Tony Award-nominated animation legend Roger Allers, best known for co-directing Disney’s 1994 animated hit The Lion King and co-writing the hit Broadway musical, passed away last Saturday (January 17, 2026) at his home in Santa Monica, California. He was 76 years old. The exact cause of death has not yet been determined. He is survived by his husband, Genaro Pereira, and two children, actress and director Leah Allers and son Aidan Allers.
Allers played a key role in defining the Disney animation renaissance of the ’80s and ’90s with his directorial, story and creative contributions to films such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Tron. He also directed the 2006 Oscar®-nominated animated short The Little Match Girl. His directorial work outside of Disney includes Sony Pictures Animation’s Open Season (2006) and the 2014 independent feature The Prophet, based on the book by Kahlil Gibran.
Since no official family-approved obituary was distributed last week, his daughter Leah wanted to share the news of his actual passing, along with previously unseen photos and tributes from industry insiders.
In memory of Roger: Tributes from family, friends and colleagues
allers family
“Everyone who knew Roger loved him. His spirit shined like a thousand suns, and wherever his light touched, the world was a better place. Every life he touched was blessed by his never-ending joy, his spirit, and his energy. We are completely devastated, heartbroken, and shocked. There will be no more Roger Allers.”
sir tim rice
Award-winning lyricist/’Lion King’ collaborator
“I met Roger Allers while working on the original Lion King animated film, which he co-directed with skill, warmth, and humor. This latter quality is why we have remained good friends for over 30 years. I will never forget his wonderful laugh, his easygoing wit, and the wonderful artwork that adorned many of his letters and cards.”
thomas schumacher
Original producer of “The Lion King on Broadway” and executive producer of the 1994 film
“The shocking news about Roger Allers has broken the hearts of so many. It is impossible to adequately summarize his gift to an international community that has watched his incredible work with so little knowledge. His contribution to The Lion King on screen and stage is immeasurable. Alongside his extraordinary storytelling and visual flair is a deep-rooted commitment to bringing the South African voice to film, which has since been greatly expanded upon in the stage version.”
don hahn
Producer of “The Lion King”. Disney Legend, Award-Winning Film Director
“Sometimes in life, someone comes along who helps us see more clearly. For me, and for many of us who worked with him, Roger was that person. He was that rarest of people. Infinitely curious, playful, deeply human, and always eager to tell stories that reminded us of the wonders of life. He lives on in his work and in the hearts of all of us who were lucky enough to know him.”
Irene Metch
Co-writer of the movie “The Lion King” and co-author of the book with Roger on the hit Broadway musical
“Roger was such a pleasure to work with… we so much enjoyed visiting faraway cities where new work was emerging. Roger was one of the few who always lived in the moment. He was a true artist, wit and poet, a rare combination that we were all able to experience. His passing is a very deep loss for all of us.”
Because M
GRAMMY® Award-winning composer/songwriter and the “voice and soul” of “The Lion King”
“Every time I was with Rog, I felt a little bit more alive…Roger was always the most authentic. He’s a global icon.”
Bob Iger
Walt Disney Company CEO
“Roger Allers was a creative visionary whose many contributions to Disney will live on for generations to come. His work helped define an era of animation that continues to inspire audiences around the world. Our hearts go out to his family, friends, and collaborators.”
Roger Allers – Official Obituary
Born on June 29, 1949 in Rye, New York, and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona, Allers dreamed of a career in animation by the age of five, when he first saw the Disney animated classic “Peter Pan.” He thought his childhood dream of working with Walt Disney had ended with Walt’s death in 1966, but his studies at Arizona State University (where he earned an art degree) and classes at Harvard University reawakened his ambitions. Aras expanded his worldview while traveling to Crete, where he met his wife and mother of his two children, Leslie Hackenson.
Allers began his animation career when he accepted a job with a fledgling animation director named Steven Lisberger. His projects included Sesame Street, The Electric Company, and various commercials. In 1978, he relocated from Boston to Los Angeles with Lisberger Studios, where he provided story, character design, and animation for the film Animalympics.
In 1980, Ares worked as a concept designer on the groundbreaking computer-animated film Tron, and his artwork helped sell the idea for the film to Disney. He next worked as an animator on Rock and Rules at Nelvana Limited in Toronto, followed by a story artist at TMS Studios in Tokyo on the 1989 animated film Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland.
Allers joined Walt Disney Animation Studios full-time in 1985 as head of story for Oliver and Company. This was the beginning of his amazing journey at the studio that would bring some of the biggest successes in Disney history and usher in a new era of innovation and interest in animated films. He quickly proved a valuable member of the story teams for such important films as The Little Mermaid, The Rescuers Down Under, and Beauty and the Beast, where he oversaw the story teams as Head of Story.
In 1991, Allers was tapped to lend his story expertise to Disney’s project King of the Jungle. He and his creative team traveled to Kenya on a research trip. There he first learned the African phrase “Hakuna Matata”, which he later proposed to Tim Rice as a song idea during a story meeting. Allers was promoted to director along with fellow Disney animator Rob Minkoff. With music by Sir Elton John, lyrics by Sir Tim Rice, and a talented production team led by producer Don Hahn, the film became the world’s top-grossing film of 1994. The film held the title of box office king and was the biggest animated feature of all time for a decade until 2004. The Lion King remains one of Disney’s most beloved animated features of all time, and the film’s success brought in billions of dollars at the box office. Walt Disney Company franchise.
For the first production of the 1997 musical The Lion King, Disney Theatrical Group teamed up with Allers and original Lion King screenwriter Eileen Mecchi (who co-wrote the film with Linda Woolverton and Jonathan Roberts) to write the script, under the creative direction of Thomas Schumacher and Peter Schneider. The show premiered at the New Amsterdam Theater in New York to critical acclaim and a sensational box office success. The play “The Lion King” won six Tony Awards (including Best Musical) in 1998 and continues to captivate audiences around the world. The show has established itself as the most successful theatrical production of all time, continues to draw sold-out audiences around the world, and holds the honor of being the highest-grossing entertainment title (film or stage) of all time.
Following The Lion King, Ares devoted his time and talents to developing an animation project called Kingdom of the Sun. The film went through a difficult development process, and he ultimately chose to walk away from the project. It evolved into the 2000 Disney release The Empire’s New Groove, which became a fan favorite, and still owes much of its origins to Allers’ contributions.
In recent years, Allais has been working on an original stage musical called The Grasshopper, based on the colorful life and legend of storyteller Jean de la Fontaine. Aras collaborated with her husband, acclaimed composer and concert pianist Genaro Pereira, who wrote the music, to write the book and lyrics. The show has had several workshop readings, including a performance in Los Angeles in 2023.
Allers’ daughter, Leah, is working on a documentary about Roger that will focus on her father’s life and work during the Disney Renaissance of the ’80s and ’90s. In addition to Leah and Gennaro, Allers is survived by his son, Aidan, and the children’s mother, Leslie Hackenson.
Roger Allers will be buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, 1847 14th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404. The family is making plans for a celebration of life, which will be announced at a later date.
