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Michael Arndt

Michael Arndt

Writer · Born November 11, 1965 (60) · McLean, Virginia, USA

Oscar winner · BAFTA Award winner · 3 other major award bodies

Michael Arndt is an American screenwriter who has written for the films Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). Arndt won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Little Miss Sunshine and was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for Toy Story 3. This made Arndt the first screenwriter nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay for his first two screenplays. He has also been credited under the pseudonyms Michael deBruyn and Rick Kerb, mainly used for script revisions. Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Arndt, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 11, 1965 (60)
From
McLean, Virginia, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 13 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 157 days to Oct 28Down 32% in 30 days

What are Michael Arndt's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 77th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Animation2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 99th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
37%
Bonds
30%
Morality
16%
Power
10%
Survival
4%
Ideas
3%
Family bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMemory3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 1 · Dark 3

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

Grounded 2 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 5 · Intense 3

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 3

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

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 3

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

Casual 3 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 2

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

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
5
Tense
3
Dread
2
Hopeful
4
Bittersweet
3
Other
8

How their films linger

Bittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

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 Michael Arndt's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Arndt's 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

13 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.

Career shape

A full career of 12 titles from 2006 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

$2.1B worldwide

Highest rated

Toy Story 3 (2010)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Inside Out (2015)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 12: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleWriting10 of 12: 8 only writing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score92ndProducing1 of 12: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleOther crew2 of 12: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

2000s1 · crew2010s9 · crew2020s2 · 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

an Oscar, a BAFTA Award and 3 other major awards from 8 major nominations, 2007–2011.

WinNomination
  1. 2011
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay (Adapted)
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Screenplay, Adapted
  2. 2007
    • Oscar, won · Best Writing, Original Screenplay
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Screenplay - Original
    • +3 other major bodies · 3 wins
      • Writers Guild Award, won · Best Original Screenplay
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Writer
      • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best First Screenplay

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 Michael Arndt's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 92nd percentile, the median of all 12; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 84th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

90thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

99thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 12 titles divides audiences: 7 are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Crowd Pleaser5

Most loved · writer

Toy Story 3 (2010)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 61/100 and the plot and story 57/100 in their films, across 9 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 Michael Arndt's work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, frightening / intense runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles13–69 · median 53 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles13–41 · median 25 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity9 titles14–66 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs9 titles5–40 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles26–71 · median 51 · moderateheavier than most 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 Michael Arndt work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Arndt's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Francis Lawrence shares the most, 2.

Directors

Actors

Producers

Mixed roles