Overview
- An official Disney Animation spokesperson confirmed Allers died at his Santa Monica home following a brief illness.
- Veteran collaborator Dave Bossert first shared the news in a Facebook tribute, noting they had exchanged emails recently while Allers was traveling in Egypt.
- Disney CEO Bob Iger praised Allers as a creative visionary whose storytelling shaped a defining era for the studio.
- Allers co-directed The Lion King with Rob Minkoff, co-wrote the Tony-nominated Broadway adaptation, and worked across Disney classics after leading story on Beauty and the Beast.
- He later directed Open Season and the Oscar-nominated short The Little Matchgirl, and is survived by ex-wife Leslee Hackenson and their children, Leah and Aidan, with a documentary on his life in development by his daughter.