The Disney Legends program was established in 1987 to acknowledge and honor the many individuals whose imagination, talents and dreams have created the Disney magic. The honor is awarded annually during a special ceremony.
The Legends are chosen by a selection committee, formerly appointed and chaired by the late Roy E. Disney. Since its inception, the program has honored many gifted animators, Imagineers, songwriters, actors, and business leaders as having made a significant impact on the Disney legacy.
In 1997, the Legends program was established in Europe with a ceremony held at Disneyland Paris, commemorating the 5th anniversary of the park and honoring those who established many of the Disney European businesses. During the ceremony, a 14-foot bronze enlargement of the Disney Legends award was unveiled as an enduring reminder of their contributions.
On October 16, 1998, the new Disney Legends Plaza was dedicated at The Walt Disney Studios to commemorate the 75th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company. The Plaza features a second edition of the bronze sculpture first placed in Disneyland Paris, with bronze plaques representing the individual Legends lining the columns of the Plaza.
Each year, new Legends will join this celebrated group so that we may always remember the gifts of those people who know the secret of making dreams come true.
Legends Philosophy
The Disney Legends award has three distinct elements that characterize the contributions made by each talented recipient.
The Spiral—stands for imagination, the power of an idea.
The Hand—holds the gifts of skill, discipline and craftsmanship.
The Wand and the Star—represent magic: the spark that is ignited when imagination and skill combine to create a new dream.
About the Disney Legend Award
The Disney Legends award was created in 1987 by Andrea Favilli. The awards are cast in bronze and hand-crafted each year by the artist that characterize the contribution made by each talented recipient.
Disney Legend Recipients
Walt Disney once said, “You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it takes people to make the dream a reality.” Very special people — luminaries in the fields of music, journalism, art, performance, engineering and business — that dare to imagine and possess the skill and persistence to create those new dreams and worlds.
The Walt Disney Company honors those special few who best embody the Company’s unique creative spirit, personified by its founder, as Disney Legends. Their names are memorialized forever on the majestic pillars in the Legends Plaza at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.
Below is a complete list of inductees to the prestigious circle of Disney Legends:
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1987 Fred MacMurray † 1989 Ub Iwerks [posthumous] 1990 Roger Broggie † 1991 Ken Anderson † 1992 Jimmie Dodd [posthumous] 1993 Pinto Colvig [posthumous] 1994 Adriana Caselotti † 1995 Wally Boag † 1996 Bob Allen [posthumous] 1997 Lucien Adès [posthumous] 1998 James Algar [posthumous] 1998 Masatomo Takahashi † 1999 Tim Allen
† deceased since ceremonies |
2000 Grace Bailey [posthumous] 2001 Howard Ashman [posthumous] Bob Thomas [Special Commendation] 2002 Ken Annakin† 2003 Tutti Camarata † 2004 Bill Anderson [posthumous] 2005 Chuck Abbott [posthumous] 2006 Tim Considine 2007 Roone Arledge [posthumous] 2008 Wayne Allwine † 2009 Tony Anselmo 2011 |
