The Walt Disney Company has announced the 2015 Disney Legends who will be honored at an awards ceremony at the D23 Expo in August.
This year’s Disney Legends are: Star Wars creator George Lucas, composer Danny Elfman, All My Children’s Susan Lucci, animator Andreas Deja, former ESPN president George Bodneheimer, Disney artist Eyvind Earle, Julie Reihm Casaletto who was Disneyland’s first Ambassador in 1965, and Disney artist Carson Van Osten.
“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,” Iger said. “Their vision and dedication to their work have brought joy to audiences around the globe and earned them a place in Disney history.”
The accomplishments of the honorees include: Andreas Deja worked on Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Hercules, Lilo & Stitch, The Little Mermaid, and more; Eyvind Earle’s most memorable and notable contribution to animation is the visual styling and backgrounds for Sleeping Beauty; Danny Elfman has provided songs and scores for several Disney films and was also the singing voice of Jack Skellington in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Each Disney Legend will receive a two-foot-tall bronze Disney Legends sculpture and will participate in a handprint ceremony at the end of the event. The bronze handprints will be displayed at the Disney Legends Plaza at Disney’s Burbank headquarters.
The first Disney Legend was Fred MacMurray who was honored in 1987. The D23 Expo in 2009 was the first time Disney fans were able to enjoy the Legends Ceremony.
The Disney Legends ceremony will take place on Friday, August 14 in Hall D23 and will be hosted by Disney CEO Bob Iger.
