 | Writer: Overbites in Paradise segment |
| Mulan | 1998 | Additional story material |
| A Bug's Life | 1998 | Additional writer: story |
| Saturday Night Live | 1998 | Writer: Alec Baldwin/Luciano Pavarotti, Vanessa Williams (Saturday TV Funhouse segment) |
| Tarzan | 1999 | Additional screenplay material |
| Toy Story 2 | 1999 | Additional screenplay material |
| Fantasia 2000 | 1999 | Writer: Live-Action segments (along with Don Hahn and Irene Mecchi) |
| TV Funhouse | 2000 | Writer: Christmas Day (Globetrotters Christmas segment) |
| The Emperor's New Groove | 2000 | Screenplay, voice: Checkers Player |
| Atlantis: The Lost Empire | 2001 | Additional screenplay material |
| The Sweatbox | 2002 | Himself |
| The Jungle Book 2 | 2003 | Additional written material |
| Finding Nemo | 2003 | Screenplay (along with Andrew Stanton and Bob Peterson) |
| Finding Nemo: Studio Tour of Pixar | 2003 | Himself |
| Chicken Little | 2005 | Additional dialogue |
| Sita Sings the Blues | 2008 | Donor |
| Toy Story 3 | 2010 | Additional dialogue |
| Chimpanzee | 2012 | Creative consultant |
| The Polar Bears | 2012 | Screenplay |
| Aldabra: Once Upon an Island | 2015 | Creative consultant |
| Sprite Fright | 2021 | Short; special thanks |
| The Garfield Movie | 2024 | Screenplay (along with Paul A. Kaplan and Mark Torgove), executive producer, lyricist for Lactose Farms Jingle (with Mark Dindal) |

### Unrealized projects

* Nightmare Academy
* Futuropolis
* Brooklyn Family Robinson
* Where's Charlie?

## Awards and nominations

| List of awards and nominations ||||||
| Year | Award | Category | Film(s) | Result | Notes |
| 2001 | Annie Award | Individual Achievement in Writing | The Emperor's New Groove | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Discover Screenwriting Award | Discover Screenwriting Award | Finding Nemo | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Finding Nemo | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Utah Film Critics Association Awards | Best Writing, Screenplay - Original/Adapted | Finding Nemo | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Seattle Film Critics Awards | Best Screenplay, Original | Finding Nemo | Nominated | |
| 2004 | Nebula Award | Best Script | Finding Nemo | Nominated | |
| 2004 | Online Film & Television Association Film Award | Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen | Finding Nemo | Nominated | |
| 2004 | Hugo Awards | Feature Film Category | Finding Nemo | Nominated | |
| 2004 | 31st Annie Awards | Outstanding Writing in an Animated Feature Production | Finding Nemo | Won | |
| 2004 | 57th British Academy Film Awards | Best Screenplay - Original | Finding Nemo | Nominated | |
| 2004 | 76th Academy Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Finding Nemo | Nominated | |