Disney Legends Ellen Pompeo, the ‘Frozen’ four, Chadwick Boseman, Anthony Anderson and more honored
The Disney Legends Awards ceremony not only serves to kick off the start of the D23 Expo – the largest gathering of Disney fans under one roof – but also provides a place for the fans to appreciate and honor those who had made an extraordinary and integral contribution to The Walt Disney Company.
Some recipients are well-known directors, stars of TV, film and Broadway, others are the famed Imagineers who help create the attractions in the theme parks and one was a lawyer who single-handily and quietly purchased all the land for what was to become Walt Disney World.
If you want a more in-depth look into each of the newest Disney legends, here are their bios ,
Eight of the recipients represented three different Disney “families.” Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson co-star in ABC’s critically acclaimed series black-ish series; Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, and Jonathan Groff are part of the “Frozen” family, and Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey are from ABC’s long-running medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy.”
Also honored were animator, producer, and documentarian Don Hahn (who could not attend the ceremony), Robert Price “Bob” Foster, who was instrumental in the development of Walt Disney World Resort, longtime Disney music executive Chris Montan, and Walt Disney Imagineering creative directors Doris Hardoon and Rob’t Coltrin.
The Disney Legends Award was established in 1987 to recognize individuals who have made an extraordinary and integral contribution to The Walt Disney Company. Actor Fred MacMurray was the first to receive the award.
The first recipient of this year’s class to receive the award was Pompeo, who talked about the importance of good storytelling. She shared a story about her daughter watching an episode of black-ish and asked her why she loved the show so much.
“It’s so relatable,” her daughter said. “That’s the power of storytelling,” Pompeo told the crowd. “To be a storyteller and to work with the best storytellers in the world is quite a magical thing and we couldn’t do it without you. We tell the stories for you.”
Coltrin came to the stage with this message: “I know what you’re all thinking. Who the heck is this guy?” he said. “We are Imagineers and for the most part we’re kind of invisible. And that’s ok. We work behind the scenes and let our creations be the stars you come out to see.”
Dempsey talked about how his career helped him launch the Dempsey Center For Cancer Hope and Healing. “Fame is not everything,” said Dempsey. “Sometimes it’s very empty. The most important thing is to be of service.”
Hardoon talked about how she is proud to be an Imagineer who, with others, is tasked with doing the impossible and wanted everyone to know, “We do it all for you.”
Anderson talked about growing up in Compton, California and how Disney was “always been a part of my life, my upbringing, my childhood and it has informed me and allowed me to be the entertainer and the man that I am today,” said Anderson. “Disney has taught all of us to dream, and to dream big.” He then went on to accept the award and take selfie doing it.
Ellis Ross thanked Disney for giving the “ish” franchise a platform and thanked Kenya Barris for creating a show that “truly changed the landscape of modern television.”
Debby Swanson, the daughter of Price Foster, who was one of the seven original people who knew of Walt Disney’s plans to build a theme resort in Florida and went on to secretly purchase all of the land, talked about as a daughter you never realize the accomplishments of a parent. She said while the world may know him for his major role in the creation of Disney World, she will always remember him as the dad who braved her 6th birthday with five other girls and took them out to Disneyland for a day she will always cherish.
Montan explained how music has always been an important part of Disney films and history. To make his point, he joked with the crowd by asking everyone to name their five favorite Paramount songs. “You can’t he said. Now name your five favorite Disney songs.”
Groff talked about how “Disney was my complete life as a kid” and how “as a young gay boy growing up in the late 80s early 90s in Pennsylvania, Disney VHS tapes were my primary source of escape and self expression.”
Bell apologized to “every parent who has to listen to Frozen on loop. I feel you. I am you,” she said.
Gad provided the funniest speech, talking about how he is humbled he is to be called a legend at 41 and that obviously means he has peaked in life and will forever make people call him Disney Legend Josh Gad. “The reason I am even here is because once upon a time, I saw a movie called Aladdin and there was this little character named the Genie that inspired me to want to, one day, dare to dream of creating a character as memorable, funny, and beloved. I failed,” admitted Gad, the voice of Frozen’s unforgettable snowman, Olaf. “But to now, 30 years later, share this incredible honor with my idol and late friend Robin Williams is a gift my 10-year-old self never could have imagined.”
At the end of the speech, he called out the Walt Disney World employee who refused to hire him when he was 18 as a Junge Cruise skipper and simply said “Please update my resume to say, ‘Disney Legend Josh Gad.’ “
Menzel said it was Disney tunes that she sung as a child that inspired her to pursue a career in music. At the end of the speech, she then sang “When You Wish Upon a Star.”
In accepting the award on behalf of his late brother, Chadwick Boseman, Derrick Boseman explained how much the honor meant to him and the entire Boseman family. “As I think about my brother and this [award] being bestowed upon him, first of all, I wish that he was here to receive it,” he said. “But as I think about him, I think about how he honored our parents, how he honored his family, how he honored even his friends. He honored them with his blood, his sweat, and his tears… Chadwick was an amazing person, and him being honored today is no surprise to me.”
