Roger Charles Allers (born June 29, 1949) is an American film director, screenwriter,
animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video gam ...
,
storyboard artist
A storyboard artist (sometimes called a story artist or visualizer) creates storyboards for advertising agencies and film productions.
Work
A storyboard artist visualizes stories and sketches frames of the story. Quick pencil drawings and mark ...
, and
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
. He is best-known for co-directing ''
The Lion King
''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance ...
'' (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
Sony Pictures Animation Inc. is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and founded on May 9, 2002. The studio's films are distributed worldwide by So ...
's first feature-length animated film, ''
Open Season'' (2006).
Life and career
Early life
Born in
Rye, New York
Rye is a coastal suburb of New York City in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the Town of Rye, which has more land area than the city. The City of Rye, formerly the Village of Rye, was part of the Town until it r ...
, but raised in
Scottsdale, Arizona
, settlement_type = City
, named_for = Winfield Scott
, image_skyline =
, image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg
, image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg
, nick ...
,
Allers became a fan of animation, at the age of five, after seeing Disney's ''
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...
'' (1953). Deciding that he wanted to pursue a career in animation, and even work alongside
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
himself, a few years later, he was sent off to
Disneyland
Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...
for a do-it-yourself animation kit.
However, Allers, by then a high school student, grew discouraged about achieving his dream when he had heard of Disney's death in 1966.
Despite not getting the chance to meet Walt Disney, Allers still pressed on to receive a Fine Arts degree from
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
. However, when he attended a class at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, he realized that his interest in animation had been revitalized. After receiving his degree in Fine Arts, he spent the next two years traveling and living in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
.
While there, he spent some time living in a cave, and eventually met Leslee, whom he later married. As a young adult, Allers accepted a job with Lisberger Studios, where he worked as an animator for projects such as ''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...
'', ''
The Electric Company
''The Electric Company'' is an American educational children's television series produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW, now known as Sesame Workshop). It was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett. The ...
'', ''
Make a Wish'', and various other commercials.
In 1978, he relocated to Los Angeles with
Steven Lisberger to work on a feature film titled ''
Animalympics
''Animalympics'' is a 1980 animated television film directed by Steven Lisberger and produced by Lisberger Studios for the NBC network. Originally commissioned as two separate specials, it spoofs the Summer and Winter Olympic Games and features ...
'' (1980) to which he provided story work, character design and animation for the film. Three years later, Allers found work serving as part of the storyboard team for ''
Tron
''Tron'' (stylized as ''TRON'') is a 1982 American science fiction action-adventure film written and directed by Steven Lisberger from a story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. The film stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer a ...
'', which was the first theatrical feature film he worked on. In 1980, Allers and his family moved to
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, where he worked for
Nelvana Studios as an animator on a feature titled ''
Rock & Rule'' (1983). Following a brief return to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, Allers provided character design, preliminary animation, and story development for the Japanese-produced animated feature, ''
Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland'' (1989). For the next two years, he resided in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
to serve as an animation director overseeing the Japanese artists.
Disney
Returning to Los Angeles in 1985, he heard that Disney was looking for a storyboard artist to work on ''
Oliver & Company
''Oliver & Company'' is a 1988 American animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on November 18, 1988, by Walt Disney Pictures. The 27th Disney animated feature film, it is loosely based on the Cha ...
'' (1988). When he applied for the job, Allers was asked to draw some sample character model sheets as a tryout, and worked on a portfolio. He was hired shortly thereafter.
Since then, he served as a storyboard artist on ''
The Little Mermaid
"The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...
'' (1989), ''
The Prince and the Pauper
''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547 ...
'' (1990), and ''
The Rescuers Down Under
''The Rescuers Down Under'' is a 1990 American animated adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 29th Disney animated feature film and the second movie to be produced during the Disne ...
'' (1990). For ''
Beauty and the Beast
''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...
'' (1991), he was appointed as Head of Story, leading a team of story artists to illustrate sketches from
Linda Woolverton
Linda Woolverton (born December 19, 1952) is an American screenwriter, playwright, and novelist, whose most prominent works include the screenplays and books of several acclaimed Disney films and stage musicals. She is the first woman to have wr ...
's screenplay. When ''Beauty and the Beast'' was nearly finished, Allers joined the ''King of the Jungle'' project as a director alongside
George Scribner
George Scribner (born September 28, 1952) is an artist, director and animator that is best known for having directed the 1988 animated Walt Disney Animation Studios film '' Oliver & Company''.
Biography
Scribner was born and raised in the Re ...
.
He temporarily left the project to help storyboard sequences for ''
Aladdin'' (1992).
In October 1991, Allers rejoined ''King of the Jungle'', in which he brought on board
Brenda Chapman
Brenda Chapman (born November 1, 1962) is an American animator, screenwriter, storyboard artist, and director. In 1998, she became the first woman to direct an animated feature from a major studio, DreamWorks Animation's ''The Prince of Egypt' ...
, who would become the film's Head of Story. Afterwards, several of the lead crew members, including Allers, Scribner,
Don Hahn, Chapman, and production designer
Chris Sanders
Christopher Michael Sanders (born March 12, 1962) is an American director, screenwriter, producer, illustrator, and voice actor. His credits include '' Lilo & Stitch'' (2002) and '' How to Train Your Dragon'' (2010), both of which he co-wrote an ...
, took a safari trip to
Hell's Gate National Park
Hell's Gate National Park lies south of Lake Naivasha in Kenya, north west of Nairobi. Hell's Gate National Park is named after a narrow break in the cliffs, once a tributary of a prehistoric lake that fed early humans in the Rift Valley. It wa ...
in
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
, in order to study and gain an appreciation of the environment for the film. After six months of story development work, Scribner decided to leave the project, as he feuded with Allers and the producers on their decision to turn the film into a musical, as Scribner's intention was to make a documentary-like film more focused on natural aspects. Following Scribner's departure, and dissatisfied with the original story, Allers along with Hahn, Sanders, Chapman, and ''Beauty and the Beast'' directors
Kirk Wise
Kirk Wise (born August 24, 1963) is an American film director, animator and screenwriter best known for his work at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Wise has directed Disney animated films such as ''Beauty and the Beast'', ''The Hunchback of Notre ...
and
Gary Trousdale
Gary Trousdale (born June 8, 1960) is an American animator, film director, screenwriter and storyboard artist. He is best known for directing films such as ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1991), ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1996), and ''Atlantis: Th ...
conceived a new story outline for the film over the course of two days in February 1992. In April 1992, Allers was joined with
Rob Minkoff
Robert Ralph Minkoff (born August 11, 1962) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for co-directing ''The Lion King'' (along with Roger Allers), and live-action films including ''Stuart Little'' (1999), ''Stuart Little 2'' (2002), ''The Haun ...
who was assigned as co-director,
and the title was changed to ''The Lion King'' (1994).
Following the release of ''The Lion King'' (1994), Allers and writer
Matthew Jacobs
Matthew Jacobs (born 1 July 1956) is a British writer, director, producer and actor. He is known best for his extensive career writing for television shows like '' Doctor Who'' and ''The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles''. He also directed two pr ...
conceived the idea of ''Kingdom of the Sun'', and development on the project went underway in 1994. Meanwhile,
Disney Theatrical Group
The Disney Theatrical Group, legally Buena Vista Theatrical Group Ltd., is the live show, stageplay and musical production arm of The Walt Disney Company. The company is led by Thomas Schumacher, and forms a part of Walt Disney Studios, one of ...
had begun production on
the Broadway musical adaptation of ''The Lion King'' as they had done with ''
Beauty and the Beast
''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...
'' (1994). At first skeptical, Allers joined the Broadway production team, and together with ''Lion King'' co-screenwriter
Irene Mecchi
Irene Mecchi (born September 21, 1949) is an American screenwriter and playwright, whose prominent works include screenplays for several Disney animated films. She co-authored the screenplays for ''The Lion King'' (1994), ''The Hunchback of Notre ...
, they wrote the
libretto
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...
. At the
52nd Tony Awards, both Allers and Mecchi were nominated for the
Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical
The Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligib ...
. The musical itself won the
Tony Award for Best Musical
The Tony Award for Best Musical is given annually to the best new Broadway musical play, musical, as determined by Tony Award voters. The award is one of the ceremony's longest-standing awards, having been presented each year since 1949. The awa ...
.
After nearly four years on ''Kingdom of the Sun'', Allers asked to leave the project due to creative differences with co-director
Mark Dindal
Mark Louis Dindal (born May 1960) is an American film director, effects animator, screenwriter, character designer, storyboard artist and voice actor, who is famous for having directed popular films like ''Cats Don't Dance'' (1997), ''The Emper ...
, poorly received
test screening
A test screening is a preview screening of a movie or television show before its general release to gauge audience reaction. Preview audiences are selected from a cross-section of the population and are usually asked to complete a questionnaire or ...
s, and the failure to meet its promotional deadlines. Ultimately, the project was reworked into ''
The Emperor's New Groove
''The Emperor's New Groove'' is a 2000 American animated slapstick comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 40th animated film produced by the studio, it was directed by Mark Dindal and p ...
'' (2000), and Allers left to work on ''
Lilo & Stitch
''Lilo & Stitch'' is a 2002 American animated science fiction comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 42nd Disney animated feature film, it was written and directed by Chris Sande ...
'' (2002) as an additional story supervisor. In 2001, he was approached by Hahn to direct the short film, ''
The Little Matchgirl'' (2006). The project underwent four years of work, as it was planned to be attached with the proposed ''
Fantasia 2006
Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...
'' film, and was accompanied as a bonus feature on ''The Little Mermaid'' Platinum Edition DVD.
Meanwhile, Allers pitched the Celtic folk ballad tale ''
Tam Lin
Tam (or Tamas) Lin (also called Tamlane, Tamlin, Tambling, Tomlin, Tam Lien, Tam-a-Line, Tam Lyn, or Tam Lane) is a character in a legendary ballad originating from the Scottish Borders. It is also associated with a reel of the same name, also ...
'' to
Michael Eisner
Michael Dammann Eisner (born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film st ...
, who at the time was in a corporate struggle with
Roy E. Disney
Roy Edward Disney KCSG (January 10, 1930 – December 16, 2009) was an American businessman. He was the longtime senior executive for the Walt Disney Company, which was founded by his father, Roy O. Disney, and his uncle, Walt Disney. At the ti ...
. Once Eisner recognized the project was Disney's "baby", he declined to
green-light
To green-light is to give permission to proceed with a project. The term is a reference to the green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead".
Film industry
In the context of the film and television industries, to green-light something is to ...
the project.
Post-Disney
In May 2003, it was announced that Allers and Brenda Chapman would direct ''Tam Lin'' for
Sony Pictures Animation
Sony Pictures Animation Inc. is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and founded on May 9, 2002. The studio's films are distributed worldwide by So ...
. However, one year later, Allers was recruited as an additional director on ''
Open Season'' (2006) alongside director
Jill Culton
Jillian Marie Culton (born March 19, 1973) is an American animator, director, and screenwriter. With her directorial debut on Sony's first animated film, '' Open Season'', she became the first female principal director of a big budget, computer-an ...
and co-director
Anthony Stacchi
Anthony Francis Stacchi (born August 21, 1961) is an American effects animator, storyboard artist, screenwriter, and film director.
Stacchi graduated from California Institute of the Arts with a BFA in Film then went on to be an Animator and Co ...
, featuring the voice talents of
Martin Lawrence
Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on ''Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American comedian and actor. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor. He got his start playin ...
and
Ashton Kutcher
Christopher Ashton Kutcher (; born February 7, 1978) is an American actor, producer, entrepreneur, and former model. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a People's Choice Award, and nominations for two Young Artist Awards, a ...
.
In January 2012, it was announced that Allers will oversee the narrative structure, as well as supervise the production of an animated adaptation of ''
The Prophet''. In May 2014, a work-in-progress version of ''
The Prophet'' (2014) was screened at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
, and was given a
limited release
__FORCETOC__
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
in August 2015.
Personal life
Allers married Leslee Hackenson in 1965. In March 2020, Allers filed for divorce from Hackenson.
They have a daughter, Leah, and a son, Aidan.
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allers, Roger
1949 births
20th-century American male artists
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American male artists
21st-century American male writers
American animated film directors
American art directors
American male screenwriters
American storyboard artists
Animators from Arizona
Animators from California
Animators from New York (state)
Animation screenwriters
Arizona State University alumni
Film directors from Arizona
Film directors from Los Angeles
Film directors from New York (state)
Living people
People from Rye, New York
People from Venice, Los Angeles
Screenwriters from California
Screenwriters from New York (state)
Sony Pictures Animation people
Walt Disney Animation Studios people