2019 Class of Disney Legends Inducted At D23 Expo

Congratulations to the latest class of Disney Legends honored in a special ceremony today at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California. The Disney Legend Award is the highest honor that the Disney Company gives. The award is a 32-year tradition of The Walt Disney Company. Disney Legends Award recipients will also participate in a handprint ceremony where their bronzed prints will be displayed in the Disney Legends Plaza at the Company's Burbank headquarters to inspire future generations.


2019 Class of Disney Legends Inducted At D23 Expo


The 2019 Disney Legends Award honorees are:

Wing Chao: served as vice chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts for Asia Pacific Development as well as executive vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering, where he oversaw master planning, design, and architecture as Disney Parks worldwide.

Robert Downey Jr.: two-time Academy Award nominee and one Golden Globe winner who has appeared in more than 80 films, most recently Marvel Studios' "Avengers; Endgame" as the incomparable Tony Stark.

Jon Favreau: director of "Iron Man", "Iron Man 2", the live-action remake of "The Jungle Book", and the upcoming live-action "The Lion King". Favreau is also known for his role as Happy Hogan in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor, producer and director is currently at work writing and executive producing the live-action "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian" for Disney+.

James Earl Jones: Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning actor, best known for his role as the voice of Darth Vader in "Star Wars" and Mufasa in "The Lion King". Jones will reprise this role in the upcoming live-action reimagining.

Bette Midler: Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, and Tony winner who is best known in the Disney community for 'Hocus Pocus", which has since become an iconic Halloween classic.

Kenny Ortega: multi-award-winning director, choreographer, and producer who directed Disney's "Newsies" and "Hocus Pocus", as well as the Disney Channel Original Movie "High School Musical". Currently, Ortega works on the Disney Descendants series, with "Descendants 3" to release this summer.


Robert Downey Jr. Legend Handprints


Barnette Ricci: started her career as a choreographer at Disneyland in the late 60s. Ricci worked on the grand openings for Walt Disney World, Epcot Center, and Tokyo Disneyland, and has directed shows like "Golden Horseshoe Revue" at Disneyland and the "Diamond Horseshoe Revue" at Walt Disney World, though her biggest creation is "Fantastmic". She retired in 2013.

Robin Roberts: started at ESPN in 1990, but moved over to ABC's "Good Morning America (GMA)" in 2005 as co-anchor. Since then, the show has won four Emmys for Outstanding Morning Program, and Roberts has hosted many additional programs for ABC.

Diane Sawyer: an ABC News anchor and one of the most respected journalists in the world. Sawyer has been recognized with countless awards for her work, including duPonts; Emmys; Peabodys; and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1997. She currently is the anchor for "World News".

Ming-Na Wen: currently portrays Agent Melinda May, aka "The Cavalry" on ABC's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.". Wen is also known for playing Jing-Mei Chen on "ER" and being the voice of the titular heroine in Disney's animated film "Mulan".

Hans Zimmer: scored more than 160 projects, which, when combined, have grossed more than $28 billion worldwide. Zimmer has scored films like "The Dark Knight" trilogy, "The Lion King", "Iron Man", the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise and more. He also composed the music for this summer's reimagining of "The Lion King".

Christina Aguilera: member of The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, performed "Reflection" from Disney's "Mulan," and has appeared on many Disney TV shows and specials during her three-decade career as a musician and entertainer.


Disney Legend Ming-Na Wen


Congratulations class of 2019! We thank you for devoting your life to making the magic which lives in our memories. Without your tireless work and devotion to your craft this world would have a little less joy.