Eight newly named Disney Legends will be honored at this year’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, including Animator Andreas Deja, Composer Danny Elfman, and
Star Wars
creator George Lucas.
The honorees will be celebrated Friday, August 14, at 10 a.m. in the Anaheim Convention Center. The ceremony will be hosted by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, and will include special musical performances.
“The Disney Legend Award is our highest honor, and we are proud to recognize these eight talented individuals who have contributed so much to the world of entertainment and the Disney legacy,” said Bob Iger, chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company. “Their vision and dedication to their work have brought joy to audiences around the globe and earned them a place in Disney history.”
The 2015 Disney Legends are: George Bodenheimer (retired Exec. Chairman of ESPN), Andreas Deja (animator), Eyvind Earle (designer and background artist), Danny Elfman (composer), George Lucas, Susan Lucci (actress), Julie Reihm Casaletto (first Disneyland Ambassador) and Carson Van Osten (artist/designer, Disney animation licensing).
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 will also participate in a handprint ceremony at the end of the event, and their bronzed prints will be displayed in the Disney Legends Plaza at the Company’s Burbank headquarters.