Obituary: Daniel Gerson, screenwriter

Died on Saturday 6 February, aged 49.

Screenwriter co-wrote Disney Pixars Monsters Inc and Big Hero 6. Picture: AP

Daniel Gerson, who co-wrote Disney/Pixar’s Monsters, Inc movies and Big Hero 6, died at his home on Saturday. He was 49.

According to a family statement, Gerson had been battling brain cancer.

The screenwriter frequently collaborated with Robert L Baird. Together the duo co-wrote Monsters, Inc and its prequel, Monsters University, as well as Big Hero 6, which won the Oscar last year for animated feature.

Gerson was also the voice of maintenance monsters Needleman and Smitty in Monsters, Inc and Desk Sergeant Sergeant in Big Hero 6.

Gerson and Baird have been credited with assistance on Pixar’s Inside Out and Up, as well as “Chicken Little.”

Born in New York, Gerson attended Cornell University, where he majored in English, and later obtained an MFA from the graduate film school at NYU.

After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles to begin his writing career, getting his start as a staff writer on the NBC comedy Something So Right.

He later moved to animated films for Disney/Pixar, where his films grossed over more than £1.3 billion worldwide.

He is survived by his wife, two children and parents.