A slew of familiar faces have been announced as honorees for the upcoming Disney Legends Awards ceremony at D23 Expo this year, including James Earl Jones and Jon Favreau. The bi-annual event is set to begin a full month after San Diego Comic-Con, and will likely be showing off footage for the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, amongst other live-action and animated features on their slate.
Considering the content that Disney now owns, especially after their studio’s deal with Fox, the event will more than likely attract a much larger audience than SDCC. The event is positioned at an opportune time, at the tail end of Marvel’s Phase 3 and three months before the highly anticipated release of the Mouse House’s first streaming service, Disney+. It’ll be the perfect opportunity for fans to dig a little deeper into the details surrounding the studio’s upcoming projects.
Not only will fans be able to explore what’s on the horizon for Disney, they’ll get to see some of the industry’s best, and Disney’s finest, be honored as Disney Legends. Disney Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger spoke with D23, stating: “The Disney Legends Award is the highest honor we can bestow,” adding that it’s, “a recognition of talent, a celebration of achievement, and an expression of profound gratitude.” The Disney Legends Award ceremony has been honoring talent in the industry since 1987, and will be adding in 11 more talented faces to the already celebrated 289 Legends. This year, Wing Chao, Robert Downey Jr., Jon Favreau, James Earl Jones, Bette Midler, Kenny Ortega, Barnette Ricci, Robin Roberts, Diane Sawyer, Ming-Na Wen, and Hans Zimmer will be honored for their contributions to Disney’s ongoing legacy.
All of the honorees have made their own impact on the Mouse House. From Downey Jr.’s charismatic and forever memorable take on Iron Man to Zimmer’s electrifying scores that have graced more than 160 Disney projects, each is well-deserved of their awards. Both Favreau and Jones will also be receiving perfectly timed honors, as the ceremony will debut after Favreau’s reimagining of The Lion King hits theaters in July. For the upcoming movie, Favreau was proudly behind the camera in the director’s chair while Jones made his triumphant return to voicing the fatherly voice of reason, Mufasa.
Disney’s ceremony is a wonderful way to celebrate those that contributed to the studio’s massive amount of success. Considering how Disney has slowly been taking over Hollywood one studio at a time, it’s nice that they take time to honor those that have made such an impact on their legacy. The ceremony also serves as a wonderful way for fans to connect and reminisce on projects from the honorees that they admired, which coincidentally also helps Disney garner more anticipation for their streaming service that will feature projects from said individuals. It’s a win-win for a company that wants to celebrate all they’ve done, but continue to grow. They’re constantly evolving and expanding, but at least fans can take a moment to bask in the glow of what they’ve already accomplished, and who helped them get there.
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Source: D23
- The Lion King Release Date: 2019-07-19 Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker Release Date: 2019-12-20
