Who co-wrote the Monsters, Inc. screenplay with Daniel Gerson?

Andrew Stanton co-wrote the Monsters, Inc. screenplay with Daniel Gerson.

Stanton and Gerson are credited as the film’s screenwriters, while Pete Docter directed the 2001 Pixar feature. The screenplay follows Sulley and Mike Wazowski as they discover that human children are not toxic and that laughter produces more energy than screams. Their escape from the factory turns a workplace comedy into a story about friendship, fear, and changing outdated beliefs.

Stanton was already a major creative figure at Pixar, having worked on Toy Story and later co-written or directed films including Finding Nemo and WALL-E. Gerson joined Pixar during Monsters, Inc.’s development and worked closely with the filmmakers on the script. The film’s story credits also include Docter, Jill Culton, Jeff Pidgeon, and Ralph Eggleston, but those names should not be confused with the screenplay credit.

Pete Docter is therefore a tempting but incorrect option: he directed the film and helped develop its story, yet the screenplay was credited to Stanton and Gerson. Monsters, Inc. was Pixar’s fourth feature film and became one of its defining early successes.