George Lucas, Danny Elfman, Susan Lucci,
Andreas Deja and Other Remarkable Contributors To Be Celebrated In
A Special Awards Ceremony Hosted By Disney Chairman and CEO Bob
Iger On Friday, August 14.
Star Wars creator George Lucas, composer Danny Elfman, All My
Children star Susan Lucci, Disney Animator Andreas Deja and other
beloved contributors to the Disney legacy will be named and honored
as official Disney Legends during D23 EXPO 2015 at 10 a.m.
on Friday, August 14, in Hall D23 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
The ceremony will be hosted by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger,
and will include special musical performances.
The Disney Legends Awards program is a 28-year tradition of The
Walt Disney Company, and the first Disney Legend was Fred MacMurray
(The Shaggy Dog, The Absent-Minded Professor, The Happiest
Millionaire), who was honored in 1987. The three-day EXPO provides
the opportunity for Disney fans to be a part of the memorable and
prestigious event.
“The Disney Legend Award is our highest honor, and we are
incredibly 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 Legend Award honorees (listed alphabetically)
are:
GEORGE BODENHEIMER, who retired from his role as
Executive Chairman of ESPN in May 2014, enjoyed a remarkable
33-year career that began in the company’s mailroom in 1981.
Working his way through the ranks, he became executive vice
president of sales and marketing in 1996, before being named the
network’s fifth president in 1998. He held that role until 2012,
when he stepped down from day-to-day operations.
ANDREAS DEJA is a link to Disney’s past and one of the
greatest animators of its modern era. Deja is known for his rich
portraits of villainy, having animated Gaston for Beauty and the
Beast, Jafar for Aladdin, and Scar for The Lion King. He has also
brought life to heroes such as mighty Hercules, the precocious Lilo
(Lilo & Stitch), regal King Triton (The Little Mermaid), wise
Mama Odie (The Princess and the Frog), and loveable Tigger (Winnie
the Pooh). In 2007, he was awarded the prestigious Winsor McCay
Award for his contributions to the art of animation.
EYVIND EARLE, one of the greatest of Disney artists,
brought his unique style to a number of memorable projects but
perhaps the purest realization of his vision remains the visual
styling and backgrounds for the Disney classic Sleeping Beauty.
Earle’s career with Disney began in 1951, working on background
artwork for Peter Pan. He created the look of the 1953 animated
short Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, which won an Academy Award®
for Best Short Subject, Cartoons in 1954. His most noticeable
contribution, however, remains his work on Sleeping Beauty. The
film’s eye-catching look, in its design and backgrounds, is the
perfect representation of his unique style.
DANNY ELFMAN provided the songs and score for The
Nightmare Before Christmas, for which he also provided the singing
voice of Jack Skellington. He also scored several Disney films
including Alice in Wonderland, Avengers: Age of
Ultron, Dick Tracy, Dead
Presidents, Flubber, Good Will Hunting (Oscar®
Nomination: Best Score), A Civil Action,
Instinct, Frankenweenie, and Oz the Great and Powerful.
Elfman also wrote the theme for ABC’s Desperate
Housewives and penned the music for the Mystic
Manor attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland. His music is
featured in Disneyland’s annual Haunted Mansion Holiday. His
upcoming Disney projects include Alice in Wonderland: Through
the Looking Glass.
GEORGE LUCAS, whose Star Wars films made him
one of the most successful filmmakers of all time, is also a
longtime Disney fan who has left an indelible impression on Disney
parks. His first project with Disney was Captain EO, the 1986
3-D spectacular starring Michael Jackson and directed by Francis
Ford Coppola. Star Tours and Indiana Jones
Adventure at Disneyland, as well as Indiana Jones Epic
Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Indiana Jones
et le Temple du Péril in Disneyland Paris, and two
blockbuster Indiana Jones Adventure attractions at
Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea round out Lucas’ timeless work in
conjunction with Disney.
SUSAN LUCCI portrayed Erica Kane on ABC’s fabled soap
opera All My Children for 41 years, a role that TV
Guide deemed unequivocally the most famous character in the
history of daytime television, earning Lucci 21 Daytime
Emmy® nominations to which she won the prestigious Emmy for
Best Actress to an industry-wide standing ovation on her 19th
nomination. Shortly thereafter, she received her Star on
the Hollywood Walk of Fame, presented to her by Bob
Iger, Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney
Company. The iconic actress has also appeared on
ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and Hope & Faith,
as well as Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven. Lucci
currently stars in the international hit Lifetime series, Devious
Maids, produced by ABC Studios, as the wealthy and effervescent
socialite, Genevieve Delatour.
JULIE REIHM CASALETTO, who began her Disney career as a
tour guide, became Disneyland’s first Ambassador in 1965—a role
created to help Walt, who found it increasingly difficult to attend
all the events to which he was invited. As Disneyland’s first
Ambassador, she was chosen “as a personification of Disneyland’s
world-famous spirit of friendliness and happiness.” She became the
template upon which decades of Ambassadors would pattern
themselves.
CARSON VAN OSTEN helped bring Disney characters to life
in a variety of media, all around the world, for three decades.
During Van Osten’s tenure, he oversaw creative content for motion
picture tie-in advertising, many Disney publications, and also
established some of the first licensing style guides for Disney
Consumer Products. The talented artist designed logos for Mickey
Mouse’s 50th and 60th birthdays, the Walt Disney Studios logo and
water tower design, and the Disneyland Hotel clock tower “Mickey”
logo in Paris.
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.
Admission to the ceremony will be on a first-come, first-served
basis and is included in the price of a ticket to D23 EXPO
2015.
Including this year’s honorees, a total of 257 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. With the inaugural D23 EXPO in 2009, thousands of
Disney fans were able to enjoy the Legends Awards ceremony for the
first time. Honorees that year included Robin Williams, Beatrice
Arthur, Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Betty White, Tony Anselmo,
Bill Farmer, Harry Archinal, Don Iwerks, and Leota Toombs
Thomas.
Tickets for D23 EXPO 2015 are $74 for a one-day adult admission
and $54 for children 3–12. Tickets for members of D23: The Official
Disney Fan Club are $65 for a one-day adult admission and $48 for
children. Multi-day money-saving tickets are also available. D23
Members can save as much as $112 off the price of admission, based
on the purchase of four three-day tickets at the D23 Member rate.
For more information on tickets and the ticket pricing structure
for D23 Members and general admission, visit D23EXPO.com.
NOT FOR PRINT: For images, press releases, and the
official media credential application, please visit
D23EXPOPress.com.
About D23 EXPO 2015
D23 EXPO—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—brings together all the
worlds of Disney under one roof for three packed days of
presentations, pavilions, experiences, concerts, sneak peeks,
shopping, and more. The event provides fans with unprecedented
access to Disney films, television, games, theme parks, and
celebrities. For the latest D23 EXPO 2015 news, visit D23EXPO.com.
To join the D23 EXPO conversation, make sure to follow @DisneyD23
on Twitter and use #D23EXPO.
About D23
The name “D23” pays homage to the exciting journey that began in
1923 when Walt Disney opened his first studio in
Hollywood. D23 is the first official club for fans in Disney’s
90-plus-year history. It 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 at D23.com with members-only content;
member-exclusive discounts; and special events for D23 Members
throughout the year.
Fans can join D23 at Gold and General Membership levels at
D23.com and at DisneyStore.com/D23. To keep up with all the latest
D23 news and events, follow DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook,
Pinterest, and YouTube.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150714006299/en/
The Walt Disney CompanyJeffrey Epstein,
818-526-4444Jeffrey.R.Epstein@Disney.com
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