Disney Legends

Benson Myers explains what the Disney Legends mean to him

- Benson Myers, March 3, 2011

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This week, Disney Legend Tom Nabbe began his weekly column here at Disney Dispatch, writing about his experiences during the early years of Disneyland. His article got me thinking about all the many people inducted as Disney Legends.

click an image to expand and read notes:

Disney Headquarters, Burbank, California

Disney Legends Award

Disney Legend Sully Sullivan's Nametag

Walt Disney Rockin' a Wonderful Hat

In case you aren't familiar with the Disney Legends, you might think of them as a "Who's Who" or "Hall of Fame" in the Disney universe.

Disney created the Legends program to honor the "many gifted animators, Imagineers, songwriters, actors and business leaders [who] made a significant impact on the Disney legacy".

Legends Plaza

Each year the Legends are honored during a special ceremony at the Disney headquarters in Burbank, California. Their handprints and signatures are preserved in bronze, and put on display in a special plaza.

In the background of this picture you can see the Michael D. Eisner building and statues honoring Walt Disney and his brother Roy. They are identical replicas of statues at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. The Legend's handprints are on the columns on either side of the Plaza.

Disney created the Legends Plaza as a contemplative spot for passersby, a place to stop and remember those who built the Disney legacy.

Each Legend also receives a special bronze statue of Sorcerer Mickey holding his famous wand.

Disney describes the three parts of the Legends Award as follows:

• The Spiral stands for imagination, the power of an idea.
• The Hand holds the gifts of skill, discipline, and craftsmanship.
• The Wand and the Star represent magic: the spark that is ignited when imagination and skill combine to create a new dream.

I almost forgot to tell you something: Disney also gives a special nametag to each Disney Legend to identify their status. (What would this column be without a nametag on display?)

Picking Personal Favorites

So, as you can imagine, being named a Disney Legend is a singular honor. Of the many hundreds of thousands of people who have worked for (and collaborated with) the Walt Disney Company over the past 80 or so years, only about 250 have been named Legends. Their work for Disney has resulted in theme parks, rides and attractions, and classic films.

As I looked over the list of Disney Legends while preparing for this article, I tried to decide which ones have inspired and influenced me the most. But the list is too vast to pick just one or two. I admire them all for their unique and personal contributions.

If pressed, however, I could say that I admire most the Legends who designed and built Disneyland, as the park means a great deal to me. But I can also say that I admire all the Legends who made the many Disney films that I love so much.

I suppose the greatest Legend (though never officially named a Legend!) is Walt Disney himself. After all, if Walt hadn't done what he did, you wouldn't be reading this column! Walt touches a different part in each of us in a different way. Few people can claim that they've literally changed the world.

Walt Disney can.

For more, visit the column homepage IT'S ALL IN A NAMETAG