2013 DISNEY LEGENDS AWARD HONOREES
TO BE CELEBRATED DURING D23 EXPO IN ANAHEIM
Billy
Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Jobs, Dick Clark and Other Talented Contributors
To Disney History To Be Honored At A Ceremony On Saturday, August 10
BURBANK, Calif. – July 10, 2013 – Monsters Inc. and Monsters University stars Billy Crystal
and John Goodman, technology visionary Steve Jobs, television icon Dick Clark
and other beloved contributors to the Disney legacy will be named and honored
as official Disney Legends during the D23 Expo 2013 at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August
10, in the D23 Expo Arena at the Anaheim Convention Center.
The Disney Legends
Awards program is a 26-year tradition of The Walt Disney Company. The three-day
D23 Expo provides a rare
opportunity for the public to be a part of the always touching and memorable
presentation, hosted by noted television personality Tom Bergeron (host of
ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and
America’s Funniest Home Videos).
“The Disney
Legend Award is our highest and most coveted honor,” said Disney Chairman
and CEO Bob Iger. “It’s reserved for the extraordinary
visionaries and artists behind the Disney magic, the men and women who push the
limits of innovation and creativity to ensure Disney remains truly
special. The eight Legends we honor this year helped create some of our
most beloved characters along with exciting new worlds and thrilling
attractions. They also entertained millions of people and expanded our
definition of what’s possible. They are all indelible parts of our
legacy, and we are proud to recognize them as true Disney Legends.”
The 2013 Disney
Legends Award honorees (listed alphabetically) are:
TONY BAXTER has developed beloved Disney
attractions including Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Journey Into Imagination, Splash Mountain,
and countless more over the course of his 43-year career with Walt Disney
Imagineering. Revered by Disney fans, he is best known for his commitment
to storytelling, attention to detail, and ability to develop new ideas and
attractions by combining time-tested design practices with modern technology.
COLLIN CAMPBELL touched almost every part of the
Walt Disney Company, from animated classics to legendary theme park
attractions, with stints in live action film and television. Collin’s
work with Walt Disney Imagineering includes the development of Walt
Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as
concept illustrations of Magic Kingdom Park
and Epcot Center.
DICK CLARK brought rock and roll to 40 million
homes across the country with the national debut of American Bandstand on ABC in 1958. He went on to produce
game shows, award shows including the Golden Globes® and the Academy of Country Music Awards, comedy specials
movies, and other popular television specials. Dick might best be remembered,
however, as the host of ABC’s annual Dick
Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve from 1973 until
2011.
BILLY CRYSTAL is an acclaimed actor who lends his
voice to Mike Wazowski, the frenetic, green cyclopean monster from Monsters Inc. and Monsters University.
Best known for his memorable roles in When
Harry Met Sally…, The Princess Bride, and City Slickers, Billy, who has won six Emmy
Awards and one Tony Award, has also been a fixture on ABC television, where he
hosted the Academy Awards® broadcast nine times and found his breakthrough
role as Jodie Dallas on Soap from
1977-81.
JOHN GOODMAN is a celebrated actor of stage and
screen, and the voice behind James P. Sullivan, better known as
“Sully,” from Monsters Inc.
and Monsters
University.
Among John’s notable film appearances are The Big Lebowski, The
Flintstones, and most recently Argo
and Flight. John’s
appearances in Disney-produced films include the Hollywood Pictures films Arachnophobia and Born Yesterday, as well as Touchstone
Pictures’ Stella, Coyote Ugly, O Brother, Where Art Thou, and Confessions of a Shopaholic.
STEVE JOBS changed the world of consumer
electronics as the founder of Apple, and was known throughout the world for his
visionary attitude and penchant for innovation. He was an early investor and
chief executive of Pixar, and became the Walt Disney Company’s largest
shareholder overnight when it acquired Pixar Animation Studios in 2006. That
same year, he joined the Disney board of directors, and remained a valuable
sounding board and advisor to the company until his passing in 2011.
GLEN KEANE has brought to life many of Walt
Disney Animation Studios’ most popular characters. Since becoming a Disney animator in 1974, he has animated classic Disney
characters such as Penny in The Rescuers,
Elliott in Pete’s Dragon,
Ratigan in The Great Mouse Detective,
the Beast in Beauty and the Beast,
and the titular characters in The Little
Mermaid, Aladdin, Pocahontas, and Tarzan. In 2010, Glen served as Executive Producer and
Animation Supervisor for Tangled,
a story he developed for more than ten years.
ED WYNN, a comedian whose career began on Broadway in the
early 1900s, appeared in numerous Disney classics of the 1960s, including Mary Poppins, Babes in Toyland, That
Darn Cat, The Absent-Minded
Professor, and Son of Flubber.
Fans of Disney animation know him as the manic and distinctive voice of the Mad
Hatter in Alice in Wonderland.
Each honoree
receives a two-foot-tall bronze Disney Legends sculpture that signifies the
imagination, creativity and magic they have brought to the Company. Disney
Legends Award recipients also participate in a handprint ceremony, and their
bronzed prints will be displayed in the Disney
Legends Plaza
at the Company’s Burbank
headquarters.
Admission to the
ceremony will be on a first-come, first-served basis and is included in the
price of a ticket to the D23 Expo. In addition to the 4,000-seat D23 Expo
Arena, the ceremony will be simulcast into a 2,000-seat overflow theater inside
the Convention Center.
The first Disney
Legend, actor Fred MacMurray (The Shaggy Dog,
The Absent-Minded Professor, The Happiest Millionaire), was named in
1987. Including this year’s honorees, a total of 237 Disney Legends
have been named. Past Disney Legends include Tim Allen, Robin Williams,
Julie Andrews, Howard Ashman, Regis Philbin, Annette Funicello, Peter Jennings,
Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin, Alan Menken, Hayley Mills, Fess Parker, Sir Tim
Rice, Dick Van Dyke and Barbara Walters. At the inaugural D23 Expo in
2009, the Legends Awards ceremony, which honored Robin Williams, Beatrice
Arthur, Estelle Getty, Rue McLanahan, Betty White, Tony Anselmo, Bill Farmer,
Harry Archinal, Don Iwerks and Leota Toombs Thomas, was presented to thousands
of Disney fans for the first time.
Tickets
and pricing information for D23 Expo 2013 are available at D23Expo.com
Admission includes access to all experiences and entertainment at the D23 Expo
and can be purchased for single days or for the full three days of festivities.
Members of D23: The Official Community for Disney Fans will
receive a discount on admission, as well as early entry to each day of the D23
Expo for themselves and their guests. More details about D23 Expo
entertainment, events, and special guests will be announced in the coming
weeks. Fans can keep up with all the news by visiting D23Expo.com or
by following "DisneyD23" on Twitter and Facebook.
About D23 Expo 2013
The D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—brings the
entire world of Disney under one roof, providing attendees with unprecedented
access to Disney films, television, and theme parks. For the latest D23
Expo 2013 news, visit D23Expo.com. To be part of the D23 Expo conversation, make sure to follow
@DisneyD23 and tag your tweets with #D23Expo.
About D23
The name “D23” pays homage to the exciting journey
that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his fledgling studio in Hollywood. D23 is
the first official club for fans in Disney’s nearly 90-year
history. D23 gives its members a greater connection to the entire world of
Disney by placing them in the middle of the magic through its quarterly
publication Disney twenty-three;
a rich website with members-only content at D23.com; member-exclusive discounts and special events for D23 Members
throughout the year, highlighted by the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, August
9–11, 2013. Fans can join for free at D23.com.
Fans can join D23 at D23.com
and at www.DisneyStore.com/D23. To keep up with all the latest D23 news and events, follow us
@DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.
