Roger Allers, the Disney film-maker who co-directed The Lion King, has died aged 76. His colleague Dave Bossert announced the news on social media, describing him as 'an extraordinarily gifted artist and film-maker, a true pillar of the Disney Animation renaissance'.
Allers, born in New York in 1949 but raised in Arizona, began his career at Disney on Tron (1982) as part of the storyboard team. He worked as a storyboard artist on Oliver & Company, The Little Mermaid and The Rescuers Down Under, before becoming head of story on Beauty and the Beast and contributing to Aladdin.
In 1994, Allers co-directed The Lion King with Rob Minkoff. The film became the highest-grossing film of that year and remains the highest-grossing hand-drawn animated film of all time. It also holds the record for the bestselling film on home video, with over 55 million copies sold worldwide.
Allers and Minkoff won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for The Lion King. Allers later co-wrote the Tony-winning Broadway adaptation of the film with Irene Mecchi, which continues to be performed globally.
Disney CEO Bob Iger paid tribute, calling Allers 'a creative visionary whose many contributions to Disney will live on for generations to come'. Allers is remembered as a kind and generous colleague who helped define an era of animation.
