Disney will bestow “legends” status to 14 artists, including Harrison Ford, Angela Bassett and Miley Cyrus, who have shaped the company.
The honorees — who the company says have had a “significant impact” on Disney’s legacy — include director James Cameron, iconic film composer John Williams, Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly Ripa, among several others.
This year’s class of Disney Legends will be inducted into the company’s version of the hall of fame in a ceremony Sunday at The Honda Center in Anaheim, California, as a part of the D23 fan convention. Ryan Seacrest is set to host the evening.
Director James L. Brooks is also joining the starry club, along with Williams, known for the scores of the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” franchises, among many others.
The star of those franchises, Ford, will have his signature and handprints done up again over 20 years after he was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The revered actor is also joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the upcoming “Captain America: Brave New World.” At Comic-
Con International, Ford surprised the packed house a ta panel discussing new Marvel projects and flexed his muscles to the roaring crowd, channeling his character who transforms into the Red Hulk.
Fellow MCU actor Bassett, who appeared in “Black Panther” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” is also being honored. Bassett also stars in ABC’s “9-1-1.”
Cyrus, who rose to fame after starring in the Disney Channel show “Hannah Montana” in 2006, is the youngest recipient of the Legends honor. Following her time on the sitcom, Cyrus has had a long-running career in music, winning her first Grammy Award in February.
Curtis has also appeared in her fair share of projects under The Walt Disney Studios banner, from “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” to “You Again.” She’s also set to reprise her role in the upcoming sequel of the fan-favorite movie “Freaky Friday,” opposite Lindsey Lohan.
ABC talk show host and mainstay Ripa will reunite with her former co-host Seacrest. Her career at the television network spans over 30 years, and she now hosts “Live with Kelly and Mark” with her husband, Mark Consuelos.
Disney is also honoring six behind-the-scenes creatives who have contributed to groundbreaking films, art and Disney experiences. Those honorees include Colleen Atwood, an Oscar-winning costume designer, Mark Henn, a prominent animator, Steve Ditko, the late comics artist known for characters like Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, Frank Oz, a noted puppeteer and filmmaker, Martha Blanding, a longtime manager at The Walt Disney Company and Disneyland, and Joe Rohde, a former Disney Imagineer.
Previous Disney Legends include Elton John, Steve Jobs, Betty White, Dick Van Dyke, Robert Downey Jr. and Whoopi Goldberg. They are among the over 300 honorees since the program’s inception in 1987.
Source: AP
--Agencies
