Don Hahn has experienced the past, the present, and the future of The Walt Disney Company in a way very few others have. Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Southern California, Don developed an interest in both music and animation early on. “My favorite films were One Hundred and One Dalmatians and The Jungle …
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Whether on stage or screen, Idina Menzel’s unequivocal signature talents have shone through countless projects across her almost 30-year career. She was born in Manhattan and grew up on Long Island, where her vocal chops appeared early. “I’ve been singing and acting and running around putting on shows in my living room since I was a …
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Culminating a nearly 30-year career at Walt Disney Imagineering that included work on some of Disney’s most popular attractions, Robert “Rob’t” Coltrin was named a Disney Legend in 2020. To his surprise, Rob’t was notified of this prestigious honor on August 25, 2020, during a private presentation at home with a few friends and his …
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Without the man who proudly referred to himself as “Disney’s official clod kicker,” the Walt Disney World Resort we know wouldnot have been possible. Robert Price “Bob” Foster orchestrated the purchase of thousands of acres that the resort covers todayin total secrecy in the early 1960s, involving hundreds of transactions. He joined The Walt Disney …
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Since Mickey Mouse first whistled in 1928’s Steamboat Willie, music has played an integral role in the success of The Walt Disney Company, and for over 30 years, Chris Montan helped define that Disney signature sound. One of the most well-respected executives in Hollywood, Chris re-established Disney’s music as a cultural phenomenon. As he explains, …
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Jonathan Groff is a talented Emmy® and two-time Tony Award® nominee. Onscreen, he is the voice of Kristoff and Sven in the hit Walt Disney Animation Studios films Frozen (2013) and Frozen 2 (2019). He has also given voice to both characters in 2015’s Frozen Fever, 2016’s LEGO® Disney Frozen: Northern Lights, 2017’s Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, …
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Born and raised in Maine to a school secretary mother and an insurance salesman father, Patrick got his first taste of performing, surprisingly, via juggling—winning second place second place in the Juniors category at the 1981 International Jugglers’ Association Championship. But it was an invitation to audition for the tour of Harvey Fierstein’s play Torch …
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Playing a beloved television character for 19 seasons is no easy feat—but Ellen Pompeo has accomplished that, and so much more, in her nearly 22-year career in Hollywood. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Ellen eventually made the move to New York City, and then to Los Angeles. After making her TV debut in 1996, higher …
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Kenny Ortega grew up in a household filled with music and dance, so it was natural for him to turn to musical theatre and film for a career. “When I was a little boy, I remember watching my mother and father dance in the living room. They would jitterbug and mambo. Before we had TV, …
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Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, Bette Midler was 12 when she saw her first stage show, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, recalling, “I couldn’t get over how beautiful it was. I fell so in love with it. Everything else in my life receded once I discovered theatre.” Bette moved to New York in 1965. Within …
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