Roger Allers (June 29, 1949 – January 17, 2026) was an American filmmaker, animator, storyboard artist and playwright. He was best known for co-directing Disney Animation's The Lion King (1994), the highest-grossing traditionally animated film of all time, and for writing the Broadway adaptation of the same name. He also directed Sony Pictures Animation's first feature-length animated film, Open Season (2006) and the animated adaptation of The Prophet.

Allers was born in Rye, New York and was raised in Scottsdale, Arizona. He developed an interest in animation after he had watched Peter Pan (1953). Allers graduated from Arizona State University (ASU) with a fine arts degree. He lived in Greece for the next two years, and relocated to Boston where he attended animation courses at Harvard University. He next worked as an animator for Lisberger Studios on several projects, including Animalympics (1980) and Tron (1982). Allers also worked for Nelvana Studios in Canada and Toho in Japan.

In 1985, Allers was hired by Disney as a storyboard artist for Oliver & Company (1988). He later worked as a story artist for The Little Mermaid (1989), The Rescuers Down Under (1990), and Aladdin (1992). He also served as story supervisor on Beauty and the Beast (1991). Afterwards, Allers and Rob Minkoff directed The Lion King (1994), which became a critical and commercial success. For his second directorial project, Allers intended to direct Kingdom of the Sun, in which he was teamed with Mark Dindal. However, in 1998, Allers left the project due to creative differences. The project was reworked into The Emperor's New Groove (2000).

Meanwhile, Allers collaborated with Julie Taymor and Irene Mecchi on the Broadway musical adaptation of The Lion King (1997). Both he and Mecchi were nominated for a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. Later, Allers directed Open Season and The Little Matchgirl, both released in 2006. In 2014, he wrote and directed The Prophet. Allers died on January 17, 2026 at the age of 76.

Roger Allers was born on June 29, 1949, in Rye, New York, to George Allers, who worked as an equestrian, and his mother, Shirley Williams, who ran the home. When he was six years old, his family relocated in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Allers became a fan of animation, at the age of five, after seeing Disney's Peter Pan (1953). From there, he decided he wanted to pursue a career in animation, and work alongside Walt Disney. A few years later, at age eight, Allers was sent off to Disneyland for a do-it-yourself animation kit. He recalled: "There was a part of Disneyland back then called the art corner, and they sold animation kits. There were books on the principles of animation and on how to draw the characters. You could even put together your own light table. And they gave you exposure sheets."

When Allers was a high school student, his father gave him a 8mm film camera, which he used to film special effects movies. He added: "I discovered the principle of double exposure, so my friends and I turned ourselves into ghosts. I also made stop-motion. But it wasn't very fancy. I just had to hit the button to get a frame!" However, Allers felt discouraged about achieving his dream of being an animator when he had heard of Disney's death in 1966.

Despite not getting the chance to meet Walt Disney, Allers graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) at Arizona State University (ASU) in 1971. For the next two years, he moved to Greece and during his time, Allers met Leslee Hackenson, his future wife, in Crete. For a time, they lived in a cave and sold paintings and crafts that they made to earn money for food and other supplies.