Roger Allers, the Disney filmmaker who co-directed The Lion King and worked on beloved films including Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, has died, aged 76.
Allers’ colleague at the Walt Disney Company, visual effects supervisor Dave Bossert, shared news of his passing on social media on Sunday (January 18), remembering him as “an extraordinarily gifted artist and film-maker” and a “true pillar of the Disney Animation renaissance”.
“I had the privilege of being part of the crew with Roger on many films in the late ’80s and throughout the ’90s,” he wrote on Facebook. “And he was, without question, one of the kindest people you could hope to know and work alongside.
“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.”
Allers helmed The Lion King alongside Rob Minkoff. Starring an ensemble voice cast including Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons and Whoopi Goldberg, the film is widely considered to be among the best of Disney’s animated works.
Released in 1994, it grossed $771 million globally on its original theatrical run, with its 2019 remake going on to become one of the highest-grossing films of all time at $1.6 billion worldwide. So influential was the original, NME named it among the top ten most impactful cultural moments of that year, noting that it was “understandably one of the most successful Disney films of all-time”.
In his tribute to Allers, Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, said he was “a creative visionary whose many contributions to Disney will live on for generations to come”.
“He understood the power of great storytelling – how unforgettable characters, emotion and music can come together to create something timeless,” he 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.”
Allers became a fan of animation at the age of five after seeing Disney’s Peter Pan, and got his start at the company working on 1982’s Tron as part of the storyboard team, eventually moving on to becoming a storyboard artist on Oliver & Company, The Little Mermaid, and The Rescuers Down Under, before becoming Head of Story in the early ’90s with Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin.
His other animation directing credits include the 2006 outdoor adventure Open Season and the Oscar-nominated short film The Little Matchgirl, which Bossert nodded to in his tribute.
“I worked very closely with him on ‘The Little Matchgirl,’ and it was nothing short of a joy—he carried a sense of wonder, generosity, and enthusiasm that lifted everyone around him,” he wrote. “Roger had a joyful, luminous spirit, and the world is dimmer without him. Rest in peace, my friend. Until we meet again on the other side.”
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