Bob Iger may be a legend at Disney, but this summer he will officially become a Disney Legend.
Iger is one of 11 inductees into this year’s class of Disney Legends, a sort of Hall of Fame for The Walt Disney Co., which it has awarded to some 329 honorees over the past 39 years.
Nowadays the Disney Legends ceremony is held at the company’s biennial D23 event, where it closes out the weekend festivities with a star-studded ceremony. Other Disney Legend honorees this year will include actors Dwayne Johnson, Anne Hathaway and Alan Tudyk, who have all contributed to Disney projects over the years; actor and writer Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose work on Moana and Encanto (among other Disney projects) have become staples of the company’s music library; The Jonas Brothers, who shaped an entire generation of Disney music; Chris Berman, ESPN’s longest-tenured TV talent; Sudan Egan, who originated the role of Belle in Beauty & The Beast as Disney first opened on Broadway; Director and Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer; and Aladdin and Pocahontas animator Eric Goldberg.
“D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event is where we come together to give our incredible fans an early look at what’s coming next across our company, while celebrating the legacy of the extraordinary people whose creativity has shaped Disney into what it is today,” said Josh D’Amaro, Disney’s CEO, in a statement “It’s an honor to celebrate our Disney Legends — their impact is felt in everything we do and recognizing them alongside the fans who love their work is what makes this event so meaningful.”
Ryan Seacrest will once again host the event, which will be held Sunday, August 16, at the Honda Center in Anaheim. It will stream on Disney+.
The Disney Legends honoree list reads like a “who’s who” of Hollywood in many ways, going back to its very first honoree Fred MacMurray (The Shaggy Dog, The Absent-Minded Professor, The Happiest Millionaire) in 1987.
Actors like Julie Andrews, Robert Downey Jr., Robin Williams and Harrison Ford are on the list, as are directors like James Cameron and George Lucas. Barbara Walters was honored, as was Stan Lee, Alan Menken and Oprah Winfrey.
Now Iger and the other honorees will join their ranks, a few months after officially stepping aside from his role atop the company.
