New York, Jan 19 (.) Renowned filmmaker Roger Allers, celebrated for bringing some of Disney’s most iconic animated films to life, has passed away at the age of 76.
Allers is best remembered as the co-director of ‘The Lion King’, one of the highest-grossing and most beloved animated films in history. He also contributed to classics such as ‘Aladdin’, ‘The Little Mermaid’, ‘The Rescuers Down Under’, and ‘The Emperor’s New Groove’.
The news of his death was shared by longtime friend Dave Bossert on Instagram. “I am deeply saddened by the news that our friend Roger Allers has passed on to his next journey,” Bossert wrote.
“We were just trading emails this past week while he was traveling in Egypt, which makes this loss feel all the more unreal. Roger was an extraordinarily gifted artist and filmmaker, a true pillar of the Disney Animation renaissance.”
Born on June 29, 1949, in Rye, New York, Allers grew up in Arizona and studied fine arts at Arizona State University. He began his career working on projects like Sesame Street, and in the 1980s contributed to Tron and Animalympics before joining Disney. At Disney, he started as a storyboard artist and gradually moved into directing.
His landmark success came with The Lion King (1994), which he co-directed with Rob Minkoff. The film received critical acclaim and won multiple awards, remaining a cherished favorite worldwide.
Allers also wrote the Broadway adaptation of ‘The Lion King’, which earned a Tony Award. Later in his career, he worked on films including Open Season and The Prophet.
Roger Allers is survived by his former wife, Leslee Hackenson, and their two children, Leah and Aidan.
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