Andrew Gunn, Producer of ‘Freaky Friday’ and ‘Cruella,’ Passes Away at 56
Andrew Gunn, a prominent Canadian film producer known for his work on popular Disney comedies, passed away on Monday, March 2, at his home in Toronto after a two-year battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He was 56 years old.
The news of his death was confirmed by his family.
Gunn gained recognition as a producer for Disney films beginning in the early 2000s, starting with Freaky Friday (2003), which starred Lindsay Lohan and was pitched to Disney motion pictures president Nina Jacobson by Gunn himself.
His film credits continued to grow, with notable projects including The Haunted Mansion (2003), College Road Trip (2008), Race to Witch Mountain (2009), Bad Santa 2 (2016), and the recent Freakier Friday.
Born on July 15, 1969, in Toronto, Gunn moved to Los Angeles to pursue a master’s degree at The Annenberg School at USC. He started his career in the late 1990s with John Hughes’ Great Oaks Entertainment before founding his own company, Gunn Films, in 2001, which led to an exclusive overall production deal with Disney.
In 2001, Gunn played a key role in establishing the Disney Writers Program, mentoring emerging talents like David Berenbaum (Elf, Haunted Mansion) and Matt Lopez (2022’s Father of the Bride).
Screenwriter Blaise Hemingway, known for Clifford The Big Red Dog (2021), honored Gunn in an Instagram tribute, stating, “In 2007, Andrew (along with Ann Marie Sanderlin and Amy Stenftenagel) read a script of mine and championed it (and me) to get me into the Disney Writer’s Program. It changed my life in every conceivable way. It shaped me into a complete writer. And—most importantly—on that third floor hallway of offices I shared with Andrew for 3+ years, I made the best friends in the goddamned world, who all became my family.”
Hemingway further remarked, “Andrew Gunn’s legacy will go far beyond the movies he made; he’s the ‘godfather’ to more writers, producers, directors, and executives than I can count. So many of us owe our careers to Andrew Gunn.”
Gunn is survived by his wife, Jane Bellamy Gunn; children Isabelle and Connor; mother Anne Gunn; and siblings Hilary Knight, Graeme Gunn, and Cameron Gunn.
