A New York Times obituary revealed early today that Daniel Gerson, a screenwriter behind the Monsters Inc., Monsters University, and Disney’s Big Hero 6 (among many others) has passed away on February 6 (at age 49) after battling brain cancer.
Frequently working alongside writer Robert Baird, Gerson not only crafted screenplays but also lent his voice to such characters as Needleman and Smitty, the hilarious duo that jokingly almost caused Sulley to “lose his focus.” Gerson has certainly made his impact on Pixar as employees have been paying tribute to his humor and humility throughout the day on social media.
Gerson was currently working on the upcoming Pixar film, Cars 3 and it’s a certainty that he incorporated a fantastic amount of humor and heart into the characters he wrote for. Dan’s obituary also noted, “Anyone whose life he touched benefitted from his love, his honesty and his wit.” — Dan and his family are in our thoughts.
