Disney Legends A Tribute to The People Who Made The Magic
The history of the Walt Disney Studios is made up of a
special breed of men and women who created special memories for millions of viewers
of the movies, cartoons, animated features, and television programs from "Steamboat
Willie" back in 1928 through to the present day. To honor those special people,
The Walt Disney Company created their own Hall of Fame called The Disney Legends Program.
Every year, Roy Disney jr., son of Walt's brother Roy Disney and Vice President of The
Walt Disney Company, chairs a committee of people who choose candidates for the award.
Every year, the award is presented to the honorees in a special ceremony hosted by
Roy Disney and Chairman Michael Eisner.
The first Disney Legend award went to Fred MacMurray, best known
these days as the father in the 1960's television sitcom "My Three Sons,"
but famous to Disney fans as the star of "The Absent-Minded Professor" and
"The Shaggy Dog", among a string of films Disney made in the early 1960's. Mr.
MacMurray was a famous actor in Hollywood, starring in several film noir classics
like "Double Indemnity" with Barbara Stanwick and Edward G. Robinson. A
close friend of Walt's, Mr. MacMurray was happy to help out when Walt needed a star
for a series of films destined to bolster the company's finances. Most importantly
to animation fans were the inductees in 1989 when the Studio honored the great orignal
animators from Ub Iwerks, Walt's original partner who drew Mickey in the first Disney
cartoons, and the famous Nine Old Men - the legendary animators who created the features
from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" through "The Rescuers" and beyond.
Other years have honored actors, artists, and technicians - from
Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke to Eyvind Earle. Iwerks Entertainment, the engineering
company operated by Ub's sons, is also among them. In 1995, the company honored the original
stars of Disneyland's Golden Horseshoe Review - Wally Boag, Betty Taylor, and Fulton Burley, as
well as the famous voice artist Thurl "Tony The Tiger" Ravenscroft, whose
deep baritone is heard distinctively in The Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted
Mansion soundtracks and was the first announcer on the Disneyland Railroad. These are just a few
of our favorites from The Disney Legends. The list goes on and on.
Rainbo Disney Collectibles home page