Roger Allers, Co-Director of The Lion King, Dead at 76

Roger Allers, an Oscar and Tony-nominated animator and director whose work is throughout the Disney renaissance, has died after a brief illness. First reported by TMZ, a Disney representative told The Hollywood Reporter that Allers died suddenly in his home in Santa Monica. He was 76.

Allers’ greatest contribution to the animation canon was co-directing The Lion King with Rob Minkoff. The film made $979 million in 1994, making it the highest-grossing film of that year. “Roger Allers was a creative visionary whose many contributions to Disney will live on for generations to come,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement. “He understood the power of great storytelling — how unforgettable characters, emotion and music can come together to create something timeless. 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.”

Born in 1949, Allers saw Peter Pan at age 5, permanently altering the course of his life. A few years later, he sent away for a do-it-yourself animation kit. But after the death of Walt Disney, he abandoned his dream.

Allers met his wife Leslee Hackenson in a cave in Greece in the 70s. The pair moved to Boston, where Allers sat in on a Harvard animation class and renewed his passion for the medium. He began working in animation at Lisberger Studios and later Nelvana. 

In 1985, Allers joined Disney as a storyboard artist for Oliver and Company. He’d work on The Little Mermaid, The Rescuers Down Under, and headed the story team for Beauty and the Beast. He was on The Lion King project since its initial conception as a music-less nature film called King of the Jungle. The Lion King became the high water mark for what then-CEO Michael Eisner called “The Disney Decade.” Allers also adapted The Lion King for the stage, and was nominated for a Tony for his troubles.

After The Lion King, Allers started working on Kingdom of the Sun, which would eventually become The Emperor’s New Groove after an arduous development process. Allers was a story artist on Lilo & Stitch. He left Disney in 2003, to work on Open Season for Sony. In 2014, he directed an adaptation of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet. 

“Every once in a while, life puts someone in our path who helps us see more clearly. Roger was that person for me, and for so many of us who worked with him,” Lion King producer Don Hahn said in a statement. “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.”