“Roger Allers was a creative visionary whose many contributions to Disney will live on for generations to come,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger.
Roger Allers, the Oscar-nominated animated film director who co-directed 1994’s The Lion King and worked on other Disney classics like Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, has died aged 76.
“Roger Allers was a creative visionary whose many contributions to Disney will live on for generations to come,” Disney CEO Bob Iger shared in a statement. “He understood the power of great storytelling - how unforgettable characters, emotion and music can come together to create something timeless.”
Iger added: “His work helped define an era of animation that continues to inspire audiences around the world, and we are deeply grateful for everything he gave to Disney. Our hearts are with his family, friends and collaborators.”
“Every once in a while, life puts someone in our path who helps us see more clearly,” Lion King producer Don Hahn wrote in a tribute. “Roger was that person for me, and for so many of us who worked with him. He was the rarest of people: endlessly curious, playful and deeply human, always eager to tell stories that reminded us of the wonder in life. He lives on in his work, and in the hearts of all of us who were lucky enough to know him.”
Walt Disney Company visual effects supervisor Dave Bossert remembers him as “an extraordinarily gifted artist and film-maker” and a “true pillar of the Disney Animation renaissance”.
“He went on to co-direct The Lion King, a phenomenal success, yet it never went to his head… He carried a sense of wonder, generosity, and enthusiasm that lifted everyone around him.”
Born on 29 June 1949, in Rye, New York, Allers worked on several Disney animated features, including Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Rescuers Down Under. He also helped develop 1982’s Tron, the first major feature film to extensively use CGI.
He made his directorial debut with The Lion King alongside co-director Rob Minkoff. The movie was a box office success and became the highest-grossing film of 1994 - as well as one of the most beloved Disney animated films of all time. Allers also adapted the screenplay for the Lion King Broadway musical, which earned him a Tony nomination in 1998.
His other credits include Watership Down, Return to Never Land, Ted, Ted 2 and the animated adaptation of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet in 2015.
Allers is survived by his two children, Leah and Aidan, and his partner, Genaro.
