12 Facts About Roger Allers

Roger Allers was born on June 29,1949 and is an American film director, screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist, and playwright.

Roger Allers is best known for co-directing Disney's The Lion King, the highest-grossing traditionally animated film of all time, and for writing the Broadway adaptation of the same name.

Roger Allers directed Sony Pictures Animation's first feature-length animated film, Open Season and the animated adaptation of The Prophet.

Three years later, Roger Allers found work serving as part of the storyboard team for Tron, which was the first theatrical feature film he worked on.

When he applied for the job, Roger Allers was asked to draw some sample character model sheets as a tryout, and worked on a portfolio.

When Beauty and the Beast was nearly finished, Roger Allers joined the King of the Jungle project as a director alongside George Scribner.

Roger Allers temporarily left the project to help storyboard sequences for Aladdin.

In October 1991, Roger Allers rejoined King of the Jungle, in which he recruited Brenda Chapman, who would become the film's Head of Story.

At first skeptical, Roger Allers joined the Broadway production team, and together with Lion King co-screenwriter Irene Mecchi, they wrote the libretto.

Meanwhile, Allers pitched the Celtic folk ballad tale Tam Lin to Michael Eisner, who at the time was in a corporate struggle with Roy E Disney.

However, one year later, Roger Allers was recruited as an additional director on Open Season alongside director Jill Culton and co-director Anthony Stacchi, and featuring the voice talents of Martin Lawrence and Ashton Kutcher.

In January 2012, it was announced that Roger Allers will oversee the narrative structure, as well as supervise the production of an animated adaptation of The Prophet.