Andrew Gunn, Producer Of Disney's 'freaky Friday' And 'cruella,' Dies At 56

Andrew Gunn, a movie shaper connected live-action Disney favorites including “Freaky Friday” and “Sky High,” has died. He was 56.

Gunn died Monday astatine his Toronto location pursuing a conflict pinch amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, aliases ALS, according to an obituary.

“He was a courageous and humble man ever doing for others earlier himself. His emotion of family, friends, motorcycles and tattoos will agelong beryllium remembered by those who knew him,” his woman Jane Bellamy Gunn said successful a connection to USA Today. She told nan outlet that Andrew had been diagnosed pinch Bulbar-onset ALS, a shape of nan neurodegenerative illness affecting nan cervix and face, successful September 2025 aft experiencing symptoms for much than 2 years.

The Canadian movie shaper was champion known for his activity connected family friends Disney comedies starting successful nan 2000s. Gunn launched his ain accumulation company, Gunn Films, successful 2001 and had an exclusive first-look woody pinch Walt Disney Pictures.

Among his earliest hits was nan 2003 body-swap drama “Freaky Friday,” starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan arsenic a mother-daughter duo who aftermath up 1 greeting successful each other’s bodies. The remake was made aft Gunn had sounded nan movie to then-studio president Nina Jacobson.

Andrew Gunn, center, pinch head Mark Waters, left, and Jamie Lee Curtis connected nan group of “Freaky Friday” successful 2003.

(Ron Batzdorff / Disney Entertainment)

“Andrew Gunn ... was a shaper pinch awesome passion and emotionality which added truthful overmuch to what makes those movies special,” Curtis wrote successful her tribute posted to Instagram connected Wednesday. “His bequest lives on, and he will beryllium missed.”

Gunn was besides nan shaper connected nan 2005 superhero drama “Sky High,” arsenic good arsenic films based connected iconic Disney taxable parkland attractions, including “The Country Bears” (2002) and “The Haunted Mansion” (2003). His astir caller credits see “Cruella” (2021), nan fashion-forward root communicative of “101 Dalmations” villain Cruella de Vil, arsenic good arsenic nan next-gen sequel “Freakier Friday” (2025).

Born July 15, 1969, successful Toronto, Gunn moved to L.A. to gain a master’s grade from nan Annenberg School astatine USC, according to Deadline. He began his Hollywood profession successful nan precocious 1990s, moving astatine John Hughes’ Great Oaks Entertainment wherever he contributed to nan improvement of films specified arsenic “101 Dalmatians” (1996), “102 Dalmatians” (2000) and “Flubber” (1997).

Gunn is besides credited pinch helping found nan Disney Writers Program successful 2001, wherever he championed and mentored up-and-coming writers.

“Andrew Gunn took a chance connected a very greenish 29 twelvemonth aged from obscurity and gave him a screenwriting profession and much than that…a family successful my adopted city,” said “Clifford nan Big Red Dog” writer and Disney Writers Program alum Blaise Hemingway successful his Instagram tribute.

“Andrew fostered a fraternity of writers who did EVERYTHING together,” Hemingway added. “Lunches, Friday movies, happy hours astatine Mo’s, kid’s day parties. Alongside Andrew, we rewrote, roundtabled, did triage connected productions successful crisis…you sanction it. It was crazy, unhinged, and truthful [f—] fun. And contempt nan leather jackets and tattoos, Andrew was a softy who sewage a footwear retired of his writers’ knuckle-headed antics. He was a awesome mentor.”

Gunn is survived by his woman Jane; his children Isabelle and Connor Gunn; mother Anne Gunn; and siblings Hilary Knight, Graeme Gunn and Cameron Gunn.