ANAHEIM, Calif. – Harrison Ford held back tears, Miley Cyrus let them flow and several stars got emotional as they accepted the prestigious Disney Legends honor Sunday.
The company bestowed Legends status on 14 artists it says have had a “significant impact” on Disney’s legacy, including director James Cameron, film composer John Williams, Angela Bassett, Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly Ripa, among several others.
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This year's class of Disney Legends was inducted into the company's version of the hall of fame in a ceremony Sunday at The Honda Center in Anaheim, California, as a part of the D23 fan convention. Ryan Seacrest hosted the show, which is now streaming on Disney+.
Ford, who was the first to accept the award, called himself an “assistant storyteller," noting the many contributions of his collaborators to his career.
“I love the life you've given me,” he said to the crowd of over 15,000. “I love the people I've had the opportunity to work with. Nobody does anything in this business alone.”
Ford was teary as he thanked Disney CEO Bob Iger, who presented him with the award, for his professional guidance and friendship.
The “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars” actor received the honor more than 20 years after he was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The revered actor is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the upcoming “Captain America: Brave New World.”
Cyrus said she wasn't as strong as her fellow honorees who held back their tears as she accepted the award with an emotional speech.
“Legends get scared, too. I'm scared right now, but the difference is we do it anyway. All of you can do that every single day. It's legendary to be afraid and do it anyway,” Cyrus said. “There's no such thing as failure when you try.”
Country singer Lainey Wilson warmed the crowd up with a rousing performance of “The Best of Both Worlds” from Cyrus’ breakout show, “Hannah Montana,” and noted her personal admiration for Cyrus, whose popular character she impersonated in her early music gigs.
The “Flowers” singer, who rose to fame after starring as the titular popstar in “Hannah Montana” in 2006, is the youngest Legends recipient. Following her time on the sitcom, Cyrus has had a long-running career in music, winning her first Grammy Award in February.
Bassett, who appeared in “Black Panther” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” reunited with the film's director, Ryan Coogler, who presented her with the honor. Bassett also stars in ABC’s “9-1-1.”
“To the fans, you are the magic," Bassett said. “There are not enough words to let you know how much I appreciate you, how much I love you. I stand here today because you bought the tickets, you have watched the television shows, you have cheered me on my best days and lifted me up on the more difficult ones.”
Lindsay Lohan and Jodie Foster joined forces to present Curtis with her award. Foster said her “bestie” was “inventive, fearless and full of surprises" before bestowing old-fashioned Mickey Mouse ears upon Curtis.
“Legends aren't born, they're created,” Curtis said. “They're created and nurtured and taught and educated and then they make art and then we connect.”
Curtis has appeared in her share of projects under The Walt Disney Studios banner, from “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” to “You Again.” She is set to reprise her role in the upcoming sequel of the fan-favorite movie “Freaky Friday,” opposite Lohan. Curtis and Lohan surprised fans at Friday’s D23 presentation and shared a first look at “Freakier Friday.”
Ford stepped back out on stage to honor Williams, who created the iconic scores of Ford's “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars” movies, as well as "Jurassic Park" and “Jaws,” among several others. Williams has created the “soundtrack of our lives,” Ford said.
The Pacific Symphony performed a medley of music Williams, who was not in attendance, composed specially for the occasion.
Kate Winslet and Zoe Saldaña, the stars of “Titanic” and “Avatar,” respectively, teamed up to celebrate James Cameron.
“It’s a dream come true,” Cameron said of being in a group with his fellow honorees. “There’s just such an incredible display of creativity and imagination here tonight and I’m just happy to be in this crowd, to be part of this club and part of the Disney family tonight.”
ABC talk show host and mainstay Ripa reunited with her former co-host Seacrest as he introduced her to accept her honor. Her career at the television network spans over 30 years and she now hosts “Live with Kelly and Mark” with her husband, Mark Consuelos.
“It is a very rare thing, anybody can tell you in this industry, to be employed consistently in this industry, but to be employed by the same company for 34 years is my great good fortune," Ripa said. “I owe everything to Disney.”
Danny DeVito, one of director James L. Brooks’ long-runnning collaborators and friends, presented the “Simpsons” and “Mary Tyler Moore Show” creator with the award, calling him a “genius.”
“There will never be another writer, director, producer, like my dear friend,” DeVito said.
Disney also honored six behind-the-scenes creatives who have contributed to groundbreaking films, art and Disney experiences.
Those honorees include Colleen Atwood, an Oscar-winning costume designer; Mark Henn, a prominent animator known for his work animating several Disney princesses; Steve Ditko, the late comics artist known for characters such as Spider-Man and Doctor Strange; Frank Oz, a noted puppeteer of “Muppets” characters and a filmmaker; Martha Blanding, a longtime manager at The Walt Disney Company and Disneyland, and Joe Rohde, a former Disney Imagineer.
Previous Disney Legends include Elton John, Steve Jobs, Betty White, Dick Van Dyke, Robert Downey Jr. and Whoopi Goldberg. They are among more than 300 honorees since the program’s inception in 1987.