2009 Disney Legends Award Recipients to Be Honored During D23 Expo in Anaheim
02 September 2009 - 12:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Robin Williams, 'The Golden Girls,' and Other Talented Contributors
to Disney History Take Spotlight at Special Presentation on
Thursday, Sept. 10 BURBANK, Calif., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- Oscar(TM)-winning actor Robin Williams, the extraordinary
actresses of The Golden Girls, the voices of Donald Duck and Goofy,
and other incomparable contributors to the Disney legacy will be
honored on Sept. 10 at the 2009 Disney Legends Awards during the
D23 EXPO at the Anaheim Convention Center. The Disney Legends
Awards are a 22-year tradition of The Walt Disney Company, and the
four-day D23 EXPO provides a rare opportunity for the public to
watch the awards presentation. The awards ceremony, hosted by ABC
personality Tom Bergeron, will take place at 11 a.m. on Thursday,
Sept. 10, in the Anaheim Convention Center Arena. It directly
follows a special, one-hour presentation by Walt Disney Company
President and CEO Bob Iger that kicks off the first day of the D23
EXPO - which promises to be the ultimate Disney fan event. "This
year's recipients have had truly indelible influence on the Disney
legacy," Iger said. "Whether on screen or behind the scenes, these
10 men and women have contributed their talents in countless ways,
and we are very honored to name them as Disney Legends." The 2009
Disney Legends Award honorees (listed alphabetically) are: TONY
ANSELMO is a Disney animator who, since 1985, has provided the
incomparable (and some would say inimitable) voice of Donald Duck
in movies, cartoons, TV shows and theme-park attractions. HARRY
ARCHINAL is the former president of Buena Vista International, who
helped expand Disney's cinematic presence into regions outside of
the U.S. and Canada, bringing Disney movies to audiences around the
world. BEATRICE ARTHUR brought deadpan comic timing and enormous
warmth to the role of Dorothy Zbornak in The Golden Girls from 1985
to 1992, a role that brought her a second Emmy Award (in addition
to an Emmy for Maude). She was also a Tony Award-winning stage
actress and is in the Academy of Television Arts & Science's
Hall of Fame. Note: This award is presented posthumously. BILL
FARMER is an accomplished voice actor whose enormous body of work
has included providing the voice of Goofy since 1986. Farmer has
also been the voice of Pluto and Horace Horsecollar for Disney
productions. ESTELLE GETTY was, in fact, younger than Beatrice
Arthur but portrayed her mother, feisty Sophia Petrillo, in The
Golden Girls from 1985 to 1992. She received an Emmy Award for the
role - which she reprised in Golden Palace and Empty Nest - and was
nominated six additional times. Getty was one of the first
recipients of the "In Memoriam" Tony Award for her Broadway stage
work. Note: This award is presented posthumously. DON IWERKS is the
son of Walt Disney's longtime friend and animator Ub Iwerks. Don
Iwerks worked at Disney from 1951 to 1986, and created
revolutionary film systems that were used in movies like Mary
Poppins (sodium traveling matte process) and in such Disney theme
park attractions as "CircleVision 360" and "Star Tours." RUE
McCLANAHAN was honored with an Emmy Award for her hilariously
lusty, warm-hearted role as Blanche Devereaux on The Golden Girls,
which she also repeated on Golden Palace. From 1972 to 1978,
McClanahan played opposite Beatrice Arthur as Vivian on Maude, and
also co-starred in Mama's Family. In addition to her renowned work
on TV, on stage and in films, McClanahan is active in
animal-rights, cancer and AIDS organizations. LEOTA TOOMBS THOMAS
was working at Walt Disney Imagineering (then WED Enterprises) when
she served as a model for a new attraction called the Haunted
Mansion. She soon became world-famous as the Mansion's disembodied
Madame Leota. Note: This award is presented posthumously. BETTY
WHITE has become a television icon, especially for her role as
slightly befuddled, always charming Rose Nylund in The Golden Girls
- for which she received one of her six Emmy Awards. White has also
been a key cast member in such hit TV shows as The Mary Tyler Moore
Show, The Golden Palace, The Practice and her own series, The Betty
White Show. She has been seen in 19 films and has long supported
many animal-rights organizations. ROBIN WILLIAMS is the recipient
of six Golden Globes, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Grammy
Awards and the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (1997). His
unforgettable film work for Disney has included providing the voice
of Genie in Aladdin and starring in Good Morning, Vietnam, and Dead
Poets Society. He also appeared in the short film Back to Neverland
at Disney theme parks. This fall, Williams stars with John Travolta
in Old Dogs from Walt Disney Pictures. Each honoree receives a
two-foot-tall bronze Disney Legends sculpture that signifies the
imagination, creativity and magic they have brought to the Company.
Disney Legends Award recipients also participate in a hand-print
ceremony, and their bronzed prints will be displayed in the Disney
Legends Plaza at the Company's Burbank headquarters. The first
Disney Legend, actor Fred MacMurray (The Shaggy Dog, The
Absent-Minded Professor, The Happiest Millionaire), was named in
1987. Including this year's honorees, a total of 237 Disney Legends
have been named. Past Disney Legends include Tim Allen, Julie
Andrews, Howard Ashman, Annette Funicello, Peter Jennings, Angela
Lansbury, Steve Martin, Alan Menken, Hayley Mills, Fess Parker, Sir
Tim Rice, Dick Van Dyke and Barbara Walters. Tickets to the D23
EXPO are available at http://www.d23expo.com/. Admission includes
access to all experiences and entertainment at the D23 EXPO and can
be purchased for single days or for the full four days of
festivities. Admission is $37 for a one-day adult ticket and $27
for children 3-12. Four-day passes are $111 for adults and $81 for
children. Members of D23: The Official Community for Disney Fans
will receive a discount on up to four admissions, as well as early
entry to each day of the D23 EXPO for themselves and their guests.
Special vacation packages including Disneyland Resort hotel
accommodations, D23 EXPO tickets and theme park admission are
available at the D23 EXPO website. Packages are available from both
the Walt Disney Travel Company and the Anaheim/ Orange County
Visitor & Convention Bureau, which is offering a limited number
of area hotel rooms at special rates to those attending the D23
EXPO. Many more details about D23 EXPO entertainment, events and
special guests will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans can keep
up with all the news by visiting http://www.d23expo.com/, as well
as by following "Disney D23" at Twitter and on Facebook. Contacts:
Paul Roeder John Singh The Walt Disney Company J2 Communications
LLC 818-560-6166 415-686-0601 DATASOURCE: The Walt Disney Company
Corporate Communications CONTACT: Paul Roeder of The Walt Disney
Company, +1-818-560-6166; or John Singh of J2 Communications LLC,
+1-415-686-0601, for The Walt Disney Company Web Site:
http://www.d23expo.com/
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