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David Reynolds

David Reynolds

Writer, actor and producer · Born February 17, 1962 (64)

Oscar nominee · BAFTA Award nominee

Dave began his writing career in 1993 as one of the original writers on NBC's "Late Night With Conan O'Brien." After more than 400 shows, Dave moved to Los Angeles in 1995 and landed a job at Walt Disney Feature Animation in the movie "Tarzan." It was at this time that he met a little-known animation studio called Pixar, who asked him to help develop his second feature, (Toy Story would be released later that year) “A Bug's Life ". This led to a contract with the studio and for the next six years he worked on almost every Disney Pixar animation or production film. Including the script for "The Emperor's New Groove" as well as co-written 'Finding Nemo'. He was nominated for an Oscar and BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay for Nemo, as well as a BAFTA for New Groove.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 17, 1962 (64)
Works as
Writer, actor and producer
Titles
26 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 41% in 30 days

What are David Reynolds' films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
41%
Self
30%
Ideas
14%
Society
8%
Morality
6%
Power
1%
Family bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 7 · Serious 3 · Dark 0

Heightened: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their heightened movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 1 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 6

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 6 · Intense 0

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 7

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 9 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
7
Warm
7
Hopeful
4
Thrilling
5
Absurd
3
Other
11

How their films linger

Feel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet1
  • Cyclical2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch David Reynolds' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 26 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (12).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for David Reynolds' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

35 credits, 26 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Garfield Movie(2024)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Captain Jokes Parrot's Finding the Lost Atlantis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Characters

  • Aldabra: Once Upon an Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Creative Consultant

  • The Polar Bears (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Writer

  • Chimpanzee(2011)

    Creative Consultant

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Toy Story 3(2010)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Sita Sings the Blues(2008)

    Other

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Legend of the Sandsquatch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Bill

  • Long Lost Son(2006)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Saturday Night Live: The Best of Saturday TV Funhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Writer

  • Kronk's New Groove(2005)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Chicken Little(2005)

    Additional Dialogue · Other

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Cruel Intentions 3(2004)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Finding Nemo(2003)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Atlantis: Milo's Return(2003)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Jungle Book 2(2003)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • A Is for Acid(2002)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Atlantis: The Lost Empire(2001)

    Other

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Emperor's New Groove(2000)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • TV Funhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • Fantasia 2000(1999)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Toy Story 2(1999)

    Additional Writing

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Mulan(1998)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Dexter's Laboratory(1996)

    Show Writer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Dumb and Dumber(1995)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all shows

  • Late Night with Conan O'Brien (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 18 episodes · Writer

  • A Touch of Frost(1992)

    Show 1 episode · Producer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Raising Miranda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • China Beach(1988)

    Show 1 episode · as Pilot #1

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Soul Man(1986)

    as Ernie

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Crime Story(1986)

    Show 1 episode · as Driver #2

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • One More Saturday Night(1986)

    as Russ Cadwell

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Saturday Night Live(1975)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Doctor Who(1963)

    Show 1 episode · as Child

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • The Garfield Movie 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Screenplay

Career shape

A full career of 33 titles, 32 of them dated from 1963 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Toy Story 3 (2010)

$1.1B worldwide

Highest rated

Finding Nemo (2003)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Dexter's Laboratory (1996)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting7 of 33: 7 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score92ndWriting17 of 33: 15 only writing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score71stProducing3 of 33: 2 only producing, 1 with another roleMusic2 of 33: 2 only music, 0 with another roleOther crew6 of 33: 5 only other crew, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score82nd

By decade

1960s1 · acting1970s1 · crew1980s5 · acting1990s5 · crew2000s15 · 1 acting · 14 crew2010s4 · crew2020s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

2 major nominations and no wins, 2004.

  1. 2004
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Original Screenplay
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay - Original

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do David Reynolds' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 77th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 82nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

98thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 26 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up15
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 26 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved9
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · writer

Dumb and Dumber (1995)

64th percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Finding Nemo (2003)

Midcredits 99th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 60/100 and the plot and story 45/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is David Reynolds' work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity, profanity and alcohol & drugs run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles25–45 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles10–26 · median 18 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity9 titles3–25 · median 10 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs9 titles6–24 · median 10 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles24–56 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does David Reynolds work with?

People who share at least 2 of David Reynolds' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Mark Dindal shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers