Roger Allers, the Oscar- and Tony-nominated animated film director best known for helming 1994’s The Lion King, died Saturday. He was 76.
Allers died suddenly at his home in Santa Monica following a short illness, a Disney Animation spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.
Born on June 29, 1949, in Rye, New York, Allers found a passion for animation at a young age and went on to receive a fine arts degree from Arizona State University.
He made his directorial debut with The Lion King animated feature for Walt Disney Animation Studios alongside co-director Rob Minkoff. The movie was a massive box office success, earning nearly $979 million worldwide, not adjusted for inflation, in its initial theatrical run, making it the highest-grossing film of 1994.
Before The Lion King, Allers worked on several other Disney animated features, including Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Oliver and Company and Rescuers Down Under. He also helped develop 1982’s Tron, the first major feature film to extensively use CGI.
“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. 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 also adapted the screenplay for the Lion King Broadway musical with Irene Mecchi, earning him a Tony nomination in 1998 for best book of a musical.
In 2006, he co-directed the animated movie Open Season for Sony Studios and wrote and directed the animated adaptation of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet in 2015.
Allers also received an Academy Award nomination for best animated short film for 2006’s The Little Matchgirl.
His other credits include Watership Down, The Bugs Bunny/Road-Runner Movie, Return to Never Land, Ted, Back to the Jurassic and Ted 2.
Allers is survived by his children, Leah and Aidan, and his partner, Genaro.
“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.”
