We have received the sad news that animator, writer, director, Roger Allers has passed away at 76.

Allers, who co-directed Disney’s 1994 animated classic The Lion King with Rob Minkoff, also adapted the movie for Broadway and contributed to films like Tron, The Little Mermaid, Oliver & Company, and Beauty and the Beast.

A native of Rye, New York, Allers grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona. He fell in love with animation at age five after seeing Disney’s Peter Pan. He earned a Fine Arts degree from Arizona State University, then spent two years traveling and living in Greece. Later he joined Lisberger Studios, animating for projects including Sesame Street, The Electric Company, Make a Wish, and various commercials.

After The Lion King’s release, Allers and writer Matthew Jacobs began developing a new project called Kingdom of the Sun in 1994. Nearly four years into production, Allers left the film amid creative disagreements with co-director Mark Dindal, disappointing test screenings, and missed promotional deadlines. The project was eventually retooled and released as The Emperor’s New Groove in 2000.

Outside of Disney, he directed the 2006 Sony animated film Open Season, which would spawn multiple direct to DVD sequels, and the 2014 adaptation of Kahlil Gibran’s novel The Prophet.

Allers is survived by his partner Genaro Pereira, his daughter Leah (who is working on a documentary about his father’s life and work) and his son Aidan.