Disney Legends Since 1987, The Walt Disney Company has honored individuals who have made major contributions to the company over the years by placing bronze emblems in the sidewalk in front of the Studio theater and having the honorees put their signatures and handprints in the cement. Some individuals have been honored posthumously. There was no ceremony in 1988. Honorees are presented with the Disney Legends Award; created by Andrea Favilli, the bronze sculpture features 3 distinct elements: the Spiral (representing “imagination, the power of an idea”), the Hand (holding “the gifts of skill, discipline, and craftsmanship”), and the Wand and Star (representing “magic, the spark that is ignited when imagination and skill combine to create a new dream”). A new area, Disney Legends Plaza, was dedicated October 16, 1998, in front of the Team Disney Building in commemoration of the company’s 75th anniversary. Handprints and signatures were put on brass plaques on the pillars surrounding the Plaza, with the new ones being added after each ceremony. The Plaza also features a 2nd edition of a 14-foot Disney Legends Award sculpture first unveiled at the 1997 ceremony in Disneyland Paris. Beginning in 2009, the Disney Legends were named biennially at the D23 Expo. The Disney Legends are (by ceremony year):
1987 Fred MacMurray.
1989 Ub Iwerks, Les Clark, Marc Davis, Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl, Ward Kimball, Eric Larson, John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Reitherman, Frank Thomas.
1990 Roger Broggie, Joseph Fowler, John Hench, Richard Irvine, Herb Ryman, Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman.
1991 Ken Anderson, Julie Andrews, Carl Barks, Mary Blair, Claude Coats, Don DaGradi, Sterling Holloway, Fess Parker, Bill Walsh.
1992 Jimmie Dodd, Bill Evans, Annette Funicello, Joe Grant, Jack Hannah, Winston Hibler, Ken O’Connor, Roy Williams.
1993 Pinto Colvig, Buddy Ebsen, Peter Ellenshaw, Blaine Gibson, Harper Goff, Irving Ludwig, Jimmy Macdonald, Clarence Nash, Donn Tatum, Card Walker.
1994 Adriana Caselotti, Bill Cottrell, Marvin Davis, Van France, David Hand, Jack Lindquist, Bill Martin, Paul Smith, Frank Wells.
1995 Wally Boag, Fulton Burley, Dean Jones, Angela Lansbury, Edward Meck, Fred Moore, Thurl Ravenscroft, Wathel Rogers, Betty Taylor.
1996 Bob Allen, Rex Allen, X. Atencio, Betty Lou Gerson, Bill Justice, Bob Matheison, Sam McKim, Bob Moore, Bill Peet, Joe Potter.
In 1997, a special Disney Legends ceremony was held at Disneyland Paris to honor European Disney Legends (primarily individuals who had been instrumental in Disney film distribution and merchandise licensing in Europe through the years): Lucien Adès, Angel Angelopoulos, Antonio Bertini, Armand Bigle, Poul Brahe Pedersen, Gaudenzio Capelli, Roberto de Leonardis, Cyril Edgar, Wally Feignoux, Didier Fouret, Mario Gentilini, Cyril James, Horst Koblischek, Gunnar Mansson, Arnoldo Mondadori, Armand Palivoda, André Vanneste, Paul Winkler.
1998 James Algar, Buddy Baker, Kathryn Beaumont, Virginia Davis, Roy E. Disney, Don Escen, Wilfred Jackson, Glynis Johns, Kay Kamen, Paul Kenworthy, Larry Lansburgh, Hayley Mills, Al and Elma Milotte, Norman “Stormy” Palmer, Lloyd Richardson, Kurt Russell, Ben Sharpsteen, Vladimir “Bill” Tytla, Dick Van Dyke. A Legends ceremony in Japan in 1998 honored Masatomo Takahashi and Matsuo Yokoyama.
1999 Tim Allen, Mary Costa, Norman Ferguson, William Garity, Yale Gracey, Al Konetzni, Hamilton Luske, Dick Nunis, Charlie Ridgway.
2000 Grace Bailey, Harriet Burns, Joyce Carlson, Ron Dominguez, Cliff Edwards, Becky Fallberg, Dick Jones, Dodie Roberts, Retta Scott, Ruthie Tompson.
2001 (ceremony held at Walt Disney World) Howard Ashman, Bob Broughton, George Bruns, Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline, Fred Joerger, Alan Menken, Marty Sklar, Ned Washington, Tyrus Wong. Special commendation to Bob Thomas.
2002 (ceremony held in France) Ken Annakin, Hugh Attwooll, Maurice Chevalier, Phil Collins, John Mills, Robert Newton, Sir Tim Rice, Robert Stevenson, Richard Todd, David Tomlinson.
2003 Neil Beckett, Tutti Camarata, Edna Disney, Lillian Disney, Orlando Ferrante, Richard Fleischer, Floyd Gottfredson, Buddy Hackett, Harrison Price, Al Taliaferro, Ilene Woods.
2004 Bill Anderson, Tim Conway, Rolly Crump, Alice Davis, Karen Dotrice, Matthew Garber, Leonard Goldenson, Bob Gurr, Ralph Kent, Irwin Kostal, Mel Shaw.
2005 (ceremony held at Disneyland) Chuck Abbott, Milt Albright, Hideo Amemiya, Hideo “Indian” Aramaki, Charles “Chuck” Boyajian, Charles Boyer, Randy Bright, Jim Cora, Bob Jani, Mary Jones, Art Linkletter, Mary Anne Mang, Steve Martin, Tom Nabbe, Jack Olsen, Cicely Rigdon, Bill Sullivan, Jack Wagner, Vesey Walker.
2006 Tim Considine, Kevin Corcoran, Al Dempster, Don Edgren, Paul Frees, Peter Jennings, Elton John, James A. Johnson, Tommy Kirk, Joe Ranft, David Stollery, Ginny Tyler.
2007 Roone Arledge, Art Babbitt, Carl Bongirno, Marge Champion, Dick Huemer, Ron Logan, Lucille Martin, Tom Murphy, Randy Newman, Floyd Norman, Bob Schiffer, Dave Smith.
2008 Wayne Allwine, Bob Booth, Neil Gallagher, Frank Gifford, Toshio Kagami, Burny Mattinson, Walt Peregoy, Dorothea Redmond, Russi Taylor, Oliver Wallace, Barbara Walters.
2009 (This and later ceremonies held at the D23 Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center.) Tony Anselmo, Harry Archinal, Bea Arthur, Bill Farmer, Estelle Getty, Don Iwerks, Rue McClanahan, Leota Toombs Thomas, Betty White, Robin Williams.
2011 Jodi Benson, Barton “Bo” Boyd, Jim Henson, Linda Larkin, Paige O’Hara, Regis Philbin, Anika Noni Rose, Lea Salonga, Ray Watson, Guy Williams, Bonita Wrather, Jack Wrather.
2013 Tony Baxter, Collin Campbell, Dick Clark, Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Jobs, Glen Keane, Ed Wynn.
2015 George Bodenheimer, Julie Reihm Casaletto, Andreas Deja, Eyvind Earle, Danny Elfman, George Lucas, Susan Lucci, Carson Van Osten, Johnny Depp.
2017 Carrie Fisher, Clyde Geronimi, Whoopi Goldberg, Manuel Gonzales, Mark Hamill, Wayne Jackson, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Garry Marshall, Julie Taymor, Oprah Winfrey.
2019 Christina Aguilera, Wing T. Chao, Robert Downey Jr., Jon Favreau, James Earl Jones, Bette Midler, Kenny Ortega, Barnette Ricci, Robin Roberts, Diane Sawyer, Ming-Na Wen, Hans Zimmer.
2022 Anthony Anderson, Kristen Bell, Chadwick Boseman, Rob’t Coltrin (named in 2020), Patrick Dempsey, Robert Price “Bob” Foster (named in 2021), Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Don Hahn, Doris Hardoon, Idina Menzel, Chris Montan, Ellen Pompeo, Tracee Ellis Ross.