The wait is finally over as Disney and D23 announced the inductees of Disney Legends to be honored during next month's D23 EXPO. This years class will include Star Wars creator George Lucas, composer Danny Elfman, All My Children star Susan Lucci, animator Andreas Deja, former Executive Chairman of ESPN George Bodenheimer, artist Eyvind Earle, Disneyland's first ambassador Julie Reihm Casaletto, and artist Carson Van Osten.
The ceremony will take place on Friday, August 14 at 10 a.m. and will be hosted by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger. It will take place in Hall D23 and include special musical performances. Iger said in the release, "The Disney Legend Award is our highest honor, and we are incredibly proud to recognize these eight talented individuals who have contributed so much to the world of entertainment and the Disney legacy. Their vision and dedication to their work have brought joy to audiences around the globe and earned them a place in Disney history."
Here are the eight individuals who will be honored (the list is in alphabetical order):
GEORGE BODENHEIMER, who retired from his role as Executive Chairman of ESPN in May 2014, enjoyed a remarkable 33-year career that began in the company’s mailroom in 1981. Working his way through the ranks, he became executive vice president of sales and marketing in 1996, before being named the network’s fifth president in 1998. He held that role until 2012, when he stepped down from day-to-day operations.
ANDREAS DEJA is a link to Disney’s past and one of the greatest animators of its modern era. Deja is known for his rich portraits of villainy, having animated Gaston for Beauty and the Beast, Jafar for Aladdin, and Scar for The Lion King. He has also brought life to heroes such as mighty Hercules, the precocious Lilo (Lilo & Stitch), regal King Triton (The Little Mermaid), wise Mama Odie (The Princess and the Frog), and loveable Tigger (Winnie the Pooh). In 2007, he was awarded the prestigious Winsor McCay Award for his contributions to the art of animation.
EYVIND EARLE, one of the greatest of Disney artists, brought his unique style to a number of memorable projects but perhaps the purest realization of his vision remains the visual styling and backgrounds for the Disney classic Sleeping Beauty. Earle’s career with Disney began in 1951, working on background artwork for Peter Pan. He created the look of the 1953 animated short Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, which won an Academy Award® for Best Short Subject, Cartoons in 1954. His most noticeable contribution, however, remains his work on Sleeping Beauty. The film’s eye-catching look, in its design and backgrounds, are the perfect representation of his unique style.
DANNY ELFMAN provided the songs and score for Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, for which he also provided the singing voice of Jack Skellington. He also scored several Disney films including Alice in Wonderland, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Dick Tracy, Dead Presidents, Flubber, Good Will Hunting (Oscar® Nomination: Best Score), A Civil Action, Instinct, Frankenweenie, and Oz the Great and Powerful. Elfman also wrote the theme for ABC’s Desperate Housewives and penned the music for the Mystic Manor attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland. His music is featured in Disneyland’s annual Haunted Mansion Holiday. His upcoming Disney projects include Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass.
GEORGE LUCAS, whose Star Wars films made him one of the most successful filmmakers of all time, is also a longtime Disney fan who has left an indelible impression on Disney parks. His first project with Disney was Captain EO, the 1986 3-D spectacular starring Michael Jackson and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Star Tours and Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland, as well as Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril in Disneyland Paris, and two blockbuster Indiana Jones Adventure attractions at Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, round out Lucas’ timeless work in conjunction with Disney.
SUSAN LUCCI portrayed Erica Kane on ABC’s fabled soap opera All My Children for 41 years, a role that TV Guide deemed unequivocally the most famous character in the history of daytime television, earning Lucci 21 Daytime Emmy® nominations to which she won the prestigious Emmy for Best Actress to an industry-wide standing ovation on her 19th nomination. Shortly thereafter, she received her Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, presented to her by Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. The iconic actress has also appeared on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and Hope & Faith, as well as Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven. Lucci currently stars in the international hit Lifetime series, Devious Maids, produced by ABC Studios, as the wealthy and effervescent socialite, Genevieve Delatour.
JULIE REIHM CASALETTO, who began her Disney career as a tour guide, became Disneyland’s first Ambassador in 1965—a role created to help Walt, who found it increasingly difficult to attend all the events to which he was invited. As Disneyland’s first Ambassador, she was chosen “as a personification of Disneyland’s world-famous spirit of friendliness and happiness.” She became the template upon which decades of Ambassadors would pattern themselves.
CARSON VAN OSTEN helped bring Disney characters to life in a variety of media, all around the world, for three decades. During Van Osten’s tenure, he oversaw creative content for motion picture tie-in advertising, many Disney publications, and also established some of the first licensing style guides for Disney Consumer Products. The talented artist designed logos for Mickey Mouse’s 50th and 60th birthdays, the Walt Disney Studios logo and water tower design, and the Disneyland Hotel clock tower “Mickey” logo in Paris.
Each honoree will receive a two-foot tall bronze Disney Legends sculpture that signifies imagination, creativity, and magic they have brought to the company. After the ceremony each honoree will participate in a handprint ceremony, and the bronze prints will be displayed in the Disney Legends Plaza at Disney's headquarters in Burbank, California.
This years D23 EXPO will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center, August 14-16, 2015.
The Invictus Games are Coming to Walt Disney World in 2016:
In a royal announcement on the Disney Parks Blog this morning, it was announced that Prince Harry will be bringing the Invictus Games to Walt Disney World at Disney's Wide World of Sports in 2016. The event will take place May 8-12, 2016. The Invictus Games are an event that celebrates our wounded serviceman and women from around the world competing in different sports events.
Last year's inaugural games held in London drew more than 400 athletes from 13 countries and drew more than 65,000 spectators. For the first time ever next year the event will be held in the United States. A similar number of athletes will compete from up to 14 different nations. They will compete in 10 different sports: archery, cycling, indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, swimming, track & field, triathlon, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, and wheelchair tennis.
The idea behind the games is that the event uses the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation, and generate a wider understanding and respect for all those who serve their country as well as their family and caregivers. More details on the event will be posted in the coming months on the Disney Parks Blog.
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