Roger Allers Legacy Scholarship Seeks New Animation Storytellers

The CTN Foundation opens the call for the Roger Allers Legacy Scholarship Award, aimed at emerging storytellers interested in directing, storyboarding, and scriptwriting. The program offers direct mentorship from figures such as Timothy Rice, John Musker, Kirk Wise, and Brenda Chapman. Applications will be open until June 26, 2026, in honor of the co-director of The Lion King.

young animator sketching storyboard frames at a digital tablet, mentor figures like Timothy Rice and John Musker visible as blurred holographic projections offering guidance, software interface showing layered animation sequences and script notes, glowing pencil tool selecting character poses, cinematic technical illustration style, warm studio lighting with blue accent tones, wooden desk scattered with printed libretto pages and reference sheets, monitor displaying split-screen of storyboard panels and 3D character rigging, photorealistic render with subtle film grain, creative process atmosphere, hands actively drawing while mentor holograms demonstrate movement arcs

Technical mentorship with Disney heavyweights 🎬

Selected candidates will work on key aspects of visual and narrative development: script structure, storyboard composition, and building dramatic arcs. The mentorship covers both traditional processes (pencil and paper for sketching) and digital ones (use of previsualization software). Proposals demonstrating mastery of visual rhythm and the ability to integrate music and dialogue into animated sequences will be prioritized. No prior feature film experience is required, but a solid portfolio is necessary.

Scholars, don't expect them to draw a Simba for you 🦁

Heads up, applicants: the scholarship does not include classes on how to draw charismatic lions or tutorials to prevent Mufasa from falling into the void. This is about finding people who know how to tell stories, not just copy poses from Hakuna Matata. If your big idea is to make a prequel of Timon and Pumbaa, you'd better start saving for a screenwriting course on your own. It's about creating something new, not recycling classics.